Overview
The organization is hiring a Director, Legal (Procurement and Strategic Sourcing) to lead legal support for its engineering and technology supply chain. This role structures and negotiates high-value supply, OEM, reseller, and software agreements that underpin an AI cloud, while building and scaling the procurement legal function.
The ideal candidate understands how hardware and software are sourced, licensed, delivered, and supported, with the ability to protect the organization’s position on allocation, delivery, warranty, and liability—without slowing business execution.
Responsibilities
Technology and hardware procurement
- Lead drafting and negotiation of complex, high-value agreements for compute, networking, and storage hardware, including:
- master purchase and supply agreements
- OEM agreements
- value-added reseller and distribution agreements
- Negotiate key commercial and risk terms, including:
- pricing and prepayment structures
- forecasting and allocation
- delivery and acceptance
- title and risk of loss
- warranties, RMA and spares
- epidemic failure
- service levels
- liquidated damages
- IP indemnities and limitations of liability
- Draft and negotiate software, firmware, and SaaS licensing agreements, including:
- support and maintenance agreements
- professional services and systems integration agreements
- open-source considerations tied to infrastructure software
- Partner with export controls to advise on supply chain risks involving:
- export controls and sanctions (EAR, ITAR, OFAC)
- customs and tariffs
- country-of-origin and component sourcing restrictions
- flow-down of customer requirements to suppliers
Strategic partnership and business support
- Serve as a trusted advisor to AI Infrastructure, Cloud, Procurement, and Finance leadership on supplier disputes, force majeure and shortages, and contract performance issues.
- Coordinate with Commercial, Construction, and Finance counsel so supply commitments align with customer obligations, data center delivery schedules, and financing requirements.
- Manage supplier disputes and claims, working with Litigation when needed.
Building the legal/procurement function
- Lead and mentor procurement counsel and paralegal team members.
- Develop and maintain templates, negotiation playbooks, fallback positions, and approval matrices for procurement.
- Partner with Legal Operations on contract lifecycle management, intake, reporting, and continuous process improvement.
Requirements
- JD from an accredited US law school and active membership in good standing of at least one US state bar.
- 8–12 years of legal experience at a leading law firm and/or in-house, with significant focus on technology procurement and supply agreements.
- Substantial experience negotiating agreements for hardware, software, and networking components, such as:
- GPUs and servers
- switches and optics and cabling
- storage
- related firmware and software
- preferably for data center, cloud, telecom, or semiconductor businesses
- Working knowledge of hardware supply chain dynamics, including:
- allocation
- lead times
- warranty and RMA models
- supplier financing or prepayment structures
- Familiarity with export controls, sanctions, and trade compliance as applied to advanced computing.
- Experience leading or mentoring lawyers and non-lawyer professionals.
- Exceptional negotiation, drafting, and communication skills, with a practical, business-enabling approach to risk.
Preferred Qualifications
- In-house experience at a hyperscaler, neocloud, OEM, semiconductor company, or data center operator.
- Experience with large-scale capital equipment procurement, including power and cooling equipment (e.g., switchgear, UPS, generators, chillers).
- Familiarity with multi-jurisdictional supply arrangements.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary range: $210,000—$340,000 USD (base salary).
- Actual compensation may vary based on job-related factors such as skill set, experience, education, and location.
- In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for bonus, equity, and/or commission programs.
- Competitive benefits package may include:
- medical, dental, vision
- flexible paid time off
- parental leave
- retirement plan participation
Location
No location was provided in the job description.