Regulatory & Product Counsel

Harbinger Motors Inc.

CA$150,000 - CA$170,000 / year

Garden Grove, CA Full-timeOn-siteIntermediate

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Description

About Harbinger

Harbinger is an American commercial electric vehicle (EV) company on a mission to transform an industry starving for innovation. Harbinger’s best-in-class team of EV, battery, and drivetrain experts have pooled their deep experience to bring a first-of-its-kind EV platform to support the growing demand for medium-duty EVs and Hybrids. Harbinger: Familiar Form, Revolutionary Foundation.

The Role

This is a rare opportunity for a mid-level associate or in-house counsel to partner directly with a General Counsel and help develop the product and regulatory function of a hyper-growth automotive manufacturer. This person will work closely with teams across the company to ensure compliance with the motor vehicle safety and compliance laws affecting the launch of Harbinger’s business lines.

You won't just be doing grunt work; you will be a major contributor to developing Harbinger’s product lines and compliance structures. This is a developmental role designed for expansive learning and growth.

What You Will Do

Provide cross-functional legal advice to the Engineering, Product, Service, and Compliance teams throughout all stages of the Harbinger development and commercialization process
Think creatively to address novel legal issues raised by rapidly developing automotive and industrial technology
Support engineering teams in development of our vehicle platforms and products
Provide regulatory guidance on the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and related automotive compliance and safety issues
Support business strategy teams with regulatory matters involving Harbinger’s commercial partnerships
Dig in to provide legal guidance to clients across the company as part of a lean legal team

Who You Are

The “Foundation”: You trained at a top-tier law firm (AmLaw 50 preferred) and understand the rigor required for high-stakes corporate regulatory and compliance matters.
The "Builder" Mindset: You want to roll up your sleeves, build processes from scratch, and see the physical result of your work drive out of the factory. A willingness to learn and a positive attitude are a must.
The "Athlete": You can shift gears instantly from providing advice to an engineer to negotiating with a supplier to interacting with regulatory agencies.

Qualifications

Education: J.D. from a top-tier accredited law school.
Licensure: Active Bar admission in California (or ability to register immediately as Registered In-House Counsel).
Experience: 5+ years of relevant experience, primarily in regulatory and product counseling for an automotive company.
Technical Skills: Strong background in product liability and safety-related issues.

Extensive experience with automotive manufacturers or suppliers
Strong background with the FMVSS and related motor vehicle compliance laws
Experience providing solutions-oriented, practical advice to stakeholders
Interest in diving deep into multi-jurisdictional regulatory issues
Demonstrated excellence in analytical, written, and oral communications
Strong organizational skills, including ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects under deadline pressure

Bonus Points: Experience in the Automotive, Autonomy, Mobility, Hardware, or CleanTech sectors.

Why Join Us?

Mentorship: Direct line to a seasoned GC who is invested in your professional growth.
Impact: You will own a function. Your work will directly impact the company’s ability to scale.
Culture: We are a team of engineers, builders, and problem solvers. No pretension, just execution.

Key Benefits & Perks:

Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision (HDV) – 100% employee covered
Early-stage Stock Options
Robust Retirement Savings (401k, HSA, FSA)
Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) & Parental Leave
Annual Vacation Bonus
Wellness & Fertility Benefits
Cell Phone Stipend
Complimentary Meals & Stocked Kitchens

California Pay Range

$150,000—$170,000 USD

Equal Opportunity

Harbinger is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local fair employment practices laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Harbinger is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at info@harbingermotors.com.

Candidate Data Privacy

Harbinger may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Harbinger may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) recordkeeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Harbinger may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our HR, legal, and finance teams, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Harbinger affiliates; and (iii) Harbinger’s service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Harbinger may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

Please note that we are currently not accepting applications from third party application services. Any unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted in response to our job posting shall be considered the property of Harbinger and are not subject to payment of referral or placement fees if any such candidate is later hired by Harbinger unless you have a signed written agreement in place with us which covers the applicable job posting.

Benefits

401(k)
paid time off
parental leave
wellness program

About this role

Harbinger Motors is building a lean legal function to support the launch and scaling of its electric vehicle platform, and this role offers a mid-career attorney the chance to own regulatory and product counsel at a critical growth stage. You would report directly to the General Counsel and serve as a primary legal advisor across Engineering, Product, Service, and Compliance—handling everything from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards compliance to product liability guidance to supplier negotiations. This is not a junior associate position; you'll be a core contributor shaping how Harbinger structures its compliance and product development processes from the ground up.

The ideal candidate brings five or more years of automotive regulatory and product counsel experience, ideally from a top-tier law firm, with deep expertise in FMVSS, motor vehicle safety law, and product liability. You need to be equally comfortable diving into technical engineering questions, drafting regulatory guidance, and shifting to business strategy conversations. A California bar license (or eligibility for Registered In-House Counsel status) is required.

Harbinger is offering $150,000–$170,000 annually, comprehensive health benefits, early-stage equity, and the mentorship of an experienced General Counsel. The role is full-time and in-office in Garden Grove, California. This suits someone who wants to move beyond large-firm practice into hands-on, high-impact work at a company with real engineering depth and a mission-driven focus on commercial EV innovation.

This role's local market on JobMinglr

40 open jobs in Garden Grove

Pay for this role

$150,000 to $170,000 per year

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