Head of Legal

Niantic Spatial•San Francisco, CA

6d•$270,000 - $340,000•Onsite

About The Position

As Head of Legal, you will serve as Niantic Spatial's primary legal advisor and build the legal function from the ground up. You will partner closely with Sales, Product, Engineering, Finance, People, Security, and the executive team to negotiate strategic commercial agreements, advise on legal and regulatory matters, and establish practical processes that enable the business to move quickly. We are looking for a strong business partner who helps accelerate the company while managing risk. This is a foundational role. You will set the legal operating model, own our most complex commercial relationships, and be a trusted voice at the leadership table — balancing legal rigor with the practical judgment a fast-moving company requires. Reporting to our CEO or President and COO, you will shape both the legal strategy and the organization that executes it as Niantic Spatial scales.

Requirements

J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in the California Bar, or the ability to register as in-house counsel in California.
8+ years of combined law firm and in-house legal experience, with meaningful exposure to high-growth technology companies.
Significant experience negotiating complex enterprise technology and commercial agreements — including software licensing, SaaS, AI, data, and technology transactions.
Demonstrated ability to independently manage a broad range of legal matters with sound business judgment and without requiring extensive outside counsel support for routine matters.
Strong knowledge of intellectual property, privacy, and regulatory frameworks relevant to AI and technology businesses.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence stakeholders across all levels of the organization — including executive leadership and the Board.
A practical, collaborative approach that balances legal risk with business objectives and earns trust as a partner, not a gatekeeper.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting AI, machine learning, robotics, geospatial, cloud infrastructure, or developer platform companies.
Experience with government contracting, public sector procurement, or defense customers.
Familiarity with global privacy laws, AI governance frameworks, and international commercial transactions.
Experience building or leading a legal function within a startup or scaling technology company.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Company's Legal Partner: Advise executive leadership on legal, strategic, and business matters. Provide practical, risk-balanced guidance that enables informed business decisions. Partner across every function to embed legal thinking into day-to-day operations.
Lead Commercial Contracting: Own the negotiation and execution of enterprise customer, partner, supplier, reseller, technology, licensing, and data agreements. Partner with GTM to accelerate contract execution while protecting the company's interests. Develop standard agreements, negotiation playbooks, fallback language, and contracting best practices that improve efficiency and consistency. Support strategic partnerships and complex commercial transactions.
Guide Corporate & Strategic Matters: Manage corporate governance, Board support, and corporate records. Act as legal lead on corporate matters, including financing transactions. Support acquisitions, investments, strategic partnerships, and other corporate initiatives as the company grows.
Drive Compliance & Risk Management: Advise on privacy, AI governance, intellectual property, export controls, data licensing, and emerging regulatory requirements. Partner with Security, Engineering, and Product to address customer compliance obligations and public sector requirements. Develop practical legal policies, approval frameworks, and governance processes that scale with the business.
Build the Legal Function: Establish the legal operating model, including processes, systems, templates, and outside counsel management. Create scalable legal operations that improve speed, consistency, and visibility. Manage wide-ranging patent and trademark portfolios to protect company intellectual property. Help define the long-term legal strategy and organization as Niantic Spatial continues to grow.
Manage Legal Disputes: Respond to formal and alleged disputes initiated by third parties using cost-effective counsel. Drive litigation strategy. Provide risk assessments and status updates to the C-suite.