Chief Counsel, IP, Trust & Cyber

San Francisco, United States

At Moody's, we unite the brightest minds to turn today’s risks into tomorrow’s opportunities. We do this by striving to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to be who they are—with the freedom to exchange ideas, think innovatively, and listen to each other and customers in meaningful ways. Moody’s is transforming how the world sees risk. As a global leader in ratings and integrated risk assessment, we’re advancing AI to move from insight to action—enabling intelligence that not only understands complexity but responds to it. We decode risk to unlock opportunity, helping our clients navigate uncertainty with clarity, speed, and confidence.

If you are excited about this opportunity but do not meet every single requirement, please apply! You still may be a great fit for this role or other open roles. We are seeking candidates who model our values: invest in every relationship, lead with curiosity, champion diverse perspectives, turn inputs into actions, and uphold trust through integrity.

The Chief Counsel, IP, Trust & Cyber serves as Moody’s enterprise-level legal leader across intellectual property, data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI governance — the critical legal infrastructure underlying the company’s technology-driven strategy. This role also supports the firm’s strategic sourcing function, focused primarily on in-bound licensing of critical third party IP and data assets. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer of Moody’s Corporation, this senior executive sits on the Senior Leadership Team of the Legal and Compliance Organization and leads a global team of specialists across IP, privacy, cybersecurity, technology law and strategic sourcing.

This role serves as a center of excellence for technology-related legal matters across Moody’s Investors Service and Moody’s Analytics, partnering closely with the General Counsel of Moody’s Analytics, the Chief Procurement Officer and other business-aligned legal leaders to protect the firm’s significant IP and data assets, shape product strategy, and advance responsible and compliant deployment of AI and technology. The ideal candidate brings formidable intellectual property expertise — particularly in patent, copyright, and AI / data rights strategy — combined with experience in privacy, cybersecurity and incident response, and the leadership capability to build and direct a world-class global function.

IP Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Lead enterprise-wide intellectual property strategy, including the development, protection, monetization, and enforcement of Moody’s IP estate across patents, trademarks, copyrights, database rights, and trade secrets
• Advise on the governance, exploitation, and protection of Moody’s significant proprietary data assets — including financial data, credit analytics, AI datasets, and the company’s knowledge graph — as core enterprise value drivers
• Oversee IP portfolio management, including prosecution strategy, portfolio maintenance, licensing, and cross-licensing arrangements
• Lead the defense of third-party IP claims, including patent assertion entity matters, copyright infringement claims, and trade secret disputes — directing both in-house resources and external IP litigation counsel
• Advise on IP aspects of product development, licensing structures, and M&A transactions, partnering with product counsel and transactional legal teams to identify, protect, and leverage IP value

Privacy, Cybersecurity & Data Governance

• Serve as senior legal advisor on privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity laws and regulations across all jurisdictions in which Moody’s operates — including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, EU AI Act, data localization requirements, and emerging global frameworks
• Guide the development and maintenance of Moody’s global privacy program, including privacy-by-design principles, data subject rights frameworks, vendor data processing agreements, and regulatory compliance mechanisms
• Partner with information security, technology, and risk teams on incident response planning, breach notification obligations, tabletop exercises, regulatory reporting, and the legal dimensions of Moody’s cybersecurity posture
• Partner with the product counsel teams to provide strategic and actionable advice on privacy and data protection aspects of new products, data partnerships, and AI-enabled offerings, ensuring compliance with global requirements while enabling product innovation to occur with high velocity
• Manage the global data privacy team and guide privacy compliance efforts across all jurisdictions where Moody’s operates

AI, Data & Trust Governance

• Lead Moody’s legal strategy for AI governance — interpreting and applying the EU AI Act, SEC guidance, emerging International, U.S. federal and state AI frameworks, and other relevant regulations to Moody’s AI development and deployment activities
• Advise on AI-related legal risks, including training data rights and sourcing, model output liability, intellectual property infringement, data leakage, transparency, and explainability obligations
• Work with Enterprise Risk and business leaders to build and maintain a comprehensive AI governance program, consistent with applicable laws, that thoughtfully balances risk management with Moody’s commitment to responsible AI-driven innovation
• Support enterprise efforts to build and maintain customer trust and regulatory credibility through governance frameworks that position Moody’s as a global leader in responsible AI deployment

