Senior Counsel, Product (AI) (San Francisco)

Job DescriptionOutstanding candidates will be considered outside of office locations for a fully remote role.Join us at Zendesk, where we're on a mission to power exceptional service for every person on the planet. We're accelerating that ambition by building products rooted in AI, automation, and intelligent customer experiences, because behind every interaction lies an opportunity to make a human connection.We’re seeking a proactive and entrepreneurial Senior Counsel, Product (AI) to support our global AI products. In this role, you will enable growth and mitigate risk for a technology platform that is leading in the AI transformation space. You'll dive deep into cutting-edge technology, navigate fast-moving global regulatory obligations, and spearhead customer trust initiatives. Reporting into our Director of Product, Privacy, and IP, you partner with our top-tier product managers, engineers, and security professionals, and become a trusted leader at the company. Our legal team is practical and business-minded, and it is crucial that our work not only mitigates risk but enables growth and drives customer adoption.At Zendesk, we value innovation and collaboration. Join us and shape the future of AI! What you'll be doingProvide Strategic Guidance: Balance legal expertise with creative problem-solving to deliver risk-calibrated advice to our business leaders. Make decisions quickly and efficiently to advance company goals, without getting sidetracked by low risk issues or bureaucracy.Shape AI Strategy & Compliance: Navigate complex issues around building and selling AI software, such as: how to price and sell it; how to comply with an evolving global patchwork of AI safety laws (including building and executing actionable compliance plans); how to comply with longstanding global privacy laws (while collaborating with stellar privacy colleagues); and how to meet customer needs).Empower Sales & Marketing: Support AI trust and customer enablement initiatives. Collaborate with Commercial Legal to leverage compliance as a tool to accelerate customer deals.Engage with Regulators and Industry Groups: Act as a key liaison with relevant AI regulatory authorities when needed, and collaborate with industry groups to develop regulatory engagement goals and strategy.Foster Internal Innovation: Champion AI adoption within the legal department. Apply technology creatively to improve legal review processes, efficiently identify risks, and enable rapid innovation.Educate & Communicate: Translate complex legal requirements—for both AI development and internal usage—into clear, actionable insights for company leadership and stakeholders.Mentor & Lead: Guide junior colleagues, fostering overall team growth and development.What you bring to the roleRegulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of the global regulatory environment, ideally with experience applying the EU AI Act, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA.Business-Minded Pragmatism: A track record of building trust with product and engineering teams by combining legal expertise, data-driven analysis, and practical problem-solving.Strategic Vision: The ability to see the big picture and prioritize impactful, practical ways to support company goals.Agility & Ownership: Decisive and action-oriented. Single-owner mentality, excelling in project execution and moving complex initiatives to completion even amidst uncertainty.Strong Prioritization: Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment while effectively adjusting strategies in response to shifting priorities, legal developments, and evolving risk tolerance.Adaptability: Open-minded and flexible; can easily adjust strategies as company goals, legal landscapes, and risk tolerances evolve.Technical Muscle: Understanding of AI technology, and attendant legal risks. Understanding of basic product concepts - cloud infrastructure, APIs, open source, etc. Capable of quickly understanding new innovations.Collaborative Spirit: Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally when necessary. Adept at collaborating and respecting subject-matter experts, without relying on other teams to make product legal decisions.Growth Mindset: Interest in continuously learning and growing; no task is too big or small.Basic Qualifications:7+ years of legal experience, with at least 3+ years in-house, preferably at a global technology companyLicensed to practice law in your jurisdictionPreferred Qualifications:Experience advising AI and/or software product development teamsExperience and interest in using AI technology to optimize processes and solve problemsThe US annualized base salary range for this position is $216,000.00-$324,000.00. This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.The intelligent heart of customer experienceZendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here. Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to View email address on apply.placed-app.com with your specific accommodation request.SummaryLocation: Austin, Texas, United States of America; Remote, Washington D.C., United States of America; Remote, Washington, United States of America; Remote, Colorado, United States of America; Remote, California, United States of America; Remote, Minnesota, United States of America; Remote, Texas, United States of America; Remote, Massachusetts, United States of America; Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America; San Francisco, California, United States of America; Remote, Illinois, United States of America; Remote, New York, United States of AmericaType: Full time