Head of Legal

Coherent is looking for its first in-house lawyer, an experienced legal professional who will manage and grow the legal function as we continue to scale rapidly. Reporting to the CFO, the Head of Legal will manage the day-to-day operations of the legal department, provide effective and innovative legal advice to the leadership team on company strategies, and help prepare the company for its next stage of growth.

Now you may be wondering what your day-to-day will look like. You will...

• Build processes to help scale the contracting function as the company grows
• Advise on corporate governance, manage Board matters, and support financings, capital raising efforts, and M&A activities
• Oversee privacy and data security issues and advise on all privacy rules/regulations that impact the business and new potential product lines
• Support HR in advising on employment laws and equity compensation
• Support international expansion and work closely with outside counsel in each jurisdiction to handle establishing legal entities, tax structures, real estate and employment matters
• Manage all IP issues (patent, trademark, copyright) with the aid of outside counsel
• Oversee outside counsel (domestic and foreign) and other external legal resources
• Support other matters as they arise, including litigation, compliance, real estate, etc.
• Other duties as assigned by manager
• Support commercial and technology transactions connected with Coherent’s sales and procurement activities

What skills the candidate will need to get the job done…

• J.D. and admitted to practice in any state in the U.S.
• 10+ years of combined law firm/in-house experience, with a strong preference for software industry experience;
• Experience working with high-growth or venture-backed companies, including working with the board of directors
• Experience with financings, capital raising efforts, and M&A
• Experience supporting global expansion activities
• Proven ability to proactively, efficiently, and accurately assess legal business risks
• Excellent written and oral communication skills to both lawyers and non-lawyers, and creation of strong and trusted cross-functional relationships
• Proactive personality and eagerness to learn about the business, products, new areas of law, and applicable regulations
• Thrives in a startup environment with rapid change
• Self-starter, capable of working independently

Perks of working at Coherent

• Competitive compensation packages
• Health Insurance
• Flexible working
• Special Events (Hackathons, etc.)
• No formal dress code
• Non-hierarchical organisation (no BS)
• Generous leave benefits
• Fun international work environment
• Global mobility opportunities