Commercial Attorney, Technology Licensing & Transfer

Skokie, IL
Full Time
Experienced

Welcome to the Post Pollution Future with LanzaTech

A post-pollution world is inevitable, and people will either be part of it, or the planet will go on without us. At LanzaTech, our technology platform is transforming waste carbon into everyday products, to meet the needs of this moment. Our science is state-of-the-art, but the idea is simple. We use nature to heal nature. We capture carbon emissions which are then fed into bioreactors where trillions of carbon-hungry microbes go to work. These tiny dynamos consume the waste gases and produce valuable raw material commodities. Pure enough to be resold, repurposed, and recycled again — from sustainable jet fuel to beverage bottles, to yoga pants.

Founded in New Zealand, we are a global women-led company with an international footprint and a diverse employee population. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are a key part of our mission and core values which we show through our hiring, our leadership, our efforts to educate internally and willingness to learn.

Now a publicly traded company on NASDAQ, come join the team as we strive to make a Post Pollution Future!

Exciting collaborations with LanzaTech (LT) CarbonSmartTM Products:

  • 2022 – H&M announced their collaboration with LT with a clothing line to be launched in 2023
  • 2022 – Coty, Inc. – LT recycled carbon ethanol to be used in majority of fragrance portfolio by 2023
  • 2022 – DrogerieMark (dm) in Germany, launched a range of packaging for their “Denk Mit” range of dish soap
  • 2022 – Danone announced a collaboration to make packaging for the Mizone water line in China
  • 2022 – Craghoppers, UK outdoor company, made a fleece from recycled carbon, to be launched in 2023
  • 2021 – Collaborations with ZARA, lululemon & L’Oréal using recycled carbon in their apparel & packaging

Notable acknowledgments:

  • 2022 – Winner of “Air” Category at the 23rd Annual Energy Globe Awards
  • 2022 – Fix Our Climate finalist for Earthshot Prize (only US company to be a finalist)
  • 2022 – Jennifer Holmgren, CEO: TiE Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year
  • 2021 – Biofuels Digest #1 Hottest Company in Renewable Fuels, Chemicals & Biomaterials

Interested in learning more? Visit us at www.LanzaTech.com and download/stream our latest CarbonSmartTM Podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever you receive your podcasts!

This position is open to candidates authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer. LanzaTech is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status..

About the role:

As an early-stage technology licensing and engineering business, this role will concentrate on commercial technology transfer transactions with international customers – many of them amongst the largest companies in the world. It will also involve the mutual support of other attorneys dealing with the group’s operations, technical collaborations, and corporate investor activities.

 

Commercial technology transfer transactions will require concise commercial-orientated advice on engineering agreements, process technology licenses and supply of significant equipment and consumable supply agreements.  From the breadth of the group’s activities, this position will primarily align with the group’s business development team and support the execution of LanzaTech’s core technology licensing business.

 

Duties will extend well beyond local and domestic transactions, so a proven ability to work with substantial international industrial counterparties is essential.  Work will range from negotiating directly with counterparties, through drafting from cloth, to precedent development in support of the busy business development team.

 

LanzaTech is a fresh company in a novel field with a diverse workforce.  Without proven communications skills a candidate will struggle to learn both the technology and the industry that LanzaTech has created.  A candidate that overly relies on existing precedent and existing work processes would struggle.

 

This role requires robust problem-solving skills, a developed ability to identify red flags in international commerce, and excellent drafting skills. The successful candidate will be expected to execute efficiently and with urgency.

Key Duties:

  • Preparing, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts with the group’s customers, with an emphasis on engineering services agreements, process technology license agreements, equipment supply agreements and consumable supply agreements
  • Providing expert and commercial advice to the business on all legal risks and issues touching its commercial contracts, and engaging with significant industrial counterparties
  • Supporting the business team in all aspects of its global business development activities
  • Developing new legal agreements covering the group’s expanding activities and initiatives
  • Developing repeatable and sustainable systems as business challenges are resolved
  • Assisting with advising the business on strategy and execution of all aspects of the group’s operations, from human resources to procurement
  • The role will also involve various legal and corporate projects to drive business growth and group development
  • Mutual support of the legal department’s wider functions, for instance government grant funding in jurisdictions of interest and the establishment of project companies to execute funding, construction and operation of facilities that deploy LanzaTech technology
  • Experience in designing, negotiating and executing joint development agreements in support of the group’s research and development would be a significant plus for a candidate

Qualifications and Experience:

  • A qualified and practicing lawyer with approximately 5-8 years’ experience*, excellent academics and experience and strong background in international commercial legal practice
  • Strong commercial acumen and communication skills, and enjoys working in a fast-paced innovative environment; is comfortable independently advancing and driving agreement on contracts and other commercial matters directly with internal clients, including communication of complex commercial and legal issues to business development managers and using discretion to escalate matters when appropriate
  • Demonstrable experience working with substantial international counterparties and in the international business environment
  • Strong experience working with technology licensing, acquisition and disposition of capital equipment and assets and the supply of goods
  • An excellent commercial understanding of intellectual property issues associated with advanced scientific research and development, technology licensing and/or joint development agreements
  • Excellent knowledge of international commercial contracts
  • Experience in both private practice and in-house positions is preferable

*The experience range is for guidance only and candidates outside of this range who have the requisite experience will also be considered.

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