Overview
A growing AI-native platform focused on audit, advisory, and assurance workflows is seeking a Senior Counsel to lead its legal function. The organization serves sophisticated audit and accounting firms in highly regulated environments, emphasizing data confidentiality and regulatory compliance. This role offers the opportunity to build legal infrastructure from the ground up and manage all commercial legal matters.
Responsibilities
- Negotiate and execute all commercial agreements including Master Service Agreements (MSAs), SaaS subscription agreements, Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), Business Associate Agreements (BAAs), and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with enterprise customers.
- Develop a risk tiering framework to align legal review with deal size and complexity, enabling the go-to-market team.
- Create and maintain a contract playbook with tiered clause positions and a standard document library to streamline contract processes.
- Utilize AI and agentic solutions to scale legal operations and build institutional memory.
- Lead AI and data licensing negotiations covering data use rights, model risk provisions, output ownership, intellectual property indemnification, and maintain the AI commercial policy framework and open source compliance program.
- Review and maintain employment agreements, contractor agreements, and offer letters; provide legal advice on multi-state and international employment compliance.
- Act as the primary legal liaison to the board on corporate governance matters, including board documentation, equity records, and corporate filings in coordination with finance.
- Manage relationships with outside counsel for specialized legal matters such as IP litigation, securities, and M&A.
Requirements
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school with active bar admission in good standing.
- 8-10 years of legal experience, including 3-4 years at a law firm with diverse client types and deal structures, followed by 5-6 years in-house at a B2B SaaS company, preferably at Series B-D stage.
- Deep expertise in commercial SaaS contracts (MSAs, DPAs, BAAs, SLAs) with substantive experience in AI and data licensing agreements.
- Proven ability to negotiate AI vendor agreements and advise on model and intellectual property risk with a strong understanding of the underlying technology.
- Demonstrated experience with data privacy laws and regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and SOC 2, including credible participation in DPA negotiations with enterprise customers.
- Track record of building legal infrastructure from scratch, including contract templates, playbooks, contract lifecycle management implementations, or compliance programs that improve efficiency.
- Ability to operate independently as the sole legal counsel, providing practical, business-oriented guidance and managing legal risk as a trade-off.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working at a B2B SaaS company serving professional services, fintech, or regulated industries.
- Familiarity with agentic AI or AI infrastructure agreements.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary range: $200,000 - $260,000 annually.
- Competitive compensation packages including meaningful equity ownership.
- Flexible paid time off.
- 401(k) retirement plan.
- Wellness benefits.
- Technology and work-from-home reimbursement.
- Flexible work schedules.
Location
Remote-first position with the option to work from anywhere, though the organization is based in San Francisco, CA.