Director, Commercial Legal

Overview

A global HR technology organization is seeking a Director-level Commercial Contract Lawyer to lead and develop a team of commercial lawyers. This role focuses on providing legal support for sales, partnership, and procurement transactions within the HR Tech and SaaS sectors. The position involves managing contract negotiations, upgrading commercial terms, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance contracting efficiency through automation and AI.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Commercial Legal team, managing 3-5 direct reports.
• Serve as the directly responsible individual (DRI) for commercial legal matters, ensuring timely and high-quality support for sales, partnerships, and vendor contracts.
• Empower go-to-market (GTM) teams to close enterprise-level deals by upgrading commercial terms, simplifying contracting processes, and providing proactive training.
• Provide strategic legal support to partnership teams on deal negotiations and bespoke contract drafting.
• Collaborate with revenue operations and legal operations to automate workflows, maintain contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems, and capture contracting metrics.
• Guide, mentor, and nurture the legal team, providing timely and constructive feedback.
• Build trusted relationships with GTM stakeholders and increase Legal's influence in commercial strategy discussions.
• Identify and resolve company-wide legal issues in collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Lead cross-team legal projects with other departments such as GTM, Tax, Finance, and Product.
• Institute best practices and lead training to improve legal team efficiency and accessibility of legal advice.
• Manage external local counsel as needed.
• Assist with other legal, advisory, regulatory, and compliance matters as required.

Requirements

• Qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction (mandatory).
• Proven expertise as a commercial contracts lawyer with experience in complex negotiations.
• Previous in-house legal experience in similar roles.
• Passion for working in a tech scale-up environment, specifically in HR technology.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to mentor and motivate a team.
• Excellent relationship-building skills in a fully remote environment.
• Enthusiasm for leveraging AI and automation to improve legal workflows.
• Problem-solving mindset with a proactive approach.
• Ability to communicate openly and learn from mistakes.
• Low ego and strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Ability to multitask and adapt quickly to changing priorities.
• Proficiency or willingness to learn relevant technology tools including Slack, Coupa (contract management), Notion, and Google Drive.
• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Remote work experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated AI fluency and automation capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in HR Tech or SaaS sectors.
• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management systems and legal operations.

Compensation & Benefits

• Annual salary range: $150,000 to $290,000 USD, dependent on location, skills, experience, and market factors.
• Competitive benefits including:
  • Flexible paid time off and working hours.
  • Fully remote work from anywhere.
  • 16 weeks paid parental leave.
  • Mental health support services.
  • Stock options.
  • Learning and development budget.
  • Home office budget and IT equipment.
  • Budget for local in-person social events or co-working spaces.

Location

• This role is open to candidates based in the US or UK.

Application Process

• Profile review (asynchronous).
• Interview with recruiter.
• Interview with hiring manager.
• Written exercise.
• Interviews with legal team members and stakeholders.
• Executive and Bar Raiser interviews conducted simultaneously.
• Reference check.
• Offer (asynchronous).

Candidates are encouraged to apply regardless of background, identity, or experience. Accommodations are available upon request during the interview process. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.