Corporate Counsel, Ginkgo Bioworks
$144.4-217.2k
5 days a week in office
Biological engineering product developer
Be an early applicant
Biological engineering product developer
501-1000 employees
Be an early applicant
$144.4-217.2k
5 days a week in office
501-1000 employees
Company mission
Ginkgo Bioworks' mission is to make biology easy to engineer.
Role
Who you are
- BA/BS degree
- JD and licensed to practice law in the United States
- 3+ years’ experience practicing law in a law firm and/or a corporation
- Expectation to be on-site 5 days/week
- Grounded expertise with a minimum of 3 years working as a lawyer in a legal environment, with a JD required; years of experience in a high-pressure law firm setting will be considered when determining minimum experience. Law firm and in-house experience preferred
- In-depth experience with complex transactions, including software and technology agreements, licenses, material transfers, and collaborations, as well as general corporate transactions such as stock purchase agreements, investor agreements, and services agreements
- Nimble and adaptable work style, with the ability to discern between low-impact and high-impact efforts and make wise decisions about time management in a dynamic environment
- Keen project leadership, with ample experience managing programs with company-wide impact that require significant indirect and cross-functional influence, while directing resources efficiently with cost control in mind
- Good judgment and a reputation for making balanced decisions that weigh risk against business opportunity, paired with a history of honest, direct, and timely communication of issues as they arise
- Ownership mentality with a can-do attitude and humble approach to work allocation—independently identifying matters that need attention, maintaining diligent knowledge management, and ensuring strong communication and collaboration with internal and external counterparts. Dedication to making biology easier to engineer
What the job involves
- As a member of our Corporate Legal Team, you will be focused on providing creative solutions to help drive these groundbreaking endeavors at Ginkgo, and we’re seeking a talented, motivated, and energetic Corporate Counsel to join our team
- Candidates should have enthusiasm for exploring with internal clients business-oriented solutions to problems, in a manner that incorporates sound legal advice. In particular, you’ll support the growth of our business by overseeing business development transactions, supporting and advising our operations, leading and negotiating agreements, engaging with existing collaborators, architecting the legal framework for new offerings and more
- With your in-depth legal experience in supporting business development, logistics, and customer relationships in the life sciences and biotechnology space, your role will be critical to Ginkgo’s success
- Lead and negotiate a wide range of agreements with customers, vendors, industry partners, and suppliers—including hardware purchasing agreements, collaboration and licensing agreements, software and SaaS agreements, master service agreements, material transfer agreements, and procurement contracts
- Engage cross-functionally with business development, commercial operations, finance, human resources, and technical program teams to provide balanced legal advice that manages risk while enabling business opportunity in a compliant manner
- Transact across our several business units by reviewing term sheets, conducting diligence activities, and drafting and negotiating transaction documents from start to finish
- Strengthen Ginkgo's legal infrastructure by growing our internal repository of agreement templates, models, guidances, and professional development materials
- Guide commercial operations and alliance management to establish and maintain strong partnerships with existing customers, collaborators, and strategic counterparts
- Review technical and logistical materials to support our business development and program teams, ensuring compliance across associated transactions and new offerings
- Optimize the responsible use of generative AI and other legal technology tools to accelerate and systematize workflows, while managing multiple deals and matters simultaneously in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment
- Work collaboratively across Ginkgo’s commercial, technical, and legal teams to support our lab automation focus—speaking clearly and directly with multiple stakeholders to create consensus and assign ownership for complex initiatives
Our take
Research into the programmable nature of biological cells presents massive opportunities for almost every industry, but the technology is hardly accessible. Bespoke programming of cells requires cutting-edge lab equipment and an in-depth understanding of microbiology, something that would not seem feasible to the average product designer.
Ginkgo Bioworks sells programmable cell development services to provide access to the technology to industries outside of medicine. Whilst the company has already worked on medical products such as vaccines for Moderna, it will research and design products based on programmed cells for any product that it believes holds value.
The startup’s approach to providing cell programming services outside of the medical sector is smart, as an increasingly high number of industries recognize the potential for bespoke cell-based materials. Ginkgo also provides an opportunity for innovation where it previously was not possible, by taking the research and design into its own hands, where companies would usually need to facilitate such services within their own company.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
28% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 11 rounds)
May 2020
$70m
LATE VC
Sep 2019
$290m
SERIES E
Total funding: $792.7m
Company benefits
- Growth and development opportunities
- Unlimited paid time off
- Comprehensive health and parental leave benefits
- Flexible work options
- Commuter benefits
- State-of-the-art labs, work spaces, and conference rooms
- Competitive 401K contribution
Company HQ
Seaport District, Boston, MA
Leadership
Reshma Shetty
(Co-Founder)Reshma studied for a PhD in Biological Engineering at MIT, having worked as a Research Assistant at Cambridge and Utah universities. They co-founded Ginkgo Bioworks in September 2008.
Barry Canton
(Co-Founder & CTO)Barry studied at University College Dublin before taking a PhD in Biological Engineering at MIT. They co-founded Ginkgo Bioworks in 2008 on graduation, working there since.
Jason Kelly
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously founded OpenWetWare while a graduate student at MIT. At MIT they earned a PhD in Biological Engineering.
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