Counsel, Contracts & Legal Operations

Overview

This role involves managing a portfolio of commercial agreements and optimizing legal operations through the adoption of AI-powered tools and workflow automation. The position requires a combination of transactional legal expertise and operational leadership to support and scale the legal function effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end negotiations for vendor and commercial contracts, including drafting, redlining, and resolving complex business and legal issues across SaaS subscriptions, master services agreements, procurement contracts, data processing agreements, and terms of service.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement AI-powered legal solutions such as contract lifecycle management platforms, AI-assisted review tools, clause libraries, and other automation technologies to improve efficiency and reduce contract cycle times.
• Develop and maintain a library of standardized contract templates, negotiation playbooks, and approved fallback positions to enable business teams to self-serve on routine transactions and ensure consistent contracting standards.
• Drive legal operations initiatives to identify inefficiencies, redesign workflows, and implement automation to eliminate manual bottlenecks and establish scalable processes.
• Collaborate with Procurement, IT, Finance, Security, and Sales teams to guide vendor onboarding, resolve contracting questions, and ensure compliance with company standards throughout the deal lifecycle.
• Conduct risk assessments on commercial arrangements, focusing on indemnification, liability allocation, intellectual property, data privacy, and regulatory compliance.
• Define, track, and report on contract and legal operations metrics such as cycle time, volume, key terms, risk areas, self-service adoption rates, and cost savings from automation.
• Develop and deliver training programs for cross-functional stakeholders on contract processes, negotiation guidelines, and effective use of legal technology tools to promote adoption and reduce dependency on legal for routine matters.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• Minimum of three years of legal experience focused on commercial contracts, including drafting, negotiation, and advisory work across SaaS, technology, or professional services transactions.
• Proven ability to independently manage a diverse portfolio of agreements from intake through execution with minimal supervision.
• Strong understanding of standard commercial contract provisions such as indemnification, limitation of liability, intellectual property licensing, confidentiality, and data privacy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of translating complex legal concepts into clear guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work under time pressure in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of in-house legal experience at a technology, SaaS, or high-growth company.
• Experience evaluating, selecting, and implementing AI-powered legal tools including contract lifecycle management systems, AI-assisted contract review, automated clause extraction, or intelligent triage solutions.
• Experience developing and maintaining contract playbooks, template libraries, and self-service portals for business users.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation details are not specified.

Location

The role supports operations in multiple U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago, with a focus on commercial delivery services.