Associate General Counsel, Transactions at IonQ in Remote, US

Job description

• We are seeking a senior attorney to lead our Transactions function, reporting directly to the Deputy General Counsel and Chief IP Counsel. This role will help build and scale a transactions practice supporting development, partnerships, supply chain, commercial, and government engagements. The successful candidate will be an accomplished attorney who thrives in high-intensity, business-driven environments and can serve as both a trusted subject-matter expert and practice leader.

Responsibilities

• Lead agreement drafting and negotiations on business-critical transactions with complex IP, technology, business, and regulatory issues.
• Develop agreement templates, negotiation standards, playbooks, processes, and risk frameworks that support consistently high-quality work while enabling the business to move quickly and appropriately manage legal and commercial risk.
• Partner cross-functionally on company-wide initiatives to standardize the deal process, from initial discussions through contract signing.
• Partner with legal subject-matter experts to ensure contract templates and positions are regularly updated to reflect current company objectives and legal obligations.
• Act as an embedded member of the business teams, building trust by providing timely guidance, helpful education, and practical, commercially oriented counsel.
• Manage and prioritize a high-volume, fast-moving transactional workload in an intense, deadline-driven environment.
• Provide objective and consistent oversight of transactional work performed by other transactional attorneys, accounting for workload allocation, prioritization, and ongoing training.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for complex or high-value transactions and help drive matters to resolution.

Requirements

• J.D. and admission in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 10+ years of experience negotiating complex commercial contracts, including significant in-house experience at fast-paced, mid- to large-sized companies.
• Significant experience handling complex technology and commercial transactions in a sophisticated corporate or law firm environment.
• Strong transactional judgment and the ability to operate effectively in a high-intensity, sales-driven business environment.
• Exceptional relationship-building and client management skills, with the ability to establish credibility and trust with demanding business stakeholders.
• Strong business acumen and the ability to understand business objectives and translate them into practical legal solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to structure and improve legal functions, workflows, and processes.
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills, with a high degree of accountability for managing competing demands and ensuring work is appropriately allocated.
• A capacity to think big, bias for action, and willingness to take ownership of complex matters and broader functional initiatives.
• A growth mindset focused on continuous operational improvement, efficiency, and service excellence.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and issue-spotting skills.
• Ability to balance speed and commercial objectives with sound legal judgment and risk management.
• Comfortable operating with significant autonomy and ambiguity.
• The ideal candidate is a business-driven senior attorney who combines strong technical transactional expertise with exceptional client-management skills and business judgment. A strong understanding of the IP and Trade & Regulatory issues relevant to a global business is a must. They are comfortable operating at speed, can independently manage complex matters, and have the judgment and organizational discipline to serve as a de facto practice leader.
• This role is particularly well suited for someone who enjoys building the function and the way the work gets done, rather than simply managing people, and who can bring structure, accountability, and consistency to a rapidly evolving transactions environment.

Skills

Required

• Strong transactional judgment
• Strong business acumen

Benefits

• The total compensation package includes base, bonus, equity, and a range of benefit options found on our career site.
• If this role has a commission structure, the compensation range below just reflects the base compensation range.
• Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available. Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.