Associate General Counsel, Hardware IP (San Francisco)

About the Team

OpenAI's Legal team plays a crucial role in furthering OpenAI's mission by tackling innovative, fundamental legal issues in AI. If you're passionate about doing significant and unique work as a technology lawyer, this team is for you. The team comprises legal professionals from diverse fields, including technology, privacy, IP, corporate, cybersecurity, employment, tax, regulatory, and litigation.

About the Role

We’re growing our world‑class Legal team and seek an experienced counsel to lead our global hardware IP portfolio initiatives, including patent, trademark and other intellectual property matters related to our business. This role is highly cross‑functional across OpenAI, including work across our Legal, Communications, Global Affairs, Product, Research and Executive teams.

This role is based in SanFrancisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Responsibilities

• Own global hardware IP initiatives, including setting and executing on the strategic direction and management of our hardware IP portfolio.
• Create scalable processes internally and externally with outside counsel to build, maintain and protect our hardware IP portfolio.
• Develop and maintain internal hardware IP policies and programs.
• Engage externally on hardware IP policy issues.
• Advise on strategic hardware IP deals.
• Advise on hardware IP issues, ranging from patent, trademark, trade secret to open source.
• Develop and build internal AI expertise, processes and tools to facilitate legal team work.
• Experience advising on complex technology transactions and inbound technology licensing.

Qualifications

• At least 10+ years of combined hardware IP experience at innovative technology companies and law firms.
• JD and license or qualification to practice in CA.
• Strong sense of ownership, inquisitive and enthusiastic about technology, enjoy being continually challenged, and can demonstrate sound judgment in ambiguous situations.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general‑purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.