Senior In-House Paralegal

Senior In-House ParalegalOur company is building its in-house legal department from the ground up, and we are looking for a Senior In-House Paralegal to be one of the department's first hires. This is a rare opportunity to help design — not just support — how the legal function operates. You will work directly with the U.S. General Counsel to establish the systems, processes, vendor relationships, and technology that will serve as the foundation for the department for years to come.This role is best suited to a paralegal who has thrived in a mature, in-house legal department, but is energized by the idea of starting fresh, without a playbook already written for them. We are specifically seeking someone with an entrepreneurial spirit: a self-starter who is comfortable operating with ambiguity, who will proactively bring forward their own ideas on best practices, tools, and workflows, and who wants a seat at the table in shaping how this department is built, not simply a set of instructions to follow.Why This Role Is DifferentGround-floor impact: as the first paralegal hire, your fingerprints will be on every process, template, and tool the department adopts.Direct partnership with the U.S. General Counsel and, as the team grows, a voice in shaping future hires and team structure.Genuine latitude to propose and implement new ideas — legal technology, contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems, matter management, e-billing, document management, and process design are all open questions you will help answer.Broad, cross-functional exposure across corporate, commercial, compliance, litigation, and employment matters rather than a narrow, siloed practice area.Key ResponsibilitiesLegal Operations & Department Build-OutPartner with the U.S. General Counsel to evaluate, select, and implement foundational legal technology, including contract lifecycle management, e-signature, document/matter management, and legal spend/e-billing tools.Design and document repeatable workflows, intake processes, and templates for common legal requests before they become bottlenecks.Proactively research and recommend industry best practices for building a lean, scalable, high-functioning legal department.Help define and track department metrics (e.g., contract turnaround time, matter volume, outside counsel spend) to demonstrate value and inform resourcing decisions.Contract & Transactional SupportDraft, review, and redline a wide range of commercial agreements, including NDAs, MSAs, vendor and procurement contracts, order forms, and consulting agreements.Maintain and continuously improve a contract template and clause library.Track contract obligations, renewal dates, and key terms; flag risk and escalate appropriately.Manage the end-to-end contract lifecycle, from intake through execution and storage.Corporate & Compliance SupportAssist with corporate governance matters, including entity management, minutes, and resolutions.Support subsidiary and entity formation, qualification, and maintenance across jurisdictions.Assist with maintaining corporate policies, codes of conduct, and compliance training programs.Support responses to due diligence requests, audits, and regulatory inquiries.Litigation, Risk & General Legal SupportCoordinate outside counsel engagements, including intake, budget tracking, and invoice review.Assist with litigation holds, discovery coordination, and case file organization as needed, in coordination with outside counsel.Support intellectual property administration, including trademark docketing and renewals, in coordination with outside counsel.Serve as a resource to business teams, fielding day-to-day legal questions and triaging issues appropriately.What We're Looking For7+ years of experience as a paralegal, with a mix of corporate/commercial, compliance, and general practice exposure; in-house experience strongly preferred.Paralegal certificate or equivalent combination of education and experience; bachelor's degree preferred.Demonstrated experience revising, drafting and negotiating commercial contracts independently.Prior exposure to legal technology tools (CLM, e-signature, matter management, e-billing) and enthusiasm for evaluating and implementing new tools.An entrepreneurial, builder's mindset: comfortable creating structure and process from scratch rather than working within one that already exists.A track record of offering ideas and taking initiative, rather than waiting to be told what to do — we want someone who will tell us what "good" looks like.Excellent judgment and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and shifting priorities.Clear, confident written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work directly with senior stakeholders across the business.Comfort operating with a degree of ambiguity that comes with being part of a department in its earliest stages.Preferred, But Not RequiredExperience supporting a legal department through its early build-out or scaling phase.Experience with a specific CLM or legal-ops platform (i.e. CounselLink, NetDocs, etc.).Familiarity with corporate entity management platforms and IP docketing systems.Experience in a high-growth, private company or startup environment.