Commercial Counsel

Commercial Counsel

Zip is looking for a Commercial Counsel in London to support our go-to-market and revenue teams across EMEA and other international markets. This role is for a business-minded lawyer who knows how to close deals, calibrate risk, and help the company move with speed. The core focus is customer contracting and outbound commercial work, with additional value placed on experience in areas such as data privacy, AI, product counseling, procurement, and scalable legal operations.

This lawyer should be comfortable operating in a fast-paced high-growth environment where legal is expected to do more than identify issues. We want someone who can unblock the business, improve systems, adopt new technology early, and use AI thoughtfully to accelerate work without losing judgment.

What you'll do

• Lead negotiation and drafting of a high volume of commercial agreements, with primary focus on:
• SaaS agreements
• MSAs
• Order forms
• DPAs
• NDAs
• Partner and reseller agreements
• Vendor and procurement-related contracts, as needed
• Serve as a trusted legal partner to Sales, Revenue, Partnerships, Procurement, Security, Product, and other cross-functional teams
• Advise internal stakeholders on legal and commercial risk in a practical, business-forward way
• Help structure positions that support revenue goals while keeping risk at an acceptable level
• Build and refine playbooks, fallback language, approval paths, and other tools that shorten deal cycles
• Identify repeat friction points in the contracting process and design scalable solutions to address them
• Support privacy and data protection reviews, especially in connection with customer and vendor contracts
• Partner with internal teams on product, security, and compliance questions that arise during commercial negotiations
• Help improve legal team workflows through automation, contract lifecycle tools, AI, and other technology
• Contribute to the development of a fast, pragmatic, high-trust legal function that is known for enabling the business

What we're looking for

• 6 to 8+ years of relevant legal experience, preferably with a mix of in-house and top law firm experience
• Significant experience negotiating and closing customer-facing commercial contracts, especially complex SaaS and enterprise agreements
• Strong judgment on how to balance legal risk, commercial priorities, and speed
• Ability to give clear, concise advice that helps the business make decisions quickly
• Comfort working independently in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities
• Strong drafting skills and attention to detail, without over-lawyering routine issues
• A systems-oriented mindset, someone who looks for ways to make legal support more scalable and effective
• Genuine interest in legal technology, workflow design, and practical uses of AI in legal and commercial work
• Confidence working cross-functionally with commercial, operational, technical, and compliance stakeholders
• Qualification to practice law in the UK or another common law jurisdiction preferred, depending on overall experience and fit

Nice to have

• Experience with data privacy and data protection issues, including GDPR and related contracting questions
• Experience supporting procurement, vendor contracting, or supply chain matters
• Familiarity with product counseling, technology transactions, and security review processes
• Experience building contract templates, negotiation playbooks, intake systems, or self-service legal tools
• Prior experience in a high-growth SaaS or enterprise software company
• Experience supporting international business teams across multiple jurisdictions

How you work

• You are practical, responsive, and commercially sharp
• You know when to push, when to concede, and when to redesign the process instead of arguing over the same issue repeatedly
• You move fast and help others move fast
• You are comfortable with thoughtful risk-taking in service of business goals
• You use judgment, not reflex
• You are curious about new tools and quick to adopt technology that improves quality and speed
• You believe legal should be an accelerator for the business, not a bottleneck

Why this role matters

This role is central to how Zip scales. You will help drive revenue, shorten deal cycles, and build legal systems that let the company grow efficiently. You will have a direct hand in shaping how legal supports a modern, AI-forward software business.

Perks & Benefits

• Start-up equity
• Health, vision & dental coverage
• Flexible PTO
• Apple equipment plus home office budget

We're looking to hire Zipsters and that means hiring people who take ownership, communicate openly, have an underdog mindset, and are excited to increase the pace of innovation for every business in the world. We encourage all candidates to apply even if your experience doesn't exactly match up to our job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workspace where everyone (regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and more) feels like they belong. We look forward to hearing from you!