Senior Legal Counsel – Compliance and Regulation

Kela is a secure, open platform enabling rapid and seamless integration of commercial and military systems in service of Western defense. Designed and battle-tested by Israeli innovators, Kela ensures the West meets today's frontline challenges and evolves with tomorrow's innovations.

We' ae looking for an experienced and highly motivated Senior Legal Counsel to build and own Kela's regulatory compliance function. 

This is a unique opportunity for a senior hands-on lawyer to become a true business enabler at the intersection of law and technology. Reporting to our Head of Legal, you will take ownership of complex, high-stakes regulatory matters with a direct impact on the company's ability to operate - enabling Kela to deploy its technology in global markets. 

As Kela grows from a breakout startup into a global leader, you will be the one making sure the business can move fast - and move right. 

Responsibilities

• Build, own and maintain compliance procedures and programs across the business ensuring the company meets its regulatory obligations in every territory it operates in.
• Assess the regulatory requirements involved in entering new markets or territories (e.g. marketing, sales, manufacturing, or employment) and provide input to the business before expansion.
• Responsibility for the company's export control compliance, including licensing processes and approvals with Israel's Defense Export Control Agency (DECA) and compliance with U.S. and international export control regimes (ITAR, EAR)
• Manage due diligence processes for vendors, business partners and counterparties.
• Conduct risk assessments across the business
• Manage due diligence processes for vendors and business partners, 
• Design and deliver employee training on regulatory topics, embedding a culture of compliance across a fast-moving organization

• LL.B. from a leading academic institution; licensed to practice law in Israel.
• At least 7 years of relevant legal and regulatory experience - mandatory
• Significant experience working with Israel's Defense Export Control Agency (DECA) and with the Ministry of Defense more broadly.
• Experience with production oversight/control processes in the U.S., and exposure to regulators in additional territories beyond Israel and the U.S.
• Proven experience conducting due diligence on business partners and counterparties
• Excellent analytical and drafting skills in Hebrew and English, with strong business orientation and the ability to simplify complexity
• Strong commercial judgment -the ability to balance regulatory risk with business needs and find the "path to yes"
• Proactiveness, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment with multiple stakeholders, tasks, and deadlines
• A "builder's mentality" - comfortable with ambiguity, eager to own a function end-to-end, and deeply interested in the intersection of national security and technology
• High English proficiency (reading, writing, and speaking) -mandatory

Nice to have:

• Experience with AI governance and the regulatory landscape around emerging technologies
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• Additional languages