Senior Corporate Counsel

Otto Aerospace • Washington, DC

19d • Hybrid

About The Position

Otto is seeking a Senior Corporate Counsel to serve as a central business partner at a pivotal moment in the company's growth. As the first commercial-focused legal hire reporting directly to the General Counsel, you will own the company's commercial and strategic contracting function end-to-end. This role is designed for a seasoned, judgment-driven lawyer who wants to operate at the center of the business-structuring complex deals, shaping contracting strategy, and building the legal infrastructure that will support Otto through rapid scaling, major institutional financing, and eventual public-company readiness.
You will lead the full lifecycle of customer, vendor, supplier, and strategic partnership agreements, while also establishing the systems, processes, and playbooks that enable Otto's commercial, supply chain, and engineering teams to move quickly without compromising legal discipline. This is a hands-on, high-impact role that blends sophisticated transactional work with operational leadership across contract management, process design, and cross-functional alignment.

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school
• Member in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar
• Strong academic foundation in commercial, corporate, or transactional law
• 8+ years of commercial or transactional experience, including time at a leading law firm
• In-house experience at a technology, aerospace, industrial, or deep-tech company
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate complex, long-dated, or strategically significant agreements
• Experience managing or overseeing contract operations, vendor agreements, or sales contracting workflows
• Familiarity with procurement processes, sales operations, and contract lifecycle management systems (e.g., Ironclad)
• U.S. citizenship required (ITAR)
• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, and analytical abilities
• Strong business judgment and the ability to balance risk with commercial objectives
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and drive clarity in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams
• High attention to detail, organizational discipline, and operational rigor
• Pragmatic, low-ego, and comfortable making decisions independently

Nice To Haves

• Background in regulated, export-controlled, or manufacturing-intensive environments is helpful

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary legal lead for commercial, customer, supplier, and strategic partnership agreements
• Oversee and direct Otto's contracting activities across all business areas, ensuring legal, operational, and strategic alignment
• Manage the full lifecycle of vendor and customer contracts, including intake, drafting, negotiation, execution, and renewal
• Structure, draft, and negotiate complex, high-value, and often bespoke commercial agreements
• Develop and maintain contract playbooks, clause libraries, fallback positions, and standardized templates
• Build scalable contracting processes and implement best practices that balance compliance, agility, and business efficiency
• Track key contract terms, deliverables, renewals, and obligations using contract lifecycle management tools
• Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, Operations, Engineering, Compliance, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment and execution
• Represent the legal function in negotiations with executives, engineers, vendors, customers, and strategic partners
• Identify and implement process improvements to streamline contracting workflows and reduce turnaround times

Benefits

• Otto Aerospace provides a robust benefits package that includes competitive salaries, subsidized medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) opportunities, paid short-term disability, voluntary long-term disability, and additional term life insurance.
• Employees receive 15 paid days off, 13 paid company holidays, and paid sick leave.
• Depending on seniority and role, some positions qualify for bonuses and stock options.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree