Director of Legal

Modular

7h • $275,000 - $350,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for our first
Director of Legal
to build and lead Modular's legal
function from the ground up. In this role, you will be a strategic partner to
leadership, providing legal counsel across all aspects of our rapidly scaling
business. You'll navigate the complex legal landscape of AI infrastructure,
open-source software, enterprise sales, and international expansion—all while
helping us move fast and maintain our commitment to building AI for everyone.
This is a foundational leadership role reporting directly to the VP of Finance
and working closely with Finance, People, Product, and Engineering leadership.
You'll have the opportunity to shape legal strategy during a transformative
period as we scale from a high-growth startup to an industry-defining AI
infrastructure company.

Requirements

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar
• 8+ years of legal experience, including time at a top-tier law firm and in-house at a high-growth technology startup
• A problem-solving mindset. You find ways to get to "yes" while managing risk, rather than defaulting to "no." You're energized by ambiguity and comfortable navigating rapid change in a fast-moving industry
• A builder mentality. You're excited to create processes, templates, and infrastructure from scratch, not just maintain existing systems
• Deep expertise in technology transactions, commercial contracts, and enterprise software/SaaS deals
• Strong background in corporate governance, venture financing, and M&A
• Experience with intellectual property strategy, particularly in software and open-source contexts
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a strategic business partner, not just a legal advisor
• Excellent judgment, communication skills, and ability to distill complex legal concepts for technical and non-technical audiences
• Willingness to be hands-on. Comfortable rolling up your sleeves while also setting long-term strategy

Nice To Haves

• Experience at AI/ML infrastructure companies, developer tools companies, or companies with significant open-source components
• Familiarity with hardware partnerships, cloud infrastructure agreements, or semiconductor/GPU ecosystem dynamics
• Background in export control, AI governance, or emerging technology regulation
• Experience with international expansion, particularly in EMEA
• Prior experience supporting a company through significant growth phases (Series B+ through IPO readiness)

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary legal advisor to the executive team and Board of Directors on corporate governance, risk management, and strategic initiatives
• Build and scale the legal function, including hiring, managing external counsel relationships, and developing internal processes and playbooks
• Partner with leadership to enable rapid decision-making while appropriately managing legal and business risk
• Lead commercial legal strategy for enterprise deals, including negotiating complex agreements with cloud providers, hardware partners, and Fortune 500 customers
• Develop and maintain scalable contract frameworks, templates, and processes for sales, partnerships, procurement, and vendor relationships
• Support revenue recognition decisions, pricing structures, and deal structuring for complex, high-value engagements
• Manage corporate governance matters, including Board meetings, equity administration, and entity management across jurisdictions
• Lead legal work streams for financing rounds, M&A activities, and strategic transactions
• Oversee cap table management, stock option programs, and equity-related communications in partnership with Finance and People teams
• Develop and execute IP strategy to protect Modular's innovations in AI infrastructure, compilers, and programming languages
• Navigate open-source licensing considerations across our products (including Mojo and MAX) and contributions
• Manage patent portfolio strategy, trademark filings, and IP-related commercial terms
• Monitor and advise on evolving AI regulations, export controls, and data privacy requirements across global markets
• Ensure compliance with relevant frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2, etc.) in partnership with Security and Engineering teams
• Develop policies and training programs to embed legal and ethical considerations into product development
• Partner with the People team on employment matters, including policy development, equity administration, international hiring, and immigration
• Advise on employee relations matters, performance management, and workforce planning

Benefits

• Amazing Team. We are a progressive and agile team with some of the industry’s best engineering and product leaders.
• World-class Benefits. In order to attract the best, we need to offer the best. Premier insurance plans, up to 5% 401k matching, flexible paid time off, and more are available to you! Please note that specific benefit packages may vary based on your location.
• Competitive Compensation. We offer very strong compensation packages, including stock options. We want people to be focused on their best work and believe in tailoring compensation plans to meet the needs of our workforce.
• Team Building Events. We organize regular team onsites and local meetups in Los Altos, CA as well as different cities. Traveling 2-4 times a year is expected for all roles.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree