VP, Deputy General Counsel, Strategic Litigation and IP

Roku•San Jose, CA

10h•Hybrid

About The Position

Roku is seeking a Vice President, Deputy General Counsel to lead Roku’s global strategic litigation and intellectual property function. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for defining litigation strategy, overseeing the Company’s full litigation portfolio, and guiding the development and protection of Roku’s intellectual property. The role operates at the intersection of legal strategy and business execution, helping leaders make informed, risk-based decisions while ensuring the Company handles disputes with clarity, consistency, and discipline. This role reports to the General Counsel and serves as a key advisor to senior leadership on litigation posture, IP strategy, and legal risk. The position requires a combination of strategic judgment, operational leadership, and business pragmatism, with the ability to build scalable systems and influence outcomes across a complex, fast-moving organization.

Requirements

Deep experience managing complex litigation across multiple domains, including IP
Strong understanding of patent litigation, licensing dynamics, and IP strategy
Ability to translate legal risk into business decisions and tradeoffs
Experience advising senior executives in high-stakes situations
Proven ability to build and scale systems, processes, and teams
Strong discipline around prioritization, cost management, and execution
Experience working closely with product, engineering, and commercial teams
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, matrixed environment
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
Ability to simplify complex legal concepts into clear, actionable insights

Nice To Haves

15+ years of experience leading complex litigation matters
Significant in-house leadership experience (top-tier law firm background is a plus)
Experience managing broad litigation portfolios beyond IP
Strong track record of managing outside counsel and legal budgets at scale
Experience in high-growth technology or media companies
Ability to thrive in ambiguity and operate with sound judgment under pressure

Responsibilities

Own Roku’s global litigation portfolio end-to-end, including IP disputes, commercial litigation, regulatory matters, and consumer/class actions
Define and drive litigation strategy, including when to litigate, settle, or escalate matters based on business impact
Build and implement a repeatable litigation operating system, including intake, early case assessment, playbooks, and post-mortems
Establish consistent frameworks for decision-making, prioritization, and risk management
Oversee Roku’s IP portfolio, including patent strategy, prosecution oversight, and alignment with product and business priorities
Guide defensive and offensive IP strategy in partnership with internal teams and external counsel
Develop and manage a disciplined outside counsel program, including staffing models, fee structures, and performance expectations
Drive strategic cost control while maintaining high-quality legal outcomes
Partner with Product, Engineering, Ads, Finance, and executive leadership to proactively reduce legal risk and inform key business decisions
Translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance for stakeholders
Strengthen litigation governance practices, including discovery processes, document retention, and compliance frameworks
Ensure scalable systems are in place to support litigation and regulatory requirements
Provide clear, decision-ready reporting on litigation exposure, trends, and key matters to executive leadership and the Board
Deliver insights that inform business strategy and risk posture
Lead and develop a high-performing legal team
Build a function that can scale with the business while maintaining focus and efficiency