Director, Commercial Legal

Job description

**This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Director, Commercial Legal based in the United States .** In this senior leadership role, you will lead a regional commercial legal team supporting a fast-paced technology sales organization. You will combine hands-on legal expertise with people leadership, overseeing a team of four to five lawyers while personally negotiating and closing complex, high-value commercial agreements. Working closely with sales leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, you will provide practical, commercially focused legal guidance that balances business priorities with legal, regulatory, and privacy considerations. You will also collaborate with international legal counterparts to align contracting standards, processes, and best practices across regions. As a trusted advisor and escalation point, you will help drive strategic transactions, develop legal talent, and strengthen operational effectiveness. This is an opportunity to shape commercial legal strategy within a global technology business while remaining directly involved in impactful dealmaking. ### Accountabilities - Lead, coach, and develop the Americas Commercial Legal team, comprising four to five lawyers, by setting clear expectations, supporting professional growth, and addressing performance and people matters constructively. - Negotiate and close a substantial portfolio of complex, high-value agreements, including software, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS), professional services, and channel transactions. - Partner closely with Sales, Deal Desk, and other business stakeholders to facilitate transactions, understand pipeline priorities, and allocate legal resources effectively. - Provide clear, practical, commercially oriented legal advice that balances contractual, regulatory, privacy, and business considerations. - Collaborate with international commercial legal counterparts to align contracting positions, templates, playbooks, and processes while sharing knowledge, best practices, and workload across regions. - Serve as the escalation point for complex, high-risk, or novel commercial matters, providing guidance while empowering team members to retain ownership of their transactions. - Keep senior legal leadership informed of significant matters, emerging trends, operational risks, and resource requirements. - Develop and deliver practical training and guidance to help sales teams and other stakeholders navigate contracting processes efficiently. - Build strong relationships with sales leadership and maintain visibility into business priorities to ensure the legal team focuses on the transactions and activities with the greatest impact. - Foster a collaborative, supportive culture across the global commercial legal function and drive continuous improvements in how the team partners with the business and delivers results. ### Requirements - Qualified lawyer admitted to practice in at least one US state, with 12+ years of post-qualification experience gained at a leading law firm, in-house, or a combination of both. - Significant in-house legal experience within a software or technology company. - Proven people leadership experience, including managing, coaching, and developing lawyers. - Extensive hands-on experience negotiating and closing complex software and SaaS agreements in a fast-paced sales environment, with a strong interest in remaining directly involved in transactions. - Exceptional contract drafting, negotiation, and commercial legal skills, with demonstrated experience partnering closely with sales teams and other business stakeholders in the technology sector. - Experience advising on privacy and data protection issues arising in commercial technology transactions. - Strong commercial judgment and the ability to make pragmatic, risk-based decisions, including in situations where precedent is limited. - A flexible, creative, and solutions-oriented approach, with the ability to balance sales objectives against appropriate legal and business risk and recognize when escalation is necessary. - Excellent communication and influencing skills, including the ability to simplify complex legal matters, provide actionable guidance, and challenge stakeholders constructively. - A collaborative, team-oriented leadership style, with a global perspective and the ability to contribute effectively to a broader leadership team. - The credibility and adaptability to lead by example while balancing a significant personal caseload with evolving team leadership responsibilities. ### Benefits - **Total target compensation (TTC):** The expected range includes base salary and a performance-based bonus. Offers are typically made below the midpoint, with final compensation determined by experience, education, skills, and geographic location. - **US compensation ranges by geographic zone:** - **Zone 1 — San Francisco Bay Area and New York City boroughs:** $289,800–$538,200 USD. - **Zone 2 — Washington and California outside the San Francisco Bay Area:** $265,650–$493,350 USD. - **Zone 3 — Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, New York outside NYC boroughs, and certain sales locations:** $241,500–$448,500 USD. - **Zone 4 — All other US locations:** $210,105–$390,195 USD. - Unlimited paid time off. - Twelve paid holidays annually, including four global self-care days. - Twenty-four paid volunteer hours each year. - Paid parental leave: eight weeks for all parents and sixteen weeks for birthing parents. - Medical, dental, and vision coverage beginning on the first day of employment. - Mental health support, therapy sessions, and digital wellness resources through an Employee Assistance Program. - A 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions. - Fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support through Maven, along with paid volunteer time. - Complimentary 24/7 virtual veterinary care through AirVet. - Access to legal services, identity protection, and supplemental health insurance options. - Tax-advantaged spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care, and commuting. - Professional development opportunities through LinkedIn Learning, O’Reilly, mentoring, workshops, and learning events, including an annual Global Day of Learning. - A remote work arrangement within the United States.