The posting
About Niantic Spatial
AI has learned from almost everything online, but it still struggles with the physical world, where 99.5% of economic activity happens. It doesn’t know where things are, how spaces fit together, or what changes over time.
That’s one of the biggest unsolved problems in AI, and it’s the one we’re solving at Niantic Spatial. We build spatial AI models and services so people and machines can reason, learn and act safely in the physical world. We turn camera imagery, video, sensor data and archives into accurate, AI-readable representations of real places that robots can train in and machines can use to know exactly where they are.
In physical AI, mistakes have real consequences. That’s why we build AI grounded in measured reality, not guesswork, so the people and machines relying on it can trust it to get things right.
Our team built some of the world’s most widely used maps. Now we’re building something bigger: a living, measured record of the real world that machines can query, learn from and use to understand how places change over time. If you want to help AI understand the world we actually live in, come build with us.
About the Role
As Head of Legal, you will serve as Niantic Spatial's primary legal advisor and build the legal function from the ground up. You will partner closely with Sales, Product, Engineering, Finance, People, Security, and the executive team to negotiate strategic commercial agreements, advise on legal and regulatory matters, and establish practical processes that enable the business to move quickly. We are looking for a strong business partner who helps accelerate the company while managing risk.
This is a foundational role. You will set the legal operating model, own our most complex commercial relationships, and be a trusted voice at the leadership table — balancing legal rigor with the practical judgment a fast-moving company requires. Reporting to our CEO or President and COO, you will shape both the legal strategy and the organization that executes it as Niantic Spatial scales.
What You'll Do
Serve as the Company's Legal Partner
- Advise executive leadership on legal, strategic, and business matters.
- Provide practical, risk-balanced guidance that enables informed business decisions.
- Partner across every function to embed legal thinking into day-to-day operations.
Lead Commercial Contracting
- Own the negotiation and execution of enterprise customer, partner, supplier, reseller, technology, licensing, and data agreements.
- Partner with GTM to accelerate contract execution while protecting the company's interests.
- Develop standard agreements, negotiation playbooks, fallback language, and contracting best practices that improve efficiency and consistency.
- Support strategic partnerships and complex commercial transactions.
Guide Corporate & Strategic Matters
- Manage corporate governance, Board support, and corporate records.
- Act as legal lead on corporate matters, including financing transactions.
- Support acquisitions, investments, strategic partnerships, and other corporate initiatives as the company grows.
Drive Compliance & Risk Management
- Advise on privacy, AI governance, intellectual property, export controls, data licensing, and emerging regulatory requirements.
- Partner with Security, Engineering, and Product to address customer compliance obligations and public sector requirements.
- Develop practical legal policies, approval frameworks, and governance processes that scale with the business.
Build the Legal Function
- Establish the legal operating model, including processes, systems, templates, and outside counsel management.
- Create scalable legal operations that improve speed, consistency, and visibility.
- Manage wide-ranging patent and trademark portfolios to protect company intellectual property.
- Help define the long-term legal strategy and organization as Niantic Spatial continues to grow.
Manage Legal Disputes
- Respond to formal and alleged disputes initiated by third parties using cost-effective counsel.
- Drive litigation strategy.
- Provide risk assessments and status updates to the C-suite.
What You'll Bring
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in the California Bar, or the ability to register as in-house counsel in California.
- 8+ years of combined law firm and in-house legal experience, with meaningful exposure to high-growth technology companies.
- Significant experience negotiating complex enterprise technology and commercial agreements — including software licensing, SaaS, AI, data, and technology transactions.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage a broad range of legal matters with sound business judgment and without requiring extensive outside counsel support for routine matters.
- Strong knowledge of intellectual property, privacy, and regulatory frameworks relevant to AI and technology businesses.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization — including executive leadership and the Board.
- A practical, collaborative approach that balances legal risk with business objectives and earns trust as a partner, not a gatekeeper.
Nice to Have
- Experience supporting AI, machine learning, robotics, geospatial, cloud infrastructure, or developer platform companies.
- Experience with government contracting, public sector procurement, or defense customers.
- Familiarity with global privacy laws, AI governance frameworks, and international commercial transactions.
- Experience building or leading a legal function within a startup or scaling technology company.
In Your First Year
Within your first year, you will have:
- Become a trusted legal advisor to the executive leadership team and a credible voice at the leadership table.
- Meaningfully reduced commercial contract cycle times through improved processes, templates, and negotiation playbooks.
- Established scalable legal operations, including systems, policies, and governance frameworks, that enable business growth while managing risk.
- Built strong, trusted partnerships across Sales, Product, Finance, Security, People, and Engineering.
- Developed an effective outside counsel strategy that delivers high-quality legal support while managing spend.
- Created a legal function that is viewed as a business enabler - known for accelerating decisions, not slowing them down.
Compensation & Benefits
The expected salary range for this role is $270,000 –$340,000 per year. Compensation also includes an annual bonus, equity, and a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k), and more.
Location & Work Model
This role is based in our San Francisco, CA office with a minimum of 4 days per week in office.
Inclusive Application
We know the strongest candidates don't always tick every box. If you're excited about this role and believe you could do it well, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't match every qualification listed — you may be exactly who we're looking for.
Equal Opportunity
Niantic Spatial is an equal opportunity employer. Individuals seeking employment at Niantic Spatial are considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under applicable laws. Niantic Spatial will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in accordance with applicable laws. Please contact your recruiter if you want to request an accommodation for the job application or interview process.
Candidate Privacy
I understand that by submitting my job application, the information I provide as part of that application will be used in accordance with Niantic Spatial's Privacy Notice for Job Applicants and Candidates https://www.nianticspatial.com/applicant-privacy-notice.
