Principal Product & Commercial Counsel

Unlock Employer

Posted Aug 4, 2026

Remote · US · ask about Worldwide Contract

$178.5K – $255K/yr

Apply Direct

Overview

A leading developer tooling organization is seeking a Principal Product & Commercial Counsel to join their globally distributed, remote-first legal team. This hybrid role combines product counseling and commercial negotiation, partnering closely with Product Management and Engineering teams throughout the full product lifecycle—from concept and design through launch, monetization, and end of life. The role also involves negotiating commercial provisions for product go-to-market efforts. Expertise in open source software licensing and cloud services is essential to influence how products are built, licensed, and delivered to millions of developers and enterprise customers worldwide.

Responsibilities

Serve as embedded product counsel to Product Managers and Engineering teams, providing pragmatic, business-oriented legal advice on new products, features, pricing, packaging changes, Early Access/beta programs, and end-of-life decisions.
Advise on open source software matters, including license analysis and compatibility (Apache, MIT, BSD, GPL, LGPL, AGPL, source-available licenses), inbound/outbound OSS usage, contribution and CLA policies, and compliance obligations across products and distribution channels.
Draft and maintain product-facing legal terms such as service-specific terms, subscription and licensing agreements, Early Access/beta terms, fair use and acceptable use policies, and documentation supporting new monetization models.
Structure and negotiate commercial provisions in customer and partner agreements related to product licensing, cloud services, hybrid on-premise and SaaS deployments, IP ownership, indemnification, warranties, and support commitments, collaborating with Sales and Deal Desk.
Counsel on AI-enabled product features, including training data provenance, output ownership, third-party model licensing, and evolving AI regulatory requirements.
Collaborate with Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) teams on product design intersections with regulatory obligations, including software supply chain security and emerging regulations such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
Support intellectual property strategy, including trademark usage guidelines, brand protection in product and marketing contexts, and coordination with outside counsel.
Monitor and analyze legal and regulatory developments affecting developer tools, open source, cloud services, and AI, advising on necessary updates.
Develop scalable playbooks, templates, and self-service resources to enable Product and Go-To-Market teams to operate efficiently within legal guardrails.

Ready to apply for roles like this?

Unlock the company name and direct application link. Subscribers get instant access to all remote legal jobs.

Unlock Employer & Apply Directly

Qualifications

J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
Minimum 6 years of relevant legal experience, including significant in-house experience at a software, cloud, or developer tools company; a combination of law firm and in-house experience is preferred.
Deep expertise in open source software licensing, including copyleft and permissive licenses, license compatibility analysis, and OSS program governance.
Hands-on experience drafting and negotiating SaaS, software licensing, and cloud services agreements, including enterprise negotiations on IP, indemnity, and liability provisions.
Technical fluency with developer software concepts such as virtual containers, registries, CI/CD, APIs, and software supply chain security; familiarity with Docker or comparable developer platforms is a strong plus.
Understanding of AI and large language model (LLM) legal issues, including model licensing, training data, and applicable regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act.
Ability to work effectively in AI-native environments.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of translating complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance for Product Managers and Engineers.
Sound, risk-calibrated judgment with a bias toward practical, business-enabling solutions.
Proven ability to manage competing priorities independently in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Strong collaboration skills and ability to build relationships across diverse teams.