Strategic Sourcing

• Lead Moody’s legal support for the enterprise-wide sourcing function, with an emphasis on strategic and IP and data related transactions
• Partner with the Procurement office to provide counsel on sourcing-related legal issues, develop playbooks and workflows, and negotiation and drafting support on high-value, strategic transactions

Enterprise Advisory & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as principal legal advisor to Moody’s engineering, data science, product, and information security teams on technology-related legal matters — providing clear, pragmatic guidance that enables teams to move quickly while managing risk
• Provide IP subject matter expertise and support to commercial, product, and M&A legal teams across Moody’s Investors Service and Moody’s Analytics
• Advise on IP, data, and technology legal issues arising in the context of strategic investments, partnerships, and acquisitions
• Represent Legal in enterprise governance forums, technology steering committees, and strategic initiatives

Regulatory Monitoring & Policy

• Monitor IP, AI, privacy, and cybersecurity regulatory developments globally, proactively advising leadership on legal and compliance implications and positioning Moody’s for effective and timely regulatory response
• Establish and maintain legal standards, policies, and playbooks for IP, privacy, cybersecurity, and AI across the enterprise, ensuring consistent application and continuous improvement

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, develop, and inspire a global team of specialists across intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, and technology law
• Build scalable frameworks, tools, and knowledge management systems to support consistent, high-quality legal advice across a geographically distributed team
• Manage relationships with external IP litigation counsel, privacy advisors, and other specialized outside counsel — ensuring quality, efficiency, and strategic alignment
• Champion a culture of excellence, curiosity, collaboration, and responsible innovation within the team and across the broader legal organization

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Required

• J.D. from an accredited law school; active bar membership in good standing
• 15+ years of relevant combined experience at a leading law firm and/or as in-house corporate counsel, with a substantial focus on intellectual property and technology law
• Deep expertise in IP strategy and portfolio management — including patent prosecution and strategy, copyright, database rights, and trade secret protection — with experience in software, data, and/or analytics-driven businesses
• Significant experience in privacy and data protection law, including practical application of GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and related frameworks in a global business context
• Demonstrated experience advising on cybersecurity legal issues, including incident response, regulatory obligations, and data security governance
• Meaningful experience with AI and technology governance, including advising on AI legal risk, responsible AI frameworks, and emerging regulatory requirements
• Track record of leading enterprise-level legal programs and building and managing high-performing, globally distributed legal teams
• Strong understanding of software, data, and analytics-driven business models, and the IP and data asset considerations that drive competitive advantage in these sectors

Preferred

• Technical undergraduate degree (computer science, engineering, mathematics, or a related field) or equivalent technical fluency
• Demonstrated depth in patent strategy and prosecution oversight
• Experience advising financial services, financial technology, or information services companies on IP, data, and AI matters
• Prior in-house leadership experience at a company with significant proprietary data and analytics assets

KEY SUCCESS ATTRIBUTES

• Formidable IP and technology law expertise combined with sound business judgment and pragmatism
• Ability to translate complex technical, legal, and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for business, engineering, and product leaders

For US-based roles only: the anticipated hiring base salary range for this position is $280,500.00 - $406,650.00, depending on factors such as experience, education, level, skills, and location. This range is based on a full-time position. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for incentive compensation. Moody’s also offers a competitive benefits package, including not but limited to medical, dental, vision, parental leave, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, life, disability, and accident insurance, a discounted employee stock purchase plan, and tuition reimbursement.

Moody’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Moody’s also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about a reasonable accommodation, or need assistance with completing the application process, please email accommodations@moodys.com. This contact information is for accommodation requests only, and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications

For San Francisco positions, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

This position may be considered a promotional opportunity, pursuant to the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

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Candidates for Moody's Corporation may be asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody’s Policy for Securities Trading and the requirements of the position. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.