Legal and Product Engineer (Japanese Speaking)

We use AI to help you write high-quality patents quickly. We do this by providing a simple in-browser document editor that any patent attorney or inventor can start using straight away. Our product can help with all…

Location: New York, NY
Company size: 20–50
Posted: 1mo ago
Via: Yc

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Job listing · Updated 26 SEP 2026

Legal and Product Engineer (Japanese Speaking)

Solve Intelligence· New YorkView company profile

Job title: Legal and Product Engineer (Japanese Speaking)
Job location: New York
Job listing URL: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/solve-intelligence/jobs/28N3Eov-legal-and-product-engineer-japanese-speaking
Job description: At Solve Intelligence, we're building the AI-powered infrastructure for the global Intellectual Property landscape. We need a rare hybrid - a Legal and Product Engineer who sits at the exact intersection of patent law and AI innovation to ensure our engine is technically superior and legally airtight. Japan is quickly becoming one of our most exciting markets. We're seeing strong inbound interest and real traction with Japanese IP teams, and we're looking for a Japanese-speaking practitioner to lead those conversations from the front. 📍 **Location:** London or New York (hybrid), with regular travel to Japan 🏗️ **The Role: Legal and Product Engineer (Japanese Speaking)** This isn't your typical client-facing role or traditional R&D position. You are the bridge between the complex nuances of patent practice and the cutting-edge AI technology transforming it. You will translate the "language of law" into the "logic of code." And for our Japanese clients, you'll translate it into Japanese too. What you'll own: - **AI Output Engineering:** Partner with our AI team to iterate on algorithms and prompt engineering, specializing our LLMs for patent-specific tasks like claim analysis, prior art comparison, and obviousness assessments. - **Legal Benchmarking:** Build proprietary datasets and evaluation frameworks to measure AI performance against real-world USPTO and international patent office requirements. - **Product Roadmap:** Serve as the internal voice of the practitioner. You'll translate deep client insights from global firms into high-priority product features. - **Strategic Partnership:** Act as a technical thought partner for IP teams at firms like DLA Piper, leading pilots and ensuring our AI scales seamlessly across their prosecution and litigation workflows. - **Playbook Development:** Document and scale best practices for AI adoption across diverse sectors, from biotech to deep-tech software. - **Japan Market Lead:** Be the technical voice of Solve for Japanese law firms and corporate IP departments. You'll run in-depth product demos and technical discussions in Japanese, support our team at conferences and client meetings in Japan, and lead pilots with Japanese clients. - **JPO Readiness** : Make sure our AI handles Japanese-language patent documents and JPO practice as well as it handles the USPTO and EPO, and build the benchmarks that prove it. 💡 **About Solve Intelligence** We're the fastest-growing startup transforming the IP industry. - **Traction:** 20-30% MoM revenue growth; selling to 600+ global IP teams (DLA Piper, tech boutiques, and global enterprises). - **Proven Value:** Users report 50-90% efficiency gains using our AI platform. - **Backing:** Recently featured in[Sifted](https://sifted.eu/articles/solve-intelligence-visionaries-20vc) following our $40M Series B announcement, bringing our total funding to $55M from elite investors including Y Combinator, 20VC, Visionaries and others. - **Global Momentum:** Growing demand from Japan, with a live pipeline of Japanese IP teams ready for deeper technical conversations. 👋 **Your Team** You'll work directly with a founding team of AI PhDs and systems experts: - [Sanj](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanj-ahilan-844b33137/) (CRO): PhD in AI (Gatsby Unit, UCL), ex-Huawei R&D, former lead at Magic Carpet AI (acquired). - [Chris](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-parsonson/) (CEO): PhD in AI (UCL), published researcher, ex-Dyson and Alan Turing Institute. - [Angus](https://www.linkedin.com/in/angus-parsonson/) (CTO): MEng Computer Science, ex-Qualcomm and Coremont (Brevan Howard). 🚀 **Who You Are** We are a high-performance culture of "hackers" and builders. - Bilingual: You can speak "Patent" to an attorney and "Prompt" to an engineer without losing anything in translation. In this role you're also bilingual in the literal sense, and you're comfortable with both Japanese and English. - Speed & Feedback: You want to put tools in users' hands in days, not months, and you thrive on rapid iteration. - Extreme Ownership: You take responsibility for the accuracy of our AI's legal reasoning and the success of our global client deployments. - Driven & Humble: You are a high-achiever willing to go the extra mile to tackle unsolved AI problems in the patent space. 🛠️ **What You Bring** Must-Haves: - **Qualified Professional** : Admitted to practice before the USPTO, EPO or JPO. - 3+ Years Experience: Direct experience in patent prosecution, understanding the "pain points" of the industry first-hand. - Technical Foundation: Undergraduate degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or Life Sciences. - Japanese Language: Native or business-level fluency in Japanese (JLPT N1 or equivalent). You can run a detailed technical and legal conversation in Japanese with a senior IP team. - Travel: Based in London or New York and happy to travel to Japan regularly for conferences, pilots and client meetings. Preferred & Nice-to-Haves: - AI Tinkerer: Hands-on experience with prompt engineering and LLM tools. - Client-Facing Pro: Proven ability to manage relationships and lead strategic product demos. - Visionary: A deep belief that AI will fundamentally redefine the legal landscape. - Japanese Network: Existing relationships with Japanese law firms or corporate IP departments. 🎁 **What We Offer** - Competitive Salary + Significant Equity: We want you to have true ownership in the success of the company. - Founding Impact: You will be the architect of how AI is applied to patent law globally. That includes shaping how we build out Japan, one of our most important growth markets. - Support: Full visa sponsorship and private medical insurance. - The Environment: Free meals and a seat at the table with an incredibly smart, ambitious team.