Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property

ABOUT CIRRUS AIRCRAFT
Cirrus Aircraft is the recognized global leader in personal aviation and the maker of the best-selling SR Series piston aircraft and the Vision Jet™, the world’s first single engine Personal Jet and recipient of the 2017 Robert J. Collier Trophy. Founded in 1984, the company has redefined performance, comfort and safety in aviation with innovations like the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System® (CAPS®) – the first FAA-certified whole-airframe parachute safety system included as standard equipment on an aircraft. To date, worldwide flight time on Cirrus aircraft has passed nine million hours and over 170 people have returned home safely to their families as a result of the inclusion of CAPS® as a standard feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The company has three locations in the United States, located in Duluth, Minnesota, Grand Forks, North Dakota and Knoxville, Tennessee. Find out more at www.cirrusaircraft.com.

We are looking for a Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property, in Duluth, MN. As the home to our corporate headquarters, Duluth is a four-season city on the western tip of Lake Superior and was voted Best Town by Outside Magazine. The splendor of the largest freshwater lake in the world offers a multitude of outdoor activities for adventure or rejuvenation. The North Shore lifestyle is known its year-round activities, including bicycle and snowmobile trails, kayaking, rock climbing, fishing, hiking, golfing, sailing and skiing. And as a top employer in the area, Cirrus Aircraft was recently named “Best Overall Large Company to Work for in the Northland” and “Best Workplace Culture” by the Duluth News Tribune readers.

ABOUT THE JOB
Cirrus Aircraft -- a market leader committed to redefining personal aviation -- is looking for a talented Corporate Counsel Director, Intellectual Property to join our lean and dynamic legal team. Reporting to the SVP & General Counsel, the Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property will provide broad-based legal support to the Legal Department and other colleagues throughout Cirrus’s vibrant and growth-oriented global organization, all in a manner that displays legal excellence, attention to detail, a proactive and practical approach, and an unwavering dedication to customer service.

The Corporate Counsel, Intellectual Property role will require both specialization in intellectual property matters as well as ability to perform in a generalist position supporting Cirrus business teams on a variety of day-to-day legal matters, including contracts and contract negotiation, regulatory compliance, general corporate law, and intellectual property matters. The successful candidate will have at least 5 years of broad-based legal experience in dealing with sophisticated issues. A background that incorporates a mixture of law firm and in-house experience is preferred, as is specialty experience in corporate law, and intellectual property. It’s also a must to be a team player, a person willing to roll up one’s sleeves to take on new challenges, and a person who enjoys practicing law.

• Develop and implement intellectual property strategies tailored for product development and technology initiatives, including advising senior management on patent matters and freedom-to-operate matters while driving internal education initiatives related to intellectual property
• Lead invention review board meetings
• Manage Cirrus’ global trademark, copyright, and domain portfolios, and provide counsel on the selection of trademarks, trademark clearance, and trademark oppositions and disputes
• Collaborate with outside counsel on drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent and trademark applications globally
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements and contracts, including supply/procurement agreements
• Provide high-quality, pragmatic, and proactive legal advice and service with a focus on the general aviation industry, including providing counsel on FAA rules and regulations
• Organize, enable, and drive other Legal Department continuous improvement projects with minimal supervision and conduct legal research as necessary to support the Legal Department’s initiatives
• Assist with the management and support of litigation and claims matters, including product liability litigation, intellectual property, and commercial litigation and discovery/e-discovery activities associated with each
• Target, develop, and manage the Legal Department’s monetization and revenue generation support activities and strategic initiatives with key stakeholders
• Monitor and maintain current knowledge of aviation industry trends in legal and compliance matters and pursuing ongoing professional development to maintain current knowledge on best practices and risk management
• Regular, reliable, and predictable onsite attendance
• Willingness to step outside your comfort zone and enter new areas of law
• Travel requirements estimated at 5%

Required Qualifications

• J.D.
• Current attorney licensed and in good standing in at least one State with the ability to become licensed to practice law in Minnesota or in-house counsel waiver through Minnesota Rule 10
• 4-7 years of Intellectual Property and Transactional law experience (preferably a portion of which gained in an in-house corporate setting)
• Proven negotiation, drafting and analytical skills for various types of commercial contracts. Must be a skilled writer and drafter with steadfast attention-to-detail

Preferred Experience

• Prior in-house corporate generalist experience
• Prior general aviation legal experience
• Prior hands-on intellectual property experience
• Strong oral and written communication, presentation, and facilitation skills. Must interact confidently, persuasively, and diplomatically with all levels of Cirrus organization. Must also be a good listener
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently, prioritize workflow, meet demanding deadlines, manage multi-faceted projects in a fast-paced environment, and be comfortable with minimal supervision

Competencies
Customer Focus: Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions

Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm

Drives Results: Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances

Communicates Effectively: Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences

Situational Adaptability: Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match shifting demands of different situations

WHY CIRRUS
Benefits: Cirrus offers a competitive benefits package that includes: health, dental, life, short and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending account, 401K retirement savings plan, voluntary vision, Employee Referral Incentive Program, vacation and holiday pay. Additionally, all employees enjoy a discount at the company store and exclusive discounts from our world-class partners, like Garmin, Bose, AT&T, Microsoft, Fastenal and more.

Life At Cirrus: As a leading manufacturer of personal aircraft, Cirrus is dedicated to the advancement of general aviation. The Cirrus Flying Club offers employees and their family members the unique opportunity to obtain their private pilot’s license in the comfort of a Cirrus or rent a Cirrus for an impromptu adventure at a greatly reduced rate.

At Cirrus, we are committed to investing in the future of our employees and company by offering professional development and career progression opportunities that include onboarding, recurrent and area-specific training, talent acceleration and leadership development, continuing education, and tuition assistance programs.

We also engage employees by offering several employee and family events throughout the year, as well as the opportunity to take part in activity clubs and community events. From holiday and special occasion celebrations, to local runs and barbecues, our team has the opportunity to connect with each other, the community and our customers. We also give back to our communities by providing all employees a paid Community Day each year!