Senior Legal Counsel

Food Impact Partners are exclusively partnered to find a Senior Legal Counsel for our client, a pioneering biotechnology company building more resilient and sustainable ingredients.

The company has developed a proprietary, biology-driven platform that designs and produces high-performance fats and oils without the environmental, ethical, or supply-chain burdens of traditional sources.

By harnessing advanced fermentation and microbial engineering, they create tailored molecules that unlock innovation across food, nutrition, personal care, and related industries. Their commercial model centers on strategic partnerships and technology licensing with established ingredient and CPG companies, enabling global scale while remaining focused, agile, and science-driven.

Our client is seeking a commercially minded, pragmatic, and highly collaborative Senior Legal Counsel to serve as a key legal partner across the organization.

Thisisahigh-impact,hands-onrolesuitedforsomeonewhothrivesindynamicenvironmentsandunderstandshowtobalanceriskwithopportunity.

Thesuccessfulcandidatewillactastheprimarylegaladvisortoamission-drivenstartupscalingitspartnerships,technology platform,and operations.

Theidealcandidatecombinesstrongtransactionalexpertisewithsoundstartupjudgment,abletoidentifymaterialrisksanddistinguishthemfromtheoreticalones.

This role will work cross-functionally with Business Development, Technology, Finance, Operations, and Leadership, helping the company move quickly and responsibly within a complex regulatory and commercial landscape.

• Serveasleadin-housecounselacrossallcommerciallegalmatters,managingcollaborationwithexternalcounselwherespecializedexpertiseisrequired
• Draft,review,and negotiate:
• Strategicpartnershipagreements
• Licensing agreements
• Contractmanufacturingagreements
• Services agreements
• Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)
• Confidentiality agreements
• Providepracticalguidanceonstructuringandexecutingcomplexcommercialtransactions
• Advisebusinessleadersoncontractualrights,obligations,andriskmitigationstrategies

• Supportcorporategovernance,board materials,and resolutions
• Assistwithfinancings,investor materials,M&Atransactions,andotherstrategicinitiatives
• Providelegalanalysisrelatedtosecuritiescomplianceandcorporatestructuring
• Adviseonentitymanagementandgovernanceprocesses
• Adviseon
  
  HRmatters,including hiring,terminations,performance issues,investigations,wageandhourcompliance,andrelevantemploymentlaws
• Support
  
  HRwithpolicyupdates,employeehandbookreviews,andcompliancetraining
• Maintainclearcommunicationwiththe Boardandoverseecorporaterecordkeeping
• Serveas Corporate Equity Plan administrator (experience with
  
  Cartapreferred)

• Provide business-orientedcounselonregulatory,trade compliance,andcontractualrisk
• Supportdatasecurity,privacy,AI governance,andB2
  
  Bmarketingcompliance
• Ensurealignmentwithapplicablelawsandcompanypolicies

• OverseeIPprotectionstrategyincollaborationwithexternalcounselandthetechnologyteam
• Managepatentportfoliostrategyandtradesecretprotection
• Ensuresafeguardingofproprietarytechnologycriticaltocompetitiveadvantage

• Juris Doctor(JD) or equivalent;active
  
  State
  
  Bar membership(California preferred)
• 6+yearsoflegalexperience,ideallycombininglawfirmandin-house roles
• Priorexperienceina
  
  Series
  
  A–Dstartupstronglypreferred
• Experienceacrossseveralofthefollowingareas:
• Commercialcontractsandcomplexnegotiations
• Corporate governance
• Financingtransactionsandinvestormaterials
• Intellectualpropertystrategy(withoutsidecounsel)
• Datasecurityandprivacy
• AI governance
• EmploymentandHRmatters
• B2
  
  Bmarketingcompliance
• Regulatoryandtradecompliance

• Strongcommercialacumenandbusinessjudgment
• Comfortableoperatinginambiguityandfast-moving environments
• Abilitytoprioritizematerialrisksovertheoreticalperfection
• Resourceful,creative,and solutions-oriented
• Excellentwrittenandverbalcommunicationskills
• Provenabilitytomanagemultipleprioritiessimultaneously
• Stronginterpersonalskillsandcross-functionalcollaborationexperience

• Workattheforefrontofclimate-positivebiotechnologyinnovation
• Influencecompanystrategyatapivotalstageofgrowth
• Partnerwithmission-driven scientists,operators,and entrepreneurs
• Build legal infrastructure that enables scale