Legal Counsel

About Nominal Engineers today are building some of the most ambitious machines humanity has ever seen. They should have AI that’s purpose-built for them.

Nominal is building the Hardware Intelligence Platform that gives engineers increased visibility into complex physical systems, helps them make better decisions, and ultimately gets their products into the real world faster. It brings together the systems, data, intelligence, and applications hardware engineering requires to meet the AI moment. Hardware engineering teams use Nominal to simulate, test, manufacture, and operate the physical systems that keep the world moving, from spacecraft and autonomous vehicles to next-generation energy systems and robotics.

Our customers span aerospace, defense, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and robotics. They include Anduril, Shield AI, Wisk Aero, Pratt Miller Motorsports, Antares, and Shinkei Systems, amongst others, alongside programs within the U.S. Air Force and Navy. Our team draws from SpaceX, Palantir, Anduril, Applied Intuition, Tesla, and other leading companies, united by a common mission: giving hardware engineers the tools to build the future with speed, safety, and confidence. We're a fast-moving team that owns problems end-to-end, works across disciplines, and thrives at the intersection of hardware and software.

Some of the world’s leading technology investors, including Sequoia, Lightspeed, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, and Insight Partners, are backing Nominal’s ambition to change how machines are built and operated.

🚀 About the Role Nominal's Legal team supports every part of the business, from commercial and government deals to the people who build our products. As we grow, Legal is taking on a bigger role in employment and U.S. compliance. As Legal Counsel, you'll be the go-to attorney for People and Recruiting questions, the legal partner on U.S. compliance, and a flexible resource on deals.

This role is ideal for a strong, versatile attorney who learns new areas quickly and wants broad ownership at a fast-moving technology company. We care more about range, judgment, and pace than a perfect day-one match. You'll work with little oversight, decide which risks need attention first, and partner across People, Recruiting, Compliance, and our deal teams (both commercial and Government).

💼 What You’ll Do

• Serve as the primary legal partner for People and Recruiting, advising day to day on hiring, performance, leave, terminations, and workplace issues.
• Set strategy for larger employment and immigration matters, and manage outside counsel to reach the right outcome at the right cost.
• Build playbooks with People leaders for triaging high-risk employment and termination situations, and put litigation holds in place when needed.
• Advise on visa, immigration, and mobility questions as our team grows across offices.
• Partner with our attorneys and Global Trade Compliance specialist on U.S. compliance matters, as our lead U.S. compliance attorney, turning legal requirements into policies and controls that work in practice.
• Support privacy work, including data protection obligations in our policies, vendor agreements, and customer contracts.
• Draft and negotiate agreements when deal volume surges, including contracts with strategic advisors and consultants, and build working knowledge of U.S. government contracting within your first six months.

🔍 We're looking for someone with

• A law degree (JD) and active admission to at least one U.S. state bar.
• Strong legal training from a law firm, an in-house legal team, or government service.
• Experience advising on employment matters, such as hiring, terminations, investigations, or workplace policies.
• Working knowledge of privacy and data protection laws, such as U.S. state privacy laws.
• Experience drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Comfort learning new areas of law quickly, from government contracting to compliance, and keeping pace with a fast-growing company.
• Sound judgment: you give clear, practical advice that balances risk with business needs, and you know when to make the call and when to escalate.

⚡ Skills that supercharge us

• Experience with immigration or global mobility matters.
• Experience at a defense, aerospace, or government contractor, including work on U.S. government contracts.
• Experience building or running a compliance program, including policies, trainings, and systems to address and track anti-corruption, export controls, third-party risk management, and codes of conduct.
• Experience managing outside counsel on litigation, investigations, and employment disputes.

✨ Benefits/Perks

• 🏥 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 🏖️ Unlimited PTO and sick leave
• 🍽️ Free lunch, snacks, and coffee
• 🚀 Professional Development Stipend
• 🛠️ In-office hardware lab with a $250 project stipend
• ✈️ Annual company retreat
• 👶 12 weeks parental leave
• 🌱 Fertility and family planning ($15,000 lifetime)
• 💪 Wellness stipend ($100/month)
• 🛠️ $500/year hardware sensor stipend
• 💼 401(k)
• 📈 Employee-friendly equity terms
• 🏢 In-office 5 days per week

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Compensation The base pay range for this role is $220,000 – $260,000 per year.