Associate Director, Commercial Counsel

DEPT®•New York, NY

7d•$138,400 - $170,000•Remote

About The Position

DEPT® is seeking an experienced commercial attorney to lead and optimize all contract-related processes for the DEPT® Americas region. This role involves owning both customer and vendor contractual matters and serving as a trusted legal advisor on commercial agreements. The ideal candidate will possess deep legal acumen, executive presence, strong collaboration and communication skills, and the ability to work independently with senior stakeholders. A solid understanding of AI, digital services, and technology development is preferred. The role demands sound judgment and confident decision-making, often under tight timeframes and with limited information.

Requirements

Juris Doctor and bar membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state.
5+ years of transactional contract experience, including drafting, redlining, negotiation, and contract management.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage a high-volume contract workload and advise senior business stakeholders.
Strong organizational, traffic management, and operational skills.
Ability to move quickly yet efficiently to protect risk while maximizing turnaround time.
Knowledge of applicable statutes, rules, and regulations pertaining to DEPT®’s business and its states/countries of operation.
A high level of complex problem-solving, critical thinking, and information analysis skills are essential for this role.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex legal issues clearly to non-lawyers.
The ability to encourage and build mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among all DEPT® team members and clients.
Strong focus on treating everyone at DEPT® as a client, and treating DEPT®’s clients with respect and a win-win problem-solving demeanor.
Ability to predict and prevent legal issues and risks.
Effectively represent the organization as appropriate in its relationships with legal and business communities.
Demonstrated hands-on experience with AI-powered legal tools, including: contract review and analysis platforms; and AI-assisted legal drafting and research tools. Ability to critically evaluate and validate AI-generated outputs, applying professional judgment to identify errors, gaps, and legal risks.
Experience evaluating and implementing AI tools within a legal or corporate environment, including contributing to AI use policies, risk assessments, and internal training on responsible AI use.
Genuine interest in, and ongoing engagement with, the evolving landscape of legal AI — including awareness of key vendors, product capabilities, and the limitations and risks of AI in legal practice.
High professional and personal standards with unquestioned integrity.

Nice To Haves

Significant in-house experience strongly preferred; litigation experience is a plus.
Experience with creative production contracts (music licensing, talent agreements, video production agreements) a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead the drafting, review, and redlining of a broad range of commercial agreements — including MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, DPAs, vendor, consulting, production, and talent agreements.
Independently negotiate agreements with counterparties (both clients and vendors) and effectively represent DEPT®’s interests.
Support contract compliance with established company processes and policies.
Support and drive the continuous improvement of DEPT®’s contract templates and playbooks to reflect current business and legal considerations.
Monitor changes in applicable laws, regulations, and best practices relevant to DEPT®’s operations.
Lead commercial dispute resolution efforts in collaboration with the DEPT® Legal team, providing risk assessments and recommending practical solutions.
Serve as a trusted legal advisor to company management at all levels, providing timely, actionable, and business-focused guidance.
Identify process gaps and drive creative solutions in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
Build and maintain strong working relationships with business teams to ensure contracts are well-tailored to DEPT®’s needs.
Coordinate with and manage external counsel and subject matter experts where required.
Leverage AI-powered legal tools — including contract review and analysis platforms and AI-assisted drafting tools — to increase efficiency and throughput across the contract lifecycle.
Actively identify opportunities to integrate AI tools into legal workflows, while applying sound professional judgment to review, validate, and take responsibility for all AI-generated outputs.
Partner with the broader organization on AI-related commercial matters, including advising on AI procurement contracts, data processing terms, and IP and liability considerations arising from the use of AI services.
Stay at the forefront of developments in legal AI, emerging technologies, and industry standards, proactively assessing their applicability to DEPT®’s legal function and sharing insights with the wider team.
Mentor junior members of the Legal team and foster a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing.