Director Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property and Operations

Director Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property and Operations

Job Category
:
Administrative Services

Requisition Number
: DIREC
012696

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• Posted :
  January 28, 2026
• Full-Time
• On-site
• Salary Range : $ USD to $ USD

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Job Summary

The Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property and Operations role will require both specialization in intellectual property matters as well as ability to perform in a generalist position supporting Cirrus business teams on a variety of day-to-day legal matters, including contracts and contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, and general corporate law. The successful candidate will have at least 7 years of broad-based legal experience in dealing with sophisticated issues.

A background that incorporates a mixture of law firm and in-house experience is preferred, as is specialty experience in corporate law, and intellectual property. It’s also a must to be a team player, a person willing to roll up one’s sleeves to take on new challenges, and a person who enjoys practicing law.

Duties and Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements and contracts, including supply/procurement agreements.
• Lead, mentor and manage one attorney, who will directly support Cirrus’s procurement teams in both direct and indirect sourcing.
• Develop and implement intellectual property strategies tailored for product development and technology initiatives, including advising senior management on patent matters and freedom-to-operate matters while driving internal education initiatives related to intellectual property.
• Lead invention review board meetings.
• Manage Cirrus’ global trademark, copyright, and domain portfolios, and provide counsel on the selection of trademarks, trademark clearance, and trademark oppositions and disputes.
• Collaborate with outside counsel on drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent and trademark applications globally.
• Provide high-quality, pragmatic, and proactive legal advice and service with a focus on the general aviation industry, including providing counsel on FAA rules and regulations.
• Organize, enable, and drive other Legal Department continuous improvement projects with minimal supervision and conduct legal research as necessary to support the Legal Department’s initiatives.
• Assist with the management and support of litigation and claims matters, including product liability litigation, intellectual property, and commercial litigation and discovery/e-discovery activities associated with each.
• Target, develop, and manage the Legal Department’s monetization and revenue generation support activities and strategic initiatives with key stakeholders.
• Monitor and maintain current knowledge of aviation industry trends in legal and compliance matters and pursuing ongoing professional development to maintain current knowledge on best practices and risk management.
• Regular, reliable, and predictable onsite attendance.
• Willingness to step outside your comfort zone and enter new areas of law.
• Travel requirements estimated at 5%.

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• J.D. with excellent academic credentials.
• Current attorney licensed and in good standing in at least one state with the ability to become licensed to practice law in Minnesota or in-house counsel waiver through Minnesota Rule 10.
• 7 years of Intellectual Property and Transactional law experience (preferably a portion of which gained in an in-house corporate setting).
• Proven negotiation, drafting and analytical skills for various types of commercial contracts. Must be a skilled writer and drafter with a steadfast attention‑to‑detail.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong oral and written communications, presentation and facilitation skills. Must interact confidently, persuasively and diplomatically with all levels of Cirrus organization. Must also be a good listener.
• Prior hands‑on intellectual property experience.
• Demonstrated ability…