VP of Legal

Overview

Hypori is seeking a Vice President of Legal, reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, to lead all legal operations with a strategic, business-oriented approach. Most of our revenue comes from selling SaaS into the Department of War (DoW) and federal civilian agencies, so this role demands hands-on government contracting expertise: fluency in the FAR and DFARS, experience negotiating with contracting officers, prime contractors, and channel partners, and command of the rules that govern selling software to federal agencies. You will also own commercial and vendor contracting, privacy and regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and risk management, translating legal terms into business outcomes alongside the executive team. This is a hands-on, sole counsel role: you will be Hypori’s entire in-house legal function, supported by outside counsel for specialized matters.

Responsibilities:

• Government Contracting: Serve as the subject matter expert on federal procurement, including the FAR, DFARS, and agency supplements; negotiate sole-source SBIR Phase III awards, contract modifications, option exercises, and orders placed through aggregator and reseller vehicles such as the GSA Multiple Award Schedule, NASA SEWP, and ITES-SW2; support proposal reviews, representations and certifications, and signature authority matters.
• Federal Channel and Compliance: Negotiate teaming, reseller, and distributor agreements with prime contractors and government channel partners, including flowdown clause review and acceptance; protect SBIR data rights and deliverable markings under DFARS 252.227-7018; advise on procurement integrity, organizational conflicts of interest, gifts and gratuities rules, mandatory disclosure, and supply chain requirements such as Section 889.
• Commercial Contracts: Negotiate, draft, and manage SaaS agreements, EULAs, MSAs, NDAs, DPAs, leases, and insurance across federal and commercial revenue lines.
• Vendor Contracts: Own the creation and negotiation of agreements with vendors, suppliers, channel partners, and other third parties, including software licenses, professional services, and procurement terms.
• Privacy and Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including data protection and privacy regimes such as GDPR and US state privacy laws, as well as cybersecurity requirements.
• Corporate Governance: Oversee corporate governance, participate in board meetings, and ensure accurate minute-keeping.
• Outside Counsel Management: Engage and manage outside counsel for specialized matters such as funding rounds, debt transactions, and M&A, serving as the internal point of contact and managing scope, quality, and cost.
• Risk Management: Develop practical legal and risk management strategies that mitigate risk and support growth; translate legal requirements into workable business solutions for non-legal stakeholders.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing.
• 7 to 10 years of law practice experience combining law firm and in-house roles, ready to step into a first VP of Legal seat.
• Meaningful government contracts experience supporting software or technology sales into DoW and federal civilian agencies, with strong working knowledge of the FAR and DFARS, whether built in a law firm government contracts practice or in-house.
• Fluency in flowdowns, government data rights, procurement integrity, and organizational conflicts of interest, with experience negotiating with primes, resellers, and contracting officers.
• Significant SaaS/technology transactions experience negotiating, drafting, and interpreting commercial agreements.
• Working knowledge of privacy and data protection compliance, including GDPR and US state privacy laws.
• Demonstrated ability to manage outside counsel efficiently on specialized transactional matters.
• Strong business judgment and a record of translating legal terms into business impact in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Attributes:

• Familiarity with SBIR/STTR data rights, FedRAMP, DoW impact levels, and CMMC.
• Highly preferred: Experience advancing company priorities through lobbying and government affairs: partnering with outside lobbying counsel, advising leadership on advocacy strategy, and managing Lobbying Disclosure Act compliance and federal contractor lobbying rules.
• Strategic, proactive, high-integrity leader who builds relationships at all levels.

Pay Range:

• $225,000-$250,000 USD + 25% Bonus