Corporate Counsel - Open Innovation

The application window is expected to close on: 05/26/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received . Meet the Team Join Cisco’s Open Innovation Legal team as a Corporate Counsel. Our team is the legal engine behind Cisco’s engagement with the global open source ecosystem. In this role, you will lead the legal processes that govern how Cisco consumes, contributes to, and manages open source software (OSS). Because modern open source innovation is inextricably linked with data and artificial intelligence, you will work in a highly collaborative alongside our AI Legal and Privacy Legal teams to ensure Cisco’s open innovation strategy is holistic, compliant, and secure. Your Impact As a Corporate Counsel, you are an experienced professional who takes ownership of complex, high-stakes legal workflows. You will lead the evolution of Cisco’s open source processes, ensuring they are robust enough to handle the complexities of AI-generated code, open-model licensing, and data provenance. You will solve highly complex problems at the intersection of software licensing, copyright, and data privacy. You will act as a key resource and mentor peers, operating with significant autonomy to drive process improvements that enable Cisco to innovate fearlessly. Key Responsibilities Process Leadership & Innovation: Own and refine end-to-end legal processes for open source usage and contribution, implementing automated solutions and self-service resources to scale the compliance lifecycle and handle AI-generated code risks. AI & Data Governance: Lead legal review workflows for Cisco’s engagement with the open-source AI ecosystem (e.g., Hugging Face, open models) and partner with Privacy Legal to ensure OSS contributions and training data align with global data protection standards. Cross-Functional & Team Leadership: Lead cross functional Legal teams across legal and compliance engineering teams to ensure a holistic strategy, while acting as a mentor and resource for Grade 9 peers. Engineering Advisory: Act as the lead legal point of contact for engineering teams, translating complex OSS, AI, and Privacy requirements into actionable technical guidance to enable the business to innovate fearlessly. Minimum Qualifications Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and an active bar membership. Minimum of 7 years of related experience practicing law in a law firm or in-house legal department. Open Source Expertise: Proven track record in managing complex open source compliance programs and a deep understanding of OSS licensing (GPL, Apache, MIT, etc.). Copyright & Data Proficiency: Strong background in Copyright or Trade Secret Law and its application to software development, alongside experience navigating Data and AI-related legal challenges. Collaborative Mindset: Demonstrated ability to work effectively in cross-functional legal environments (e.g., partnering with Privacy, IP, and Regulatory teams). Preferred Qualifications Technical Background: A degree in Computer Science, experience in a coding bootcamp, or a strong personal interest in software development and GitHub/Hugging Face ecosystems. Privacy Awareness: Familiarity with global privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA) as they relate to software development and data scraping. Tooling Expertise: Experience with OSS scanning tools (e.g., Black Duck, FOSSA) and AI-powered legal technology (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot). Cross-Functional Success: A history of building trust and credibility within high-performing engineering and product organizations to drive process improvements. Why Cisco? At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers ... (truncated, view full listing at source)