Commercial Counsel - Partnerships

Overview

An AI research and product organization is seeking an experienced Commercial Counsel specializing in Channel Partnerships & Alliances to join their US Legal Team. This role involves supporting complex commercial transactions such as SaaS, licensing, and strategic partnerships, while navigating diverse legal and regulatory frameworks in the evolving field of artificial intelligence. The focus will be on partnership arrangements including ISV integrations, SI alliances, reseller channels, and strategic referral networks.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end legal strategy and execution for the partnership ecosystem, including ISV and platform integration agreements, systems integrator and consulting partnerships, channel partner programs, reseller and distribution arrangements, marketplace agreements, embedded and OEM-style arrangements, and strategic alliance structures.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, primarily focusing on Partnerships deals and enterprise customer contracts.
• Act as the primary legal partner to the Partnerships team, providing strategic counsel that balances risk management with speed-to-market and growth objectives.
• Design, maintain, and improve scalable partnership templates, playbooks, approval workflows, and contracting infrastructure to enable efficient deal evaluation and execution.
• Provide clear, pragmatic, and commercially focused legal advice to cross-functional teams to support responsible growth and innovation.
• Contribute to scaling the Legal Team’s commercial function and foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented culture.
• Build scalable legal infrastructure for global partner motions, including reseller frameworks, marketplace terms, partner program agreements, approval workflows, and operational playbooks.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree and active membership in at least one U.S. State Bar (New York preferred).
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant post-qualification legal experience, with strong preference for in-house experience in technology or SaaS sectors.
• Proven experience drafting and negotiating complex technology and partnership agreements, including ISV, SI, reseller, channel, marketplace, OEM/embedded, and strategic alliance arrangements.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise software licensing, SaaS, data protection, and intellectual property law.
• Experience designing and launching channel partner, reseller, or marketplace programs from inception.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities and tight deadlines.
• Experience negotiating with major systems integrators and consultancies (e.g., Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, Big 4) and leading ISVs and cloud platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• Curiosity about the future of AI and emerging technologies.
• Strong sense of ownership and enthusiasm for applying legal expertise to cutting-edge products.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and make informed, timely decisions in high-growth environments.
• Proactive, business-minded approach focused on delivering practical solutions that support compliance and commercial success.
• Comfortable working independently and collaborating with cross-functional and global teams.

Compensation & Benefits

• Annual discretionary stipend for professional development.
• Annual discretionary stipend for social travel to meet colleagues.
• Annual company offsite in various international locations.
• Monthly co-working stipend for those not located near main hubs.

Location

This is a remote position based in the United States, with a strong preference for candidates located in the Eastern Time Zone, ideally New York.