Assistant Vice President, Counsel for Procurement and Vendor Risk
About The Position
PJT Partners is seeking to hire a skilled attorney as Counsel for Procurement and Vendor Risk to assist the Company in navigating our process review and approach to negotiating and agreeing vendor agreements and provide support to our vendor management and procurement function. This individual will serve as the Company's legal lead on contract lifecycle management for vendor and third-party commercial agreements while partnering with business stakeholders and other members of the Corporate department. The ideal candidate brings 5 or more years of experience in commercial contracting, with experience of technology agreements, including AI-related matters, event contracts, sponsorship agreements, market data licenses, auditor engagement letters and other commercial/vendor contracts commonly used in the corporate context. Experience in financial services industry preferred, and a working knowledge of current and evolving best practices in third-party risk and contract management.
Requirements
- 5 or more years of experience in commercial contracts, vendor contracting, or a related legal or compliance function;
- JD from an accredited law school required;
- Familiarity with data privacy and financial services regulatory frameworks (e.g., GDPR, DORA, US data privacy laws, CCPA, CPRA) and their contractual implications;
- Strong working knowledge of contract risk concepts with exposure to third-party risk management or vendor governance programs;
- Ability to manage a high volume of contracts independently and prioritize across competing demands;
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate legal risk into clear options for non-legal stakeholders.
Nice To Haves
- In-house experience preferred but not required;
- Experience in financial services industry preferred
- working knowledge of current and evolving best practices in third-party risk and contract management.
Responsibilities
- Managing the end-to-end contract lifecycle for vendor and commercial agreements, including drafting, conducting negotiations, and execution;
- Taking primary ownership of legal and risk-specific provisions across a range of agreement types, in close coordination with business stakeholders;
- Ensuring contract language reflects current industry standards and evolving best practices, with particular attention to technology, SaaS, and AI-related engagements, including appropriate provisions governing AI tool use (e.g. data rights, model training restrictions, and output ownership);
- Developing and maintaining standard contract templates, playbooks, and clause libraries to align with industry and internal Legal department best practices;
- Partnering with vendor management on third-party risk reviews and contractual obligations;
- Supporting implementation of contractual protections required under applicable regulatory and information security frameworks;
- Staying current on regulatory developments and emerging contractual standards;
- Working cross-functionally with Compliance, HR, Finance, IT, and business teams to align contracting with operational and risk requirements and audit plans;
- Partnering with vendor owners and relationship managers to resolve contractual disputes or performance issues;
- Translating legal and regulatory requirements into clear, practical guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
Benefits
- discretionary bonus component
- reasonable accommodation of disabilities to applicants
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
