Counsel, Commercial & Legal Operations

Rothera•Chicago, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Rothera is seeking a Counsel, Commercial & Legal Operations to own third-party contracting and support the systems that run its legal function. The role is within a CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse, with counterparties ranging from SaaS vendors to FCMs, market makers, and data providers. The position is suited to a lawyer who can negotiate commercial agreements at pace and improve legal workflows through contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms and AI. The role covers drafting, reviewing, and negotiating agreements; managing contract templates and playbooks; administering and developing the CLM platform; designing AI-assisted contract review workflows; managing outside counsel on assigned matters; and advising business teams on contractual issues. The position also supports counterparty onboarding and corporate housekeeping as needed. This is a full-time, in-person hybrid position. Visa sponsorship is not available now or in the future; applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. on a permanent, indefinite basis.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) and active bar admission in good standing; New York or Illinois admission preferred.
Approximately 5–7 years of commercial contracting experience at a law firm, in-house, or both.
Hands-on experience administering or building workflows in a contract lifecycle management platform such as Ironclad or a comparable platform.
Regular use of AI tools in contract review and drafting, with sound judgment about their limitations.
Comfort owning legal technology, including evaluating and configuring tools and training business users.
Ability to independently manage a high volume of agreements and recognize when to escalate.
Curiosity and willingness to learn new areas of law, such as intellectual property, privacy, and regulatory matters.
Interest in prediction markets, derivatives, and evolving financial market structure.
Authorization to work in the U.S. on a permanent, indefinite basis; visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Experience at a CFTC-regulated entity, such as a DCM, DCO, or FCM.
Familiarity with AI-related terms in vendor agreements, including data use, training restrictions, and output ownership.

Responsibilities

Draft, review, and negotiate third-party vendor, SaaS, data, services, and technology agreements.
Support counterparty onboarding and amendments, including preparing agreements and tracking their execution.
Own the contract template library and playbooks, including NDAs and other standard agreements.
Administer and help build out the contract lifecycle management platform, including workflows, templates, clause libraries, approval routing, automation, integrations, and reporting.
Design and maintain AI-assisted contract review workflows, including prompts, playbooks, and quality checks.
Manage outside counsel on assigned matters, including scoping, budgets, and invoice review.
Advise business teams on contract terms, risk allocation, data use, and confidentiality.
Support corporate housekeeping as needed.