Legal Associate Jobs in Virginia

Overview:
Responsibilities:

• Advise on legal matters related to technology, AI, IP, and data protection/privacy, with a focus on defense and intelligence service provider requirements.
• Lead and support the design, development, and deployment of AI-enabled legal processes and tools for SPA’s legal department and broader business operations.
• Collaborate with SPA’s CIO, IT teams, and technologists to ensure legal compliance and operational alignment with SPA’s AI strategy.
• Provide guidance on regulatory, licensing, and data processing and protection issues.
• Support SPA’s business objectives by integrating legal risk management into technology and AI initiatives.
• Develop and maintain policies and procedures for data protection, privacy, and ethical use of AI.
• Advise on AI governance aligned to NIST AI RMF and DoD (and other federal government agency) Responsible AI Tenets, including policy, model risk, testing/red teaming, human in the loop controls, and enterprise usage guidelines.
• Develop and implement IP strategy and operations—trade secrets, licensing, open source compliance, commercialization of software and associated tools, and coordination with outside counsel on patent filings—ensuring defensibility of AI enabled products and services.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration and drive change management for legal operations transformation as a trusted advisor.

• Compliance & Ethics: Uphold SPA’s standards for objective, responsive, and trusted advice to our clients, ensuring compliance with government contracting requirements and ethical conduct in all business dealings.
• Operational Excellence: Drive continuous improvement in legal operations, leveraging AI and technology to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency across SPA’s business units.
• Innovation & AI Enablement: Advance SPA’s AI strategy by developing and deploying innovative legal tools and processes that support both the legal department and broader business objectives including software and service offerings.
• Risk Management: Integrate legal risk management and leverage AI to build robust, efficient, and effective processes and procedures for service delivery and corporate governance.
• Collaboration & Change Management: Work closely with SPA’s business transformation teams, HR, and compliance functions to align legal operations with SPA’s evolving priorities and strategic goals.

Qualifications:

• JD from an accredited law school; licensed to practice in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 7–10+ years of legal experience gained with the government, a law firm, or in-house, with a strong preference for relevant in-house counsel experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in technology, AI, IP, and legal operations, preferably within defense/intelligence, government contracting, or other highly-regulated industry.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience with AI, including legal and operational implications.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Secret-level security clearance. U.S. citizenship status is required for this role due to the requirement to have access certain controlled unclassified information (CUI).
• Experience with data protection and privacy laws/regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, FISMA, NIST 800‑53/RMF, FedRAMP, and CMMC 2.0).
• Proven track record of ethical conduct and integrity; ability to pass background investigations with no history of adverse disciplinary action.
• Independent worker and self-starter, with ability to collaborate across functions and influence outcomes.
• Strong communication, leadership, and change management skills.

• Experience partnering with CIOs, IT, and technology teams.
• Work with internal contracts, procurement, and finance teams to stand up CLM, matter management, and KPI dashboards; deploy automation/RPA and AI tools to reduce cycle times and cost-to-serve.
• Familiarity with defense/intelligence service provider requirements and SPA’s business operations.
• Strategic mindset with a passion for innovation and operational excellence.

Pay Range Information: At SPA, we strive to deliver a robust total compensation package that will attract and retain top talent. Elements of the compensation package include competitive base pay and variable compensation opportunities. SPA provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and a number of programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work. The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, etc. Please note that the salary information shown below is a general guideline only. Salaries are commensurate with experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations. Virginia, Pay Transparency Salary range: USD $200,000.00/Yr. - USD $250,000.00/Yr.