General Counsel

Overview

UpGuard is a cybersecurity SaaS company scaling rapidly with a mission to replace manual security bottlenecks with AI‑driven precision.

The Legal team is responsible for keeping operations compliant with all current laws and regulations and supports the global sales organization.

Responsibilities

• Legal Strategy & Operations
  • Act as a strategic legal advisor to executive leadership, proactively identifying risks and opportunities.
  • Assess legal and compliance posture, identify gaps, develop and lead execution of a prioritized roadmap.
  • Lead and develop the in‑house legal team, implementing scalable processes and metrics‑driven practices.
• Compliance, Privacy & Risk
  • Build and execute a scalable compliance program covering data privacy (GDPR, CCPA), OFAC/trade compliance, anti‑bribery, AI governance, and ethics.
  • Identify and mitigate legal and regulatory risks, embedding compliance awareness into day‑to‑day decisions.
• Corporate & Governance
  • Manage corporate legal activities, including governance, equity administration, and M&A or financing activity.
  • Advise People and Finance teams on employment law matters across the global workforce.
  • Support board governance functions, including preparation of board materials and management of director obligations.
• Product & Intellectual Property
  • Provide strategic product counsel to product, engineering, and go‑to‑market teams.
  • Direct IP strategy, protecting trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets.
  • Advise on legal and regulatory implications of AI‑driven features and data handling practices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of legal experience, with 4+ years in a leadership role, preferably at an international B2B SaaS company.
• Law degree and admission to, and in good standing with, the local governing body.
• Proven experience building a compliance program at a scaling company.
• Ability to drive compliance and legal improvements across functions with competing priorities.
• Deep understanding of SaaS contracting and experience with complex deals.
• Strong interpersonal and cross‑functional collaboration skills across global teams and distributed environments.
• Experience implementing AI tools and workflow automation to enhance legal operations.

What gives you an edge

• Prior experience as General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel at a B2B SaaS company at a comparable growth stage.
• Track record of building compliance programs from the ground up at a rapidly scaling company.
• Background in cybersecurity, data privacy, or a regulated technology sector; related certifications (CIPP/US, CIPP/E) are a plus.
• Experience building alignment with go‑to‑market, product, and marketing teams on legal and compliance priorities.

Benefits

• Monthly Lifestyle subsidy
• WFH setup allowance
• $1,500 annual Learning & Development allowance
• Annual leave: PTO plus two additional UpGuardian leave days
• 18 weeks paid parental leave
• Personal leave allowance
• Fully remote working environment
• Top‑spec hardware
• Generative AI subsidy
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Stock options

Compensation

$300,000 – $425,000 per year.

Equal Opportunity Employer

UpGuard is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.

We currently support hiring in the following US states: CA, MD, MA, IL, OR, WA, CO, TX, FL, PA, LA, MO, DC.

At this time we cannot support candidates requiring visa sponsorship or relocation. A national police history check and reference checks are required before starting.