Overview
This role is the first dedicated in-house legal hire for a fast-growing AI platform company. The position serves as a business partner, owning the commercial legal function—evaluating risk across customer and vendor agreements, efficiently managing redlines, and providing Sales and RevOps guidance to help deals move forward. The role requires sound judgment, including independent negotiation for routine matters, knowing which terms to push back on, and engaging outside counsel when needed.
The role reports directly to the CFO and has broad exposure across the business.
Responsibilities
- Own the contract lifecycle: Primary review and negotiation for inbound commercial agreements, including customer MSAs, order forms, NDAs, and vendor contracts; manage redlines, track open issues, and guide agreements through signature.
- Act as a business partner to Sales and RevOps: Partner with Sales, RevOps, Finance, and Product on commercial decisions, deal structures, and risk tradeoffs; translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance.
- Support data privacy and security compliance: Review and advise on DPA requirements, security exhibits, and privacy-related contractual obligations across customer and vendor agreements; keep standard positions current as the regulatory landscape evolves.
- Build and maintain legal infrastructure: Develop and own a library of standard agreement templates, negotiation playbooks, and fallback positions for consistent guidance on routine issues.
- Direct outside counsel: Scope and manage outside counsel engagements for specialized matters; maintain clear work scopes and control costs.
- Streamline legal workflow: Establish contract intake, tracking, and storage processes to improve visibility and reduce friction for internal stakeholders.
Requirements
- J.D. from an accredited law school and licensed to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
- 3–5 years of in-house legal experience, including meaningful commercial contract work in a SaaS or technology company environment.
- Ability to run early rounds of commercial negotiations independently, with strong instincts on standard SaaS terms and judgment on when to push back.
- Hands-on experience with Data Processing Agreements and working knowledge of GDPR, CCPA, and other applicable privacy frameworks.
- Experience knowing when to engage outside counsel and managing those relationships without over-reliance.
- Strong communication skills, including explaining legal concepts in plain language for non-lawyers.
- Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple open deals simultaneously.
- Demonstrated strength in negotiations, problem solving, verbal and written communication, and task management/prioritization.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building legal infrastructure in a lean, fast-paced environment, including creating structure where processes are still evolving.
Compensation & Benefits
- $150,000 – $185,000 base salary + meaningful equity
- Healthcare, dental, vision, 401k, and flexible PTO
Location