IP and Regulatory Counsel
About Code Metal
Code Metal is the leader in automated software engineering you can trust. As AI writes more of the world's code, the bottleneck in software has shifted from writing code to verifying it works, and AI cannot verify its own work with certainty. Code Metal takes a fundamentally different approach: constrain AI to what it does reliably, verify every step independently of the model using formal methods, and keep engineers in the loop on the decisions that matter. The result isn't code that probably works — it's code that is provably correct, with auditable proof. Customers including the U.S. Air Force, L3Harris, RTX, and Toshiba use Code Metal to modernize legacy code, optimize performance on real hardware, and move prototypes to production, fast. Founded in 2023 with offices in Boston and San Francisco, Code Metal is funded by Accel, Salesforce Ventures, B Capital, Smith Point Capital, J2 Ventures, Shield Capital, Overmatch, RTX, and others.
Learn more at codemetal.ai.
The Role
This is a chance to be one of the first members of the legal team and to build Code Metal's intellectual property and regulatory function from the ground up. You'll report directly to the Head of Legal and work closely with Engineering, Product, Research, and Marketing teams. You'll protect what makes our technology valuable and keep it moving lawfully into the defense and national security environments that depend on it.
You will sit at the center of how the company protects and commercializes its innovation. That means turning engineering breakthroughs into a strategic patent portfolio, building and defending our brands, and advising on the export control and AI regulatory frameworks that govern our products. You'll also review how we describe what our technology can do, and build the policies, training, and infrastructure a scaling company needs.
You will draw on technical fluency, sound commercial judgment, and excellent communication skills to take on novel, complex issues as they arise. We don't expect experience in every area below; we do expect a willingness to learn and adapt. The role is grounded in IP and regulatory work, but you'll have the chance to work across the full range of issues a fast moving company faces and to partner broadly across legal and the wider business.
What You'll Do
Be one of the first members of Code Metal's small, dynamic legal team, reporting to the Head of Legal and partnering daily with engineers and researchers.
Build and manage the company's global patent and trademark portfolios, including filing strategy, prosecution, docket and renewal management, and portfolio decisions across the U.S. and key international markets.
Draft and prosecute patent applications covering software, AI and machine learning systems, compilers, code translation, verification methods, and related technologies. Respond to USPTO office actions, including subject matter eligibility rejections.
Work with Engineering and Research on invention disclosures, patentability assessments, and choosing the right form of protection for each asset (patent, trade secret, copyright, or defensive publication). Help run the company's patent review process.
Advise on export control compliance under ITAR and the EAR, including jurisdiction and classification of software, models, and technical data. Own classification requests, license applications, and technology control plans, and manage outside specialists where needed.
Advise on the AI regulatory landscape, including federal and Department of Defense AI policy, state AI laws, and international frameworks such as the EU AI Act. Turn developments into practical guidance for product and go to market decisions.
Review marketing, sales, and proposal materials and support claims substantiation, so that how we describe our technology's performance, accuracy, and verification capabilities is accurate and defensible.
Own data rights assertions, markings, and IP protection strategy under FAR, DFARS, and SBIR/STTR, working alongside Commercial Counsel on how those terms are negotiated.