Director, Product Legal

NetApp, Inc.•Waltham, MA

2d•$227,800 - $308,000

About The Position

NetApp is seeking a Director, Product Legal to serve as a strategic legal partner to its Product organizations, including Enterprise Storage, Cloud Services, and Hybrid Storage Systems. This senior Product Counsel position supports product, engineering, and business teams throughout the product development lifecycle, with emphasis on enterprise and on-premises products, cloud services and software, complex inbound technology transactions, and product counseling. The role requires advising enterprise-focused B2B technology organizations and navigating legal, commercial, and technical considerations across cloud, SaaS, software, and hybrid infrastructure environments. The Director will provide practical guidance on sophisticated technology matters, including inbound technology transactions, open-source software, and artificial intelligence regulations. The role also manages and develops a small team of legal professionals, fostering collaboration, professional growth, and strong business partnerships. The successful candidate will balance hands-on legal work with people leadership and help evolve efficient, scalable legal processes.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
10–12+ years of substantial, relevant legal experience supporting technology products, product counseling, and complex technology transactions, including significant inbound technology agreements.
Experience advising enterprise-focused B2B technology organizations, particularly those delivering enterprise products, cloud services, standalone software, SaaS, or hybrid cloud solutions in a global environment.
Strong understanding of enterprise technology business models and the contractual, licensing, compliance, and commercial considerations involved in selling products and services to large enterprise customers.
Extensive experience structuring, drafting, and negotiating complex inbound technology agreements.
Ability to work directly with engineering, product management, and technical leadership, with sufficient technical fluency to independently advise on sophisticated product and technology matters.
Prior people management experience, including the ability to coach, mentor, and develop legal professionals.
Experience independently managing complex legal matters and serving as a trusted advisor to senior business stakeholders.
Strong commercial judgment, negotiation skills, and a practical, business-enabling approach to legal risk management.
Familiarity with artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and their implications for enterprise technology products.
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

A combination of experience in a major law firm and an in-house legal department within a technology organization.
Experience supporting cloud-first, software-first, or enterprise infrastructure technology companies.
Experience working with hyperscalers, enterprise cloud providers, or organizations developing sophisticated cloud and software platforms.
Background supporting enterprise product organizations through complex product launches, technology integrations, and evolving business models.
Experience with both cloud-based and on-premises technology products and services.
Demonstrated success developing legal talent and building effective partnerships with highly technical teams.
Experience navigating intellectual property, open-source licensing, data rights, and emerging technology issues in enterprise product environments.

Responsibilities

Partner with business units, including on-premises, Cloud Services, and other product organizations, and work closely with product management, engineering, and business leadership.
Provide strategic legal guidance throughout the product development lifecycle, from conception and design through development, launch, commercialization, ongoing support, and end-of-life.
Advise on complex legal and regulatory considerations affecting enterprise software, cloud services, SaaS, and hybrid cloud offerings.
Develop an understanding of NetApp’s technology, products, and enterprise customer requirements to provide practical, business-oriented legal solutions.
Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to identify legal risks, resolve complex issues, and enable business objectives.
Draft, review, structure, negotiate, and advise on complex inbound technology transactions, including software licensing, cloud services, technology acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint development agreements, and OEM arrangements.
Advise on contractual requirements for enterprise customers, including representations and warranties, licensing rights, intellectual property protections, and compliance obligations.
Support integration of third-party technologies, software, and services into NetApp product offerings.
Partner with commercial legal, finance, product, and engineering teams to align technology agreements with business objectives, product architecture, and customer commitments.
Advise on cloud computing, SaaS, enterprise software, and hybrid cloud and on-premises technology environments.
Guide product and engineering teams on emerging technologies, including open source and artificial intelligence, and their legal, regulatory, and commercial implications.
Support matters involving open-source software, intellectual property, data usage, privacy by design, technology licensing, and product compliance.
Evaluate legal risks and opportunities associated with evolving technologies and business models, and translate complex technical and legal concepts into actionable guidance.
Manage, lead, mentor, and develop a small team of legal professionals, including direct reports and occasional external legal resources.
Foster a collaborative, high-performing team environment focused on professional development, accountability, and business partnership.
Coach and develop legal professionals, balance hands-on legal responsibilities with people leadership, and support efficient, scalable legal processes.