Head of Legal and Compliance

About Athena Intelligence

Athena Intelligence is engineering the future of work. We're at the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence into enterprise operations, reshaping how humans and machines collaborate.

Our flagship products include Olympus, an AI-native operations and analysis platform, and Athena, an enterprise ready digital coworker who automates complex, data-intensive workflows, allowing teams to focus on high-value strategic work. Operating on Olympus, Athena serves as both an autonomous agent and collaborative assistant, streamlining critical processes from financial due diligence to market research.

Our mission is to lead the transformation towards smarter, more collaborative work environments for some of the world's most important institutions. With a team comprising veterans from Palantir, IBM, Scale AI, and Yandex, we bring extensive experience in building and deploying AI solutions for both public and private sector customers.

Job Overview

As the Head of Legal and Compliance, you will establish and lead our legal and compliance function from the ground up. This role will report directly to the CEO, and will play a critical role in ensuring Athena operates with the highest standards of trust, security, and regulatory alignment.

The Head of Legal & Compliance will be responsible for overseeing compliance certifications, managing enterprise contracts, mitigating risk, and serving as a trusted advisor across the organization.

Core Responsibilities

● Establish and scale the legal and compliance function, defining frameworks, policies, and processes tailored for a growing AI company.

● Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, leadership, and investors on risk management, regulatory positioning, and long-term compliance strategy.

● Achieve and maintain compliance certifications (e.g., GDPR, ISO, PCI) and manage ongoing SOC 2 and HIPAA requirements.

● Monitor evolving global privacy, cybersecurity, and AI regulations; advise on implications for product development and client engagements.

● Establish AI governance: model inventory, risk tiers, evaluation standards, documentation, and change control; prepare for EU AI Act obligations.

● Draft, review, and negotiate complex enterprise contracts across industries, balancing client needs with company protection.

● Develop and maintain the corporate governance framework.

● Partner with leadership and investors on fundraising and due diligence, ensuring compliance readiness for growth.

● Conduct risk assessments, identify compliance gaps, and implement remediation plans.

● Lead investigations and responses to legal, compliance, or data security incidents, including regulatory reporting.

● Partner with GTM, Product, and Engineering teams to provide regulatory guidance that supports client adoption and retention.

● Join executive client calls as the legal/compliance voice for the company.

● Build and deliver internal training on compliance, data security, and regulatory requirements

● Manage third‑party risk program and subprocessor list; enforce onboarding gates.

● Review vendor and partner agreements for compliance with security, privacy, and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

● JD with active bar admission (U.S. jurisdiction)

● Minimum 7+ years of legal and/or compliance experience in regulated industries; startup experience preferred.

● Deep understanding of GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOC 2, PCI, ISO standards, and emerging AI regulations.

● Experience advising on data governance and privacy frameworks

● Exceptional verbal and written communication; able to explain complex issues to technical and non-technical audiences.

● Strong negotiation skills with proven success in high-value, enterprise contracts.

● Ability to independently drive projects in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

● Demonstrated success building scalable compliance programs from the ground up.

What We Offer

● Competitive salary commensurate with experience

● Equity in a fast-growing AI company

● Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance

● Flexible PTO policy

● Meals provided during working hours

● Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI technologies

● Collaborative and innovative work environment

Location

This position is based in our New York City office, which is located in Lower Manhattan. Athena Intelligence is a fully in-person and in-office team, working 5 days a week in the office. We believe in the power of face-to-face collaboration and maintaining a strong team culture through daily in-person interactions.

Why Join Athena Intelligence

By joining our team, you'll be at the forefront of the AI revolution in enterprise operations. You'll have the opportunity to build innovative, AI-native applications that shape how users interact with advanced analytics tools. You'll solve complex challenges, push the boundaries of user experience in AI-driven platforms, and make a significant impact on how some of the world's most important institutions operate. Our team's background from leading tech companies ensures you'll be working alongside and learning from some of the best in the field.

The salary range for this role is $200,000–$250,000, commensurate with experience, skills, and qualifications.