Head of Legal and Compliance, Machina Labs
$200-240k
This role also offers Stock Options
Manufacturing robotics & AI technology
Be an early applicant
Manufacturing robotics & AI technology
21-100 employees
Be an early applicant
$200-240k
This role also offers Stock Options
21-100 employees
Company mission
To accelerate the development and adoption of advanced sensors, controls, platforms and models that will enable the next generation of manufacturing.
Role
Who you are
- J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school and active membership in a U.S. state bar (California preferred)
- 8+ years of legal experience, including significant exposure to government contracts and defense industry compliance
- Experience working in or with defense contractors, government agencies, or law firms that service aerospace and defense clients
- Deep understanding of ITAR, EAR, DFARS/FAR, and other relevant U.S. regulatory frameworks
- Ability to operate independently, build systems from scratch, and wear multiple hats in a fast-paced, startup environment
Desirable
- Prior in-house legal experience at a high-growth startup or small company, especially in dual-use or advanced technology sectors
- Familiarity with cybersecurity compliance frameworks (e.g., CMMC)
- Experience scaling legal and compliance functions in rapidly growing organizations
- Excellent judgment, clear communication, and pragmatic problem-solving skills
What the job involves
- As our first in-house legal hire, the Head of Legal and Compliance will establish and lead the legal function at Machina Labs
- You’ll work closely with the executive team and the various departments, building and owning our legal strategy, compliance, risk management, and government contracting support
- This role is critical as our work with the leading defense primes and the Department of Defense continues to expand
- You’ll build scalable legal and compliance infrastructure to support our growth and help the company navigate complex regulatory environments
- Government & Commercial Contracts
- Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with U.S. government agencies, defense primes, and commercial customers
- Manage the full lifecycle of government contracts, including FAR/DFARS compliance, flow-downs, and risk mitigation
- Support business development and engineering teams in crafting compliant proposals and agreements
- Design scalable systems for contract review and lifecycle management
- Compliance & Regulatory Affairs
- Own and maintain the company’s compliance programs, particularly ITAR, EAR, NIST 800-171/CMMC, and related defense industry regulations
- Serve as the point of contact for regulatory agencies and compliance-related audits or certifications
- Monitor evolving federal procurement and export control policies and advise leadership on impact and strategy
- Develop internal training programs and policies to reinforce compliance culture across the company
- Corporate & Legal Affairs
- Partner with outside counsel to support corporate legal matters, including intellectual property, equity, HR, fundraising, and general risk management
- While not expected to lead these areas directly, you will coordinate internally and externally to ensure legal alignment and operational efficiency
Our take
Machina Labs provides robotics and AI technology for the manufacturing industry, aiming to increase the speed of design lifecycles, whilst making them more flexible and of higher quality. The company leverages AI-driven robotics to automate tasks that otherwise require human interruption, with AI also being used to improve the cost efficiency, reusability, reliability, and sustainability of manufacturing cycles.
Whilst AI-driven robotics in the manufacturing industry is becoming increasingly common, Machina Labs has taken the unique approach of leveraging AI to identify opportunities for design lifecycle innovation. The company received early endorsements from partnerships with the US Air Force and NASA, as it has shown great potential for disruption.
The company has also drawn in several investments which has supported the acceleration of growth to meet customer demand, while also expanding a its range of alloys. Its continues to make impressive partnerships and overall the future looks bright for Machina Labs.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (1 round)
Jun 2020
$50m
LATE VC
Total funding: $50m
Company benefits
- Remote Work Opportunities
Company HQ
Chatsworth, Los Angeles, CA
Leadership
Edward Mehr
(Co-Founder & CEO)Experience as Program Manager for Relativity's Large Envelope Metal 3D Printing from 2016 to 2018. Data Science Advisor for Bird from 2018 to 2019, and Technical Advisor for Insight Data Science from 2019 to 2021.
Babak Raeisinia
(Co-Founder & Head of Partnerships)Initially served as the company's CTO until 2022. Experience as US Business Development Manager and Senior Alloy Design Engineer for Alloyed from 2017 to 2019. Principal of NEOS since 2019.
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