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Almost all professional employment in the US is characterized as at-will. How can someone get ensure their work agreement accounts for this prior to starting a job at one of these companies? Ask for a "you will not fire me prior to paying me a bonus" clause?

It seems to me that if a company in this situation wants to screw the employee, they will find a way.

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Possibly: ownership of the IP only transfers upon final payment.

No, IP ownership transfers when your contract says it does. If you're a consultant and your contract says you transfer IP upon payment, then sure, that's the case. But if you're a salaried employee, then most likely you've signed something that stipulates that your product is a work-for-hire, and it becomes owned by your employer the moment you type it out.

So I suggested one kind of contract to write which would ensure payment of that sort, rather than the usual.

One possibility: If the employee is fired other than for cause (crime, fraud, etc.), then the employer will pay the employee a pro-rated bonus at the same time other employees get their bonuses.

This is sometimes negotiated in executive employment agreements, but I can't say I've seen it in rank-and-file agreements.

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