Deputy General Counsel, Commercial

Tools for Humanity•San Francisco, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Deputy General Counsel, Commercial to lead and scale Tools for Humanity’s global 6-person commercial legal function. This role is focused on supporting the company’s most important growth initiatives, particularly strategic partnerships and integrations. You will own the end-to-end commercial contracting function, including leading complex negotiations, managing escalations, and building the systems, processes, and team needed to support a growing volume of complex, high-impact deals. A core expectation of this role is the ability to support multiple high-impact transactions at the same time while maintaining speed, consistency, and sound risk judgment. You will act as both a senior deal lead and a builder of the commercial legal organization, designing a scalable operating model, developing playbooks and decision frameworks, and recruiting and leading a high-performing team over time. The ideal candidate combines top-tier law firm training with significant in-house experience, exercises strong commercial judgment, and is comfortable operating at both a strategic level and in the details of execution. You should be equally effective leading complex negotiations, advising senior stakeholders, and improving systems and processes so the function can scale effectively. In this role, you'll take ownership of the following areas of work: Commercial – Partnerships, Integrations, and Strategic Transactions Lead the structuring, drafting, negotiation, and execution of complex commercial agreements, with a primary focus on strategic partnerships and integrations, as well as key customer, vendor, and ecosystem relationships Own and manage the company’s most critical and high-risk commercial negotiations, including escalations and novel deal structures Advise senior stakeholders on commercial strategy, risk allocation, and transaction structuring, translating legal considerations into clear, actionable guidance Partner closely with business development, product, operations, and finance teams to move key initiatives forward quickly while maintaining appropriate risk discipline Coordinate effectively with subject matter experts across product, regulatory, privacy, IP, and security Function Building – Team, Systems, and Operating Model Refine and scale the existing commercial legal operating model, including intake, prioritization, ownership, and escalation frameworks, to support increasing deal volume and complexity Build, develop, and lead a world-class commercial legal team capable of supporting a high volume of concurrent, complex transactions Develop and continuously refine templates, fallback positions, playbooks, and guidance materials tailored to key partnership and integration structures Drive improvements in contracting workflows, tooling, and automation (including Ironclad and AI-enabled solutions) to increase deal velocity, consistency, and coverage Establish metrics and feedback loops to track performance, identify bottlenecks, and continuously improve execution Enable greater business autonomy through self-service tools and clear decision frameworks, while maintaining appropriate legal oversight

Requirements

Relevant Experience: 8–15+ years as a Commercial or Technology Transactions attorney at a leading law firm and in a senior in-house role with meaningful ownership of complex transactions and/or commercial legal functions
Team Building & Operational Leadership: Experience building, mentoring, or significantly improving commercial legal teams or functions, including developing people, playbooks, processes, and scalable operating models, while leading by example through direct ownership of key transactions and initiatives
Collaboration & Relationship Building: Proven ability to work effectively within a legal team as well as cross-functionally and to build high-trust relationships across teams and with external partners
Communication & Influence: Excellent communicator who translates complex legal issues into clear, practical, and business-oriented guidance. Able to influence decision-making and drive alignment across stakeholders, including senior leadership, in fast-moving, high-stakes situations
Emotional Intelligence & Executive Presence: High emotional intelligence and self-awareness; builds trust quickly through credibility, judgment, and a low-ego approach. Effectively navigates complex interpersonal dynamics, adapts to different stakeholders, and maintains composure under pressure
Judgment & Integrity: Demonstrate sound judgment, professionalism, discretion, and high integrity in all interactions
Adaptability & Initiative: Positive and collaborative attitude with intellectual curiosity, resourcefulness, and enjoyment of working in a very fast-paced, evolving environment. Willingness to take charge of projects and initiatives and see them through to successful outcomes, including operating autonomously and setting direction in the absence of complete information
Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills, with a track record of improving processes and driving consistency and quality across a high volume of transactions
Execution & Problem-Solving: Practical, business-oriented problem solver who can balance risk and speed; skilled at managing multiple priorities
In-Person: Able to be in the office in San Francisco, CA

Responsibilities

Lead the structuring, drafting, negotiation, and execution of complex commercial agreements, with a primary focus on strategic partnerships and integrations, as well as key customer, vendor, and ecosystem relationships
Own and manage the company’s most critical and high-risk commercial negotiations, including escalations and novel deal structures
Advise senior stakeholders on commercial strategy, risk allocation, and transaction structuring, translating legal considerations into clear, actionable guidance
Partner closely with business development, product, operations, and finance teams to move key initiatives forward quickly while maintaining appropriate risk discipline
Coordinate effectively with subject matter experts across product, regulatory, privacy, IP, and security
Refine and scale the existing commercial legal operating model, including intake, prioritization, ownership, and escalation frameworks, to support increasing deal volume and complexity
Build, develop, and lead a world-class commercial legal team capable of supporting a high volume of concurrent, complex transactions
Develop and continuously refine templates, fallback positions, playbooks, and guidance materials tailored to key partnership and integration structures
Drive improvements in contracting workflows, tooling, and automation (including Ironclad and AI-enabled solutions) to increase deal velocity, consistency, and coverage
Establish metrics and feedback loops to track performance, identify bottlenecks, and continuously improve execution
Enable greater business autonomy through self-service tools and clear decision frameworks, while maintaining appropriate legal oversight