Regulatory Compliance Counsel

Hermeus•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$200,000 - $250,000•Onsite

About The Position

Hermeus is hiring a regulatory compliance attorney to build and run its export control and trade compliance program. The role serves as the primary advisor on ITAR, EAR, and related trade controls, and owns jurisdiction and classification work and export authorizations. It is an on-site, hands-on builder role working alongside engineering teams to understand hardware, software, and technical data, make sound classification and marking decisions, and integrate compliance into engineering workflows. The attorney will develop policies, train employees, make classification determinations, file licenses, and identify ways to use AI tools to streamline compliance and provide employees with self-service answers. Depending on experience, the role may also cover CUI and technical data protection, Department of War contracting and security requirements, FCPA and ethics matters, FAA and FCC regulation, supplier and consultant agreements, and intellectual property.

Requirements

J.D. and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
California bar admission or Registered In-House Counsel status.
At least 4 years of experience with ITAR and EAR, gained at a law firm, aerospace or defense company, or in government.
Hands-on experience with jurisdiction and classification analysis, including drafting CJ or CCATS requests.
Experience drafting DDTC license applications and agreements such as TAAs or MLAs, and BIS license applications.
Experience with OFAC sanctions and import or customs compliance.
Working knowledge of technical data controls, deemed exports, restricted-party screening, and voluntary disclosures.
Ability to read engineering drawings and technical specifications well enough to analyze and classify them, and to work credibly and daily with engineers.
Clear, practical writing and training skills for technical and non-legal audiences.
Willingness to work full time on-site in the Los Angeles area.
Active or current security clearance eligible for reinstatement at the time of hire; a clearance is considered current if inactive for less than 24 months and eligible for reinstatement.
U.S. citizenship is required for security-clearance eligibility.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a startup or high-growth company, ideally in defense technology or aerospace, including building a compliance program or function from scratch.
Hands-on experience building, configuring, or training AI tools to improve legal or compliance work or provide employee self-service answers.
Experience with allied defense cooperation frameworks or foreign military sales support.
Industry certification such as SIA, ICPA, or SCCE.
8–10 years of legal and/or compliance practice.
Active security clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain one.
Experience with CUI programs, NIST SP 800-171, CMMC, or DFARS cybersecurity requirements.
Experience with FAA, FCC, or Department of War regulatory matters.

Responsibilities

Coordinate with engineering, supply chain, business development, and leadership so compliance questions are raised early and trade compliance is considered in corporate transactions and presentation materials.
Integrate practical compliance steps into engineering tools and processes, including PLM, document control, and data repositories.
Design, document, and implement an export compliance program, including policies, procedures, a technology control plan, recordkeeping, and internal audit protocols.
Maintain DDTC registration and support Empowered Official functions; track export authorizations, including scope, provisos, and expiration dates.
Establish restricted-party screening, foreign-person access controls, deemed export reviews, and visitor and foreign travel processes.
Monitor changes to ITAR, EAR, OFAC sanctions, and import rules and translate them into guidance and process updates.
Conduct internal assessments, investigate potential violations, and implement corrective actions.
Select, configure, and manage compliance tools for screening, classification research, and license tracking.
Determine and document jurisdiction and classification for hardware, software, technical data, and defense services, including USML categories, specially designed item analysis, ECCNs, and EAR99.
Prepare commodity jurisdiction and commodity classification requests when formal determinations are useful to the business.
Review supplier and OEM classifications with engineering and supply chain, and maintain a current classification matrix for the bill of materials and technical data.
Draft and submit DDTC license applications, including DSP-5 and DSP-73, TAAs, MLAs, and BIS license applications.
Determine whether ITAR exemptions or EAR license exceptions apply and document their use, recordkeeping, and reporting.
Provide licensing strategy and timelines for international business development, allied engagement, foreign supplier relationships, trade shows, and test campaigns.
Serve as a working point of contact with DDTC, BIS, DTSA, and Department of War program offices on licensing matters.
Set marking standards for export-controlled technical data, CUI, proprietary information, and government data-rights legends.
Advise leadership on corporate transactions and fundraising materials, and advise engineering and program teams on marking technical and business materials.
Train employees to conduct classifications and markings, review technical data transfers to foreign persons and third parties, and approve information before public release or presentation.
Work with IT and security on access controls, export-compliant cloud environments, and data handling requirements.
Identify, build, configure, and train AI tools and workflows for compliance tasks such as classification research, license drafting, marking reviews, regulatory monitoring, and screening triage.
Develop employee self-service tools and define when questions must be escalated to a lawyer; establish safeguards for AI use with controlled information.
As applicable to experience, advise on Department of War contracting and security obligations, FAA test matters, FCC spectrum matters, import compliance, supplier flow-downs and screening, and protection of trade secrets and proprietary technical data in agreements.