Senior Legal Counsel, Commercial & SaaS

Job Description

Pay: $200,000.00 - $400,000.00 per year

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Why This Is a Great Opportunity

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• Become the first in-house legal hire at a fast-growing AI software company and build the legal function from the ground up.
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• Take direct ownership of sophisticated enterprise SaaS negotiations with large customers.
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• Work closely with executive leadership on commercial strategy, corporate matters, compliance, employment, and company growth.
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• Create the contracts, playbooks, workflows, and legal processes that will support the company as it scales.
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• Join a high-growth technology environment where legal is viewed as a strategic business partner, not simply a review function.
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• Receive competitive base compensation plus startup equity, comprehensive benefits, flexible time off, and additional employee perks.
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Location: New York, NY. This is a fully on-site opportunity working 5 days per week in a collaborative Manhattan office environment.

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Note: Candidates must have a J.D., active bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, 7+ years of legal experience, hands-on commercial contracting experience within an early-stage startup, and experience negotiating sophisticated enterprise SaaS agreements. This is an in-office role and candidates must be able to work on-site 5 days per week.

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About Us

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We are a rapidly growing AI and enterprise software company developing advanced technology used in complex, mission-critical business environments. Our team combines deep technical expertise with an ambitious, fast-moving startup culture, and we are continuing to build the infrastructure needed to support significant enterprise growth. Confidential Employer.

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Job Description

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• Own commercial contracting from initial draft through negotiation and execution for sophisticated enterprise customers.
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• Draft and negotiate MSAs, SaaS agreements, DPAs, security and privacy addenda, order forms, and related commercial agreements.
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• Build legal templates, contracting playbooks, approval processes, and scalable workflows from scratch.
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• Partner with sales and leadership to balance appropriate legal protections with commercial speed.
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• Advise executive leadership on corporate governance, equity administration, board matters, and future financing activities.
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• Support data privacy, security, and compliance matters involving GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, and related requirements.
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• Advise on employment matters, company policies, vendor contracts, procurement, and other day-to-day legal issues.
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• Identify emerging legal and regulatory risks as the business expands into new customers and markets.
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• Coordinate with and manage outside counsel across specialized legal matters.
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• Serve as a practical, business-minded legal generalist capable of independently prioritizing a broad range of issues.
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Qualifications

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• J.D. from an accredited law school.
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• Active bar admission in any U.S. jurisdiction.
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• 7+ years of legal experience.
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• Combination of law firm training and meaningful in-house experience strongly preferred.
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• Required early-stage startup commercial contracting experience.
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• Required experience negotiating enterprise SaaS and software agreements.
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• Deep experience with MSAs, SaaS terms, DPAs, security addenda, and sophisticated enterprise counterparties.
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• Working knowledge of GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, data privacy, and software security considerations.
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• Strong business judgment and ability to balance legal risk with commercial priorities.
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• Ability to operate effectively as a legal department of one.
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• Excellent written, verbal, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
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• New York bar admission preferred but not required.
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• AI/ML legal issues, fundraising, venture financing, governance, CLM, and legal operations experience are pluses.
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Why You Will Love Working Here

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You will have unusually broad ownership and direct influence over how the company approaches contracts, legal risk, compliance, and corporate growth. This is an opportunity for an entrepreneurial attorney who enjoys building systems, negotiating important deals, advising executives, and operating independently in a high-growth technology company. You will work alongside ambitious teammates while helping shape the legal foundation of an emerging AI business.

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JPC-2366

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Benefits:

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• Health insurance
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• Paid time off
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• Retirement plan
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• Vision insurance
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