Director of Legal and Compliance

Synquery•Nashville, TN

19h•Onsite

About The Position

Synquery is seeking a Director of Legal & Compliance to build and lead the company's legal and compliance function. This is a rare opportunity for an entrepreneurial-minded lawyer to join a company at a formative stage, working directly with the CEO to establish the frameworks, policies, and agreements that will govern how Synquery operates as it scales. You will wear multiple hats — advisor, negotiator, program-builder, and strategic partner to leadership — in an environment where your decisions will have immediate impact.

Requirements

J.D.: from an accredited law school; active bar membership in good standing.
3+ years: of experience as a corporate lawyer or in-house counsel, ideally with exposure to contract negotiation and compliance programs.
Strong drafting and negotiation skills across commercial agreements (client, partner, and vendor contracts).
A builder's mindset — comfortable creating structure and process.
Sound judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with business pragmatism in a fast-moving environment.
Excellent communication skills and the confidence to advise senior leadership directly.
Self-starter energy: this role has significant autonomy and will require someone who is comfortable defining their own scope as the company's needs evolve.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with compliance frameworks relevant to regulated information services, data privacy, or expert networks (preferred, not required).

Responsibilities

Lead compliance strategy: Design, implement, and manage comprehensive compliance programs covering Synquery's internal personnel as well as the network of experts who engage with the platform.
Build the compliance infrastructure: Establish policies, training, and monitoring processes to ensure adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards (e.g., expert network compliance norms, confidentiality and information barriers, data privacy).
Negotiate key agreements: Draft, review, and negotiate client agreements, partner agreements, expert agreements, vendor contracts, and other core business documents.
Manage legal risk: Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and regulatory risks across the business, including those specific to AI-enabled products and services.
Advise leadership: Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and broader leadership team on legal, regulatory, and compliance matters affecting business strategy and operations.
Shape company policy: Help define internal governance practices, employment policies, and operational procedures as the company scales.
Manage outside counsel: Engage and coordinate with external law firms on specialized matters as needed, while keeping day-to-day legal work in-house.
Support corporate matters: Assist with corporate governance, entity management, and other general corporate legal needs as they arise.