Senior Commercial Counsel

Senior Commercial Counsel

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Senior Commercial Counsel to support our North America Sales organization. This role will enable business growth by providing strategic legal guidance, leading efficient negotiations, and delivering practical solutions that appropriately balance commercial objectives, customer needs, and legal and corporate standards. The successful candidate will have substantial experience with complex technology transactions and be comfortable navigating NetApp's dual distribution model, channel ecosystem, and evolving as-a-service offerings. The candidate should also embrace emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and demonstrate a commitment to using AI-enabled tools, automation, and data-driven insights to enhance legal service delivery, improve operational efficiency, and accelerate business outcomes responsibly. This is a hybrid role requiring in office expectations of 3 days per week to our San Jose, CA location only.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic legal business partner to the North America Sales organization, providing practical, business-oriented advice that supports revenue growth and strong customer and partner relationships.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial technology agreements with customers, distributors, resellers, and channel partners, including agreements involving hardware, software, SaaS, storage-as-a-service, professional services, data privacy, and information security.
• Apply a strong understanding of NetApp's dual distribution model and the legal and commercial considerations associated with selling directly and through distributors, resellers, and other channel partners.
• Provide strategic legal advice and risk assessments that balance business objectives, customer needs, legal requirements, and corporate policies.
• Advise on contractual, regulatory, privacy, intellectual property, information security, AI, machine learning, data-use, and other emerging technology issues.
• Partner with Finance, Information Security, Privacy, Sales Operations, Product, and other stakeholders to resolve complex issues, drive transactions to execution, and develop practical, scalable solutions.
• Lead and support responsible adoption of AI-enabled technologies, automation, analytics, and knowledge resources to improve legal productivity, consistency, knowledge management, contract lifecycle management, and operational effectiveness.
• Serve as a change agent for innovation by encouraging thoughtful experimentation, sharing effective practices, and helping colleagues adopt new technologies and ways of working.
• Improve legal templates, playbooks, training, self-service resources, and processes to reduce friction, address recurring issues, and improve deal velocity.
• Manage complex legal matters independently, exercise sound judgment, prioritize competing demands, and deliver timely, practical, risk-informed solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Education

• Juris Doctor degree and active membership in good standing in at least one state bar; minimum of 10 years of legal experience, including at least five years in-house with a technology company.
• Substantial experience drafting and negotiating complex technology agreements with customers, distributors, resellers, and other business partners.
• In-depth understanding of technology transactions and business models involving software, hardware, software-as-a-service, services, data privacy, information security, and evolving delivery models.
• Ability to identify and assess legal, contractual, privacy, intellectual property, compliance, commercial, and AI-related risks and translate complex issues into practical, business-oriented advice.
• Demonstrated interest in using technology, AI-enabled tools, automation, and data-driven insights responsibly to improve legal service delivery, efficiency, consistency, and business outcomes.
• Excellent communication, drafting, negotiation, stakeholder-management, collaboration, judgment, professionalism, accountability, and interpersonal skills.
• Solution-oriented, growth-minded, and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment, manage competing priorities, adapt to change, and execute with appropriate speed and attention to detail.

Compensation: The target salary range for this position is 196,350 - 292,600 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package.