Commercial Counsel

Overview

This role supports the business by protecting innovations, enabling growth, and mitigating legal risk. You will partner closely with business, finance, general managers, R&D leadership, and other cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own customer deals end to end, with a focus on life sciences and computational chemistry/material science engagements.
  • Structure, draft, and negotiate customer agreements (bespoke and standard), including material science and drug-discovery transactions.
  • Lead negotiations for research collaborations, sponsored research agreements, industry partnerships, commercial pilots, and data in-licenses.
  • Work closely with sales and business teams.
• Own and build out broader contract capabilities across the business.
  • Negotiate customer agreements and statements of work across business units.
  • Support channel and technology partnerships, NDAs, and vendor, SaaS, and professional services agreements.
• Act as a trusted partner to science and business stakeholders.
  • Work directly with PhD chemists, biologists, and ML researchers, and collaborate with general managers, finance, and R&D leadership.
  • Proactively identify key issues and lead problem-solving to drive business outcomes.
• Build for scale.
  • Create and maintain playbooks, templates, fallback positions, and escalation paths.
  • Stand up self-serve routes for routine agreements.
  • Use AI tooling to accelerate review, triage, and drafting so legal leverage grows faster than headcount.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) or equivalent law degree.
• Admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 6+ years of substantive commercial transactional experience.
  • Demonstrated ability to independently own and close complex technology or science-driven deals.
• Deep fluency across commercial engagement and transaction structures, including:
  • IP ownership and license scope
  • confidentiality
  • data rights and privacy
  • limitation of liability
  • indemnification
  • warranties
  • termination
• Strategic, agile mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Strong desire to build commercial infrastructure from the ground up.
• Collaborative communication skills and high emotional intelligence (EQ), including the ability to translate complex legal concepts into actionable business strategies.

Preferred Qualifications

• Life sciences and/or material science transactional depth.
  • Experience with material science, pharma, biotech, or medical device collaborations.
  • Experience with drug-discovery or research partnerships, computational chemistry or AI-driven discovery arrangements.
  • Experience with university and technology transfer agreements.
• Combination of in-house and Big Law experience.
• STEM undergraduate or graduate degree (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, computer science, physics, or similar).
• Experience with AI/ML products and related contractual questions.
• Exposure to data licensing, data-sharing, and privacy requirements across multiple jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated use of, or specific interest in, AI tooling to accelerate legal work.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation range: $160K - $300K
• Competitive base salary.
• Performance-based incentives or bonuses (where applicable).
• Equity participation.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents with generous employer premium contributions.
• Retirement savings with company matching.
• Paid parental leave.
• Inclusive family-building benefits.

Location

Fully remote.

Equal Employment Opportunity / Accommodations

All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles.