Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. By delivering hardened, secure, and production-ready builds of all the open source software engineers and AI agents rely on, Chainguard helps organizations build faster, stay compliant, and eliminate risk.
Our customers include Fortune 500 enterprises and global industry leaders, including Anduril, Canva, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, OpenAI, Snap Inc., and Snowflake.
Chainguard is venture-backed by leading investors, including Amplify, IVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mantis VC, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Spark Capital.
The role, in a nutshell:
We're looking for our first IP/Product Counsel to help Chainguard protect, monetize, and scale what we're building. Chainguard moves quickly. As a result, open source licensing questions, product launch nuances, and IP protection are part of the day-to-day business, not occasional legal requests.
This role sits at the intersection of IP and product. You'll manage our growing IP portfolio, lead enforcement efforts when our licensing terms are violated, and work closely with product and engineering teams as they build and launch new products and features.
This is a role with a significant runway. We're not looking for someone to walk in and build a fully staffed function on day one. We're looking for someone who can take ownership, build scalable processes, and grow the function over time.
The ideal candidate has a strong background in IP law, particularly open source licensing, trademark and copyright, with patent and technology transactions experience as a plus. You'll also have experience working closely with product teams, including drafting product terms, reviewing terms of service, and advising on the relevant privacy, licensing, and IP implications of new products and features.
You should be comfortable working across both sides of IP: proactively building protections for the company and enforcing those protections when needed. Fluency in open source licensing is required, including knowledge of standard permissive and copyleft licenses (e.g., MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD, GPL, LGPL, MPL) and non-standard (e.g. dual license) , as you'll work with engineering teams on open source questions on a regular basis.
What You'll Do:
- Own and grow Chainguard's international IP portfolio;
- Lead IP enforcement efforts, including cease-and-desist actions involving customers or competitors who violate our licensing terms;
- Serve as a go-to legal resource for open source licensing questions from engineering;
- Advise product teams on licensing, IP, and terms of service considerations across multiple concurrent product and feature launches;
- Draft and review product terms and terms of service for new launches;
- Advise on licensing considerations in partner and joint development agreements;
- Partner with product and engineering teams early in the development process to identify and address legal considerations before launch; and
- Build scalable IP processes, templates, and resources as the function grows
What We're Looking For:
- 5+ years of legal experience with a strong foundation in IP law, including trademark and copyright; patent experience is a plus
- Strong knowledge of open source licensing is highly valued, as these questions come up regularly in the role
- Experience advising on product launches, product roadmaps, product terms, or terms of service is a plus, but not required
- Strong IP experience can outweigh lighter product counsel experience
- Comfort working both proactively to build and protect the company's IP and reactively when enforcement is required
- This is an individual contributor role today with the opportunity to grow into leading the function over time
Why This Role:
Chainguard recently experienced the busiest product launch stretch in company history. The pace isn't slowing down, and neither are the IP and licensing questions that come with it.
This role will sit at the center of that work. You'll help build the protections around what we're creating, handle disputes when they arise, and partner directly with product and engineering teams before they ship.
As Chainguard continues to scale, so will this function. For the right person, there's a real opportunity to shape how we approach IP and product counsel and potentially build and lead a team over time.
Base Salary Range
$200,000—$225,000 USD
About Us
We live and breathe our company values:
- We are customer obsessed — We focus on delivering solutions to our customers that create value and make their lives better.
- We have a bias for intentional action — We prioritize, plan, try things, and fail fast.
- We don't take ourselves too seriously (but we do serious work) — We are solving an important problem which takes focus, but we also like to enjoy the journey.
- We trust each other and assume good intentions — We're transparent with decisions to empower team members to make well informed decisions.
A few of the benefits we offer:
- Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs.
- Our Approach to Equity: Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options (yes, you read that correctly: 10 years!).
- 100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents. Nothing comes out of your paycheck.
- ∞ Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need – to do our best work, we need to recharge and reset.
- 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: We offer 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your child's first year.
If your experience is close but doesn't fulfill all requirements, please apply. We're building the best team in technology and are focused on hiring "Chainguardians" with unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.
By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Chainguard will process your personal data in accordance with Chainguard's Global Candidate Privacy Notice.
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