Apolloresearch5mo ago

$185,000 – $250,000/yr

Head of Legal

United Kingdom·London,LondonFull-timeexecutive

Legal & ComplianceOtherManagementHead

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Overview

Applications deadline: We're accepting applications on a rolling basis. We encourage early submissions. ABOUT APOLLO Apollo Research is a rapidly growing AI safety and model evaluation company, providing third-party evaluations for frontier AI models.

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Applications deadline: We're accepting applications on a rolling basis. We encourage early submissions.

ABOUT APOLLO

Apollo Research is a rapidly growing AI safety and model evaluation company, providing third-party evaluations for frontier AI models. The capabilities of current AI systems are evolving rapidly. While these advancements offer tremendous opportunities, they also present significant risks, such as the potential for deliberate misuse or the deployment of sophisticated yet misaligned models. At Apollo Research, our primary concern lies with deceptive alignment, a phenomenon where a model appears aligned but is, in fact, misaligned and capable of evading human oversight.

At Apollo, we aim for a culture that emphasizes truth-seeking, being goal-oriented, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and being friendly and helpful. If you’re interested in more details about what it’s like working at Apollo, you can find more information here.

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

This is Apollo's first full-time legal hire. You'll build and lead our legal and compliance functions from the ground up, establishing scalable systems and processes across UK, US, and select EU jurisdictions. The role combines setting high-level strategic direction with hands-on execution, spanning commercial contracting, corporate legal, employment/HR, IP protection, statutory reporting, fundraising support, and compliance management (75% operational expansion; 25% compliance oversight). You'll report to the COO daily and have the potential to grow into a General Counsel role as the legal group expands. Ideal candidates may come from in-house legal at AI and tech start-ups, or lawyers at Big Law or large technology companies who are seeking greater ownership and impact. You will design and own Apollo’s legal function from first principles.

First in-house legal leadership

Serve as Apollo’s first in-house legal hire, owning day-to-day legal execution while laying the foundations for a future legal team.

Commercial and fundraising legal foundations (primary focus)

Draft, review, and negotiate a range of commercial agreements (MSAs, SOWs, ToS, etc.) with customers, vendors, funders, and partners, including Frontier Labs and large enterprises.

Support the legal aspects of launching and scaling Apollo’s product offerings, including customer terms, evaluation agreements. DPAs, partner agreements, and risk allocation appropriate for enterprise customers.

Review and finalize legal documentation for equity financings (including venture capital investments) and grant agreements, in collaboration with internal stakeholders.

Long-term legal strategy and mission-aligned governance

Define and own Apollo’s long-term legal strategy, with a forward-looking horizon (2+ years), aligned to company growth, product roadmap, and mission protection.

Build the frameworks, playbooks, and operating model needed to execute that strategy as Apollo scales.

Support the COO on corporate governance and mission protection, including charter and bylaw design, internal policies, and governance mechanisms that safeguard Apollo’s mission as the organization scales.

Help advise on governance, control, and decision-rights frameworks appropriate for a venture-backed public benefit company, balancing growth, investor expectations, and mission protection.

Intellectual property and brand protection

Protect Apollo’s brand and intellectual property by filing and maintaining patents or trademarks, and supporting enforcement actions in the UK and US.

International expansion and cross-border operations

Support the creation and maintenance of legal entities and operating subsidiaries in new jurisdictions.

Lead legal work for cross-border employment and immigration matters, including maintaining Apollo’s UK sponsorship capabilities and assisting with U.S. immigration processes where applicable.

Review, negotiate, and coordinate the legal aspects of office leases and related real-estate documentation across the UK, US, and Switzerland.

Compliance, risk management, and legal operations

Build compliance and legal risk management systems and processes that keep Apollo operating legally across all jurisdictions.

Maintain lean, efficient legal and compliance processes that support rapid scaling without unnecessary bureaucracy.

Continue to build Apollo’s legal knowledge base, templates, and playbooks.

Manage and strengthen relationships with external counsel to ensure high-quality, cost-efficient legal support, and identify opportunities to expand or optimize Apollo’s legal provider network.

6-8 PQE (Post-Qualification Experience) as a mid- or senior-level associate at a law firm, as an in-house legal counsel (preferably at a large technology company), or as a combination of both.

Qualified to practice law in at least one common-law jurisdiction; UK or US qualification strongly preferred.

Operate at high velocity in a lean, high-growth environment, shifting seamlessly between strategic and hands-on legal work.

Operate as legal problem solver.

Strong experience drafting and reviewing commercial contracts and leading negotiations through to final agreement

Demonstrated ability to negotiate assertively and strategically with a wide range of counterparties (e.g., enterprises, labs, funders, vendors)

Experience handling corporate legal matters across mult. jurisdictions, such as statutory filings, basic governance documentation, and entity maintenance

Think several steps ahead to identify emerging risks and design legal and compliance systems for where Apollo will be, not just where we are today

Experience working with external counsels

Deep interest in AI safety and in supporting a mission-driven organization

8-10+ PQE at a law firm, in-house is a strong preference, or a combination of both.

An active license preferred but not required for in-house practice

Can learn new legal and compliance domains quickly, apply past experience to new territory

Have experience sourcing, selecting, and managing external counsels

Can push through unnecessary bureaucracy while maintaining compliance

Experience supporting a venture-backed or high-growth organization, including exposure to equity financings and scaling governance.

Have familiarity with data privacy requirements (e.g., GDPR)

An inclination to work and build from first principles.

We want to emphasise that people who feel they don’t fulfil all of these characteristics but think they would be a good fit for the position nonetheless are strongly encouraged to apply. We believe that excellent candidates can come from a variety of backgrounds and are excited to give you opportunities to shine.

Start Date: Late Q2 2026

Time Allocation: Full-time

Location: This is an in-person role working out of our London or San Francisco office.

Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas in both the UK and US. Sponsorship isn't guaranteed for every role or candidate, but if we make you an offer, we'll work with you to find the right visa route.

This role offers market competitive salary, equity, and competitive benefits.

Salary: £140,000–£190,000 (~$185,000–$250,000 USD), depending on experience, qualifications, and location.

Flexible work hours and schedule

Unlimited vacation

Unlimited sick leave

Up to 6 months of paid parental leave

Comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance

Retirement savings with competitive employer matching (e.g. 401(k) for US employees)

Lunch, dinner, and snacks provided for all employees on workdays

Paid work trips, including staff retreats, business travel, and relevant conferences

A yearly $1,000 professional development budget

HIRING PROCESS

- Complete the application form with your CV. The provision of a cover letter is optional but not necessary.

- An initial phone screen to assess your basic qualifications and experience and motivation

- A take-home assignment (2.5 hours) to evaluate practical skills

- Two to three interviews covering items such as Q&A, case studies, legal strategy, negotiations, or scenario exercises

- A final fit interview with a leadership team member

Equality Statement: Apollo Research is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity and are committed to providing equal opportunities to all, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Your Privacy and Fairness in Our Recruitment Process: We are committed to protecting your data, ensuring fairness, and adhering to workplace fairness principles in our recruitment process. To enhance hiring efficiency, we use AI-powered tools to assist with tasks such as resume screening. These tools are designed and deployed in compliance with internationally recognized AI governance frameworks. Your personal data is handled securely and transparently. We adopt a human-centred approach: all resumes are screened by a human and final hiring decisions are made by our team. If you have questions about how your data is processed or wish to report concerns about fairness, please contact us at info@apolloresearch.ai.

Applications deadline: We're accepting applications on a rolling basis. We encourage early submissions.