Legal Counsel

Legal Counsel - Hybrid, Cary, North Carolina

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About the job

The Legal team is seeking a Legal Counsel to support SAS's global AI, technology, product, and strategic partnership initiatives. Working with and under the guidance of experienced attorneys supporting SAS's global commercial, technology, and partnership activities, you will provide legal advice and transactional support across a broad range of matters relating to AI, software and cloud services, product development, strategic partnerships, procurement, and other technology-related initiatives. This role offers the opportunity to develop expertise in emerging legal issues involving AI, software, cloud services, and strategic partnerships.

The primary emphasis for this role is helping SAS structure, negotiate, and manage global commercial and technology relationships with partners, vendors, and customers in support of the company's business objectives. The role also provides the opportunity to serve as a key legal resource for AI, product, engineering, and technology-related matters.

In addition, this role will support a variety of strategic partnership initiatives, including technology integrations, product development collaborations, go-to-market arrangements, and other non-standard commercial transactions. The role is designed for someone who enjoys working collaboratively with business and technical stakeholders, translating complex legal and commercial issues into practical solutions, and helping SAS achieve its objectives while appropriately managing legal and business risk.


As a Legal Counsel, You Will:

• Serve as a legal subject matter resource and point of contact for AI, product, Research & Development (R&D), and emerging technology matters, helping promote consistency in contracting approaches, legal guidance, and risk-management strategies across the global Legal team.
• Work with internal groups including Corporate Development, R&D, Product Management, AI/Innovation teams, Sales, Finance, and other departments to structure and negotiate partner, customer, and vendor transactions.
• Lead and support legal and commercial matters relating to AI, emerging technologies, software development, data usage, and technology transactions, including collaborating with AI, product, engineering, and business teams to develop contracting approaches, negotiation positions, and risk-management strategies.
• Assist in structuring, drafting, and negotiating a range of strategic partnership and collaboration agreements, including technology integration arrangements, product development collaborations, reseller and channel partner agreements, go-to-market initiatives, and other non-standard commercial transactions.
• Support strategic collaborations and business initiatives with technology partners, cloud providers, system integrators, and other members of the technology ecosystem, including post-execution legal support and relationship management.
• Research and analyze proposed transactions, assess legal and business risks and opportunities, and recommend practical strategies to help achieve business objectives while appropriately managing risk.
• Lead and support contractual negotiations involving customers, vendors, technology partners, and other third parties.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to internal clients on commercial, operational, and technology-related matters.
• Regularly interact with internal business stakeholders and external counterparties.
• Manage legal business matters and special projects as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Typically requires a minimum of five years of relevant legal experience.
• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited U.S. law school or equivalent legal education outside the U.S. that qualifies an individual to work as an attorney in an in-house legal department.
• Licensed to practice law and admitted to at least one state bar in good standing.
• Experience negotiating and drafting commercial agreements, including software, SaaS, cloud services, technology licensing, data processing, professional services, procurement, or other technology-related transactions.
• Ability to advise product, security, procurement, sales, and business stakeholders on complex legal issues in a practical and business-oriented manner.
• Equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant experience may be considered in place of the requirements stated above.

Additional Competencies, knowledge and skills

• Building Trusted Relationships: Using appropriate interpersonal styles to establish effective relationships with customers and internal partners; interacting with others in a way that promotes openness and trust and gives others confidence in one's intentions.
• Collaborating - Working cooperatively with others to help a team or work group achieve its goals.
• Communication - Conveying information and ideas clearly and concisely to individuals or groups in an engaging manner that helps them understand and retain the message; listening actively to others.
• Experience supporting technology transactions, commercial negotiations, vendor reviews, or procurement matters involving software, cloud services, AI-enabled technologies, or other emerging technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and communicate practical legal guidance to business stakeholders.
• Familiarity with artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software development, data governance, privacy, or other emerging technology issues.
• Experience negotiating technology, licensing, SaaS, cloud, procurement, data, partnership, reseller, distribution, or other commercial agreements.
• Experience supporting strategic partnerships, technology integrations, product collaborations, channel relationships, or go-to-market initiatives.
• Previous procurement or vendor contracting experience.

World-class benefits


Highlights include...

• Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental and vision plans.
• Medical plan options include:
  • PPO with low annual deductible and copays.
  • HDHP combined with a health savings account with a contribution from SAS (no access to on-site health care center).
• Onsite Health Care Center (HQ) that's free to employees and family members enrolled in the PPO plan. There's a pharmacy too! Not local to HQ? The pharmacy will ship prescriptions for no additional charge!
• An industry-leading 401k plan.
• Tuition Assistance Program and programs and resources to support your development
• Generous time away including vacation time, a variety of paid holidays, and our much-loved U.S. Winter Wellness Break between December 25 and January 1.
• Volunteer Time Off, parental leave and unlimited paid sick days.
• Generous childcare benefits for all full-time employees.

You are welcome here.

At SAS, it's not about fitting into our culture - it's about adding to it. We believe our people make the difference. Our inclusive workforce brings together unique talents and inspires teams to create amazing software that reflects the diversity of our users and customers.

Additional Information:

To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Read more: Know Your Rights.


Resumes may be considered in the order they are received. SAS employees performing certain job functions may require access to technology or software subject to export or import regulations. To comply with these regulations, SAS may obtain nationality or citizenship information from applicants for employment. SAS collects this information solely for trade law compliance purposes and does not use it to discriminate unfairly in the hiring process.

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