Legal Counsel, Government Contracts (Mission Autonomy and Maneuver Dominance)

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril’s Legal Team seeks a Legal Counsel-Government Contracts to support the Mission Autonomy and Maneuver Dominance business lines. This role can work from either Washington D.C., or Costa Mesa, CA. This role will be part of Anduril’s Deal Team, which supports the full lifecycle of Anduril contracts and includes government contracts lawyers, contract managers, and proposal managers.
The Mission Autonomy business line is responsible for delivering the Lattice for Mission Autonomy solution, which is an advanced software platform enabling a single human to control and coordinate a wide range of autonomous assets. The Maneuver Dominance business line develops aerial robotic systems designed to operate in large coordinated teams through Anduril’s Lattice system, leveraging other business line hardware products, such as Ghost, Altius, and Roadrunner, in addition to third-party hardware platforms.

ABOUT THE JOB

In this role, you will be responsible for providing legal review and guidance on issues related to proposals, procurement, contracting strategies, and day-to-day program execution for the Mission Autonomy and Maneuver Dominance business lines. You will have a robust understanding of government contracts law, the FAR and DFARS, data rights, and software contracting. This role will partner closely with customers, outside counsel, and business partners across the organization to support business development and legal operations.
Anduril is a fast-growing company at the early stages of growth. Consistent with this fast growth, members of Anduril’s Legal Team must be resourceful, creative, and eager to take ownership of complex matters. The Legal Counsel-Government Contracts role will require creativity and resourcefulness to navigate the US Government’s complex procurement and compliance rules, with a singular focus on helping Anduril deploy its path-making technology into operational settings for the United States and its allies. In addition to helping capture and execute new government deals, you will work on all other aspects of Anduril’s business, from negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to handling intellectual property, compliance, and employment matters. Experience across all of these areas is not expected, but a willingness to learn and adapt is.
The Legal Counsel-Government Contracts will be expected to take responsibility for significant, material projects, which will have a significant impact on the Mission Autonomy and Maneuver Dominance business lines. Our team is passionate about the law and policy of defense technology and software contracting and you should have an independent interest in the key issues in this field. Anduril fosters a collaborative culture with tremendous opportunities for ownership and professional growth.
WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Be a key member of Anduril’s small, dynamic Legal Team.
• Drive customer growth by executing new government contracts and growing existing ones. Use your expertise in federal procurement law to help the Business Development, Proposal, and Engineering Teams efficiently capture new contracts, grow existing contracts, and set up follow-on opportunities for future contracts. Assist in the strategy development for new business.
• Manage relationships with procurement office representatives at Government agencies. High-trust professional relationships with Government contracting and procurement offices are critical to Anduril’s continued success, and you will be called upon to develop and foster these relationships throughout your tenure.
• Provide legal counsel and day-to-day management of the entire acquisitions lifecycle. Oversee and evaluate major proposals, monitor large contracts, lead or assist in key negotiations, resolve performance issues, identify risks and mitigations, and ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and policies.
• Work on all legal aspects of Anduril’s business, from negotiating license and services agreements, to bid protests and litigation, to handling intellectual property, compliance, and employment matters. You will represent the legal team in relationships with outside counsel, vendors, engineers, executives, customers, and regulators.
• Develop software contracting approaches for delivering software to the Department of Defense and negotiate those agreements with contracting officers and program counsel.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of work on U.S. government contracts matters, preferably with a law firm or the government (more senior lawyers are also encouraged to apply, the position may be adjusted based on experience)
• An understanding of the government procurement process, particularly contract vehicles, software acquisition approaches, and data rights
• The judgment and initiative required to make risk-adjusted decisions for the company and own multiple projects from end-to-end, whether guiding the Business Development Team through the lifecycle of a deal or handling unexpected legal issues that may arise in defense or start-up companies
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Quick learner and able to contribute to the broader start-up legal function, including topics that may be completely new to you: everything from IP and litigation to financing, securities, compliance, and employment law, depending on the needs of the day
• Licensed to practice law in CA or D.C.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Pre-law school professional experience (e.g., military or government)
• Combination of law-firm and in-house or government experience
• Experience working with the government
• Experience with engineering, software, or other technology
• An interest in the law and policy of defense acquisitions with opinions about what is right or wrong in the field and how to fix it
• The ability and grit to operate independently within a rapidly evolving company