Director of Legal – Commercial Contracts & Strategic Transactions

TEL•Albany, NY

About The Position

Tokyo Electron U.S. seeks a Director of Legal to lead our Commercial Contracts Legal Team, driving excellence in complex transactions across sales, procurement, R&D, investments and sponsored research agreements and various other commercial transactions. This leadership role combines strategic oversight, team development, and hands-on legal expertise to enable business growth while managing risk. The Director of Legal – Commercial Contracts & Strategic Transactions holds enterprise-wide responsibility for leading the legal function supporting all commercial, procurement, R&D, investment, and sponsored research transactions. This role directly influences the company’s ability to achieve business objectives by ensuring that complex agreements are negotiated, executed, and managed in alignment with organizational risk tolerance and strategic priorities.

Requirements

J.D. degree and active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
10+ years of relevant in-house experience at a global technology company; or technology transactional and IP experience at an AMLaw 100 firm.
Proven leadership experience managing attorneys and legal staff.
Strong knowledge of contract law, IP ownership, indemnities, limitation of liability, and risk allocation.
Experience with research consortium agreements and complex multi-party collaborations.
Experience handling contract and intellectual property disputes and resolution strategies.
Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Team player who can operate across different cultures, time zones, and environments.
Anticipated travel for this role is 15-20%.

Nice To Haves

Semiconductor industry or technology sector experience strongly preferred.
Familiarity with CLM systems and contract process optimization desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead and manage a team of attorneys and contract professionals supporting commercial, real estate, investment, procurement, and R&D transactions.
Oversee drafting, negotiation, and risk assessment for, equipment sales, service agreements; leasing and facility management, purchase agreements, investment agreements, supplier agreements and component/tooling purchases; sponsored research agreements, joint development agreements, and IP-related contracts.
Handle contract and intellectual property disputes and resolution strategies, including pre-litigation risk assessments.
Develop and maintain contract templates, playbooks, and negotiation guidelines.
Provide strategic legal advice on escalated and high-value transactions.
Partner with executives, management and staff to enable business objectives while mitigating risk.
Drive process improvements in contract lifecycle management (CLM), KPIs, and legal operations.
Collaborate with Ethics & Compliance and Litigation teams on regulatory and dispute matters.
Mentor and develop team members; foster a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.