Associate General Counsel

Job Description

Job Description

Associate General Counsel

Position Overview:

The Associate General Counsel will serve as a strategic legal advisor and key member of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for a rapidly growing global SaaS organization headquartered in the United States.

Reporting directly to the CFO, this role is designed for a business-minded legal leader who can help guide company strategy, identify and mitigate enterprise risk, and support organizational growth across a broad range of legal and regulatory matters.

Location: Cary, NC or Greater Boston, MA Area (onsite)

Experience: 8-10 years of legal experience, including significant in-house experience within a SaaS or technology company.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Legal Leadership & Business Partnership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team on legal, regulatory, governance, and business risk matters.
• Participate in strategic planning and organizational decision-making as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Support international expansion initiatives and global operational strategies.

Privacy, Data Protection & Data Rights

• Lead the development and execution of the company's global privacy and data protection strategy in compliance with applicable privacy and data protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, HIPAA, and other global frameworks.
• Establish governance frameworks surrounding data ownership, retention, usage rights, and cross-border data transfers.
• Embed privacy-by-design principles into products, AI initiatives, and data platforms.
• Oversee data subject rights programs, breach response processes, and regulatory inquiries.

Intellectual Property & Data Asset Strategy

• Advise on the protection, management, and commercialization of intellectual property assets, including software, proprietary technologies, algorithms, data assets, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams to define ownership structures and usage rights for internally developed and third-party intellectual property.
• Provide legal guidance related to artificial intelligence, machine learning models, AI-generated outputs, training data ownership, and data-derived insights.
• Support development of strategies governing data licensing, monetization, reuse, and commercialization opportunities.
• Collaborate with external counsel on intellectual property portfolio management and risk mitigation initiatives.

Compliance & Regulatory Strategy

• Design and oversee enterprise-wide compliance programs across privacy, data governance, AI governance, cybersecurity, employment practices, and digital regulations.
• Translate legal and regulatory obligations into scalable operational policies, procedures, and controls.
• Lead regulatory change management efforts across the business.
• Serve as a key point of contact for regulatory examinations, audits, external reviews, and compliance inquiries.

Risk Management & Governance

• Conduct and oversee legal, privacy, data governance, AI, intellectual property, employment, and cybersecurity risk assessments.
• Establish governance structures for emerging technologies, AI systems, data management, and information security programs.
• Lead legal support for incident response efforts involving data breaches, cybersecurity incidents, regulatory investigations, employment matters, or intellectual property disputes.
• Provide regular reporting and recommendations to executive leadership regarding enterprise risk posture and mitigation strategies.

Mergers, Acquisitions & Strategic Growth

• Support mergers, acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships, and other corporate transactions.
• Lead legal due diligence activities and assess transactional risks.
• Advise leadership on integration planning, regulatory considerations, intellectual property ownership, privacy implications, and organizational risk associated with acquisitions.
• Partner with Finance and Corporate Development teams to evaluate strategic growth opportunities.

Employment Law & Human Capital Support

• Provide legal guidance on employment law matters in partnership with Human Resources leadership.
• Support policy development, employee relations matters, workplace investigations, workforce compliance initiatives, and global employment practices.
• Coordinate with outside counsel on specialized employment law matters as needed.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as a strategic advisor to Product, Engineering, Data Science, Security, Compliance, Finance, Sales, and Operations teams.
• Enable responsible innovation by translating legal requirements into practical business and technology solutions.
• Partner closely with Information Security and IT teams on cybersecurity, governance, and risk management initiatives.
• Support contract template updates and aid in customer negotiation.

Policy, Training & Culture

• Develop and maintain enterprise policies governing privacy, data governance, intellectual property protection, AI governance, ethics, compliance, and risk management.
• Lead employee training and awareness programs related to legal compliance, privacy, data stewardship, AI governance, and intellectual property protection.
• Promote a culture of accountability, responsible innovation, and proactive risk management throughout the organization.

Required Skills & Education:

Education

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Active membership and good standing with at least one U.S. State Bar.

Experience

• 8-10 years of legal experience.
• Significant in-house legal experience within a SaaS, software, cloud technology, or technology-enabled business environment is required.
• Prior law firm experience strongly preferred before transitioning in-house.
• Demonstrated experience supporting executive leadership and influencing business strategy.
• Experience with global operations and multinational legal matters.
• Experience supporting M&A transactions, integrations, and corporate growth initiatives.
• Exposure to privacy, compliance, AI governance, intellectual property, employment law, and enterprise risk management.

Skills

• Strong business acumen and executive presence.
• Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives.
• Deep understanding of SaaS business models and technology company operations.
• Knowledge of privacy laws, AI governance, intellectual property, cybersecurity, employment law, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
• Ability to influence senior leaders and drive cross-functional initiatives.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.