Lead Commercial Counsel, AMER Sales

Asana•Chicago, IL

13d•$214,000 - $243,000•Hybrid

About The Position

You will be a part of our global Legal & Stock Department that works cross-functionally to help achieve Asana’s ambitious mission of enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly. We’re a tight-knit, collaborative group responsible for supporting many teams throughout the organization to ensure they have the resources they need to be successful while likewise protecting Asana’s core values and interests. We run ideas past each other, we problem-solve together, we partner with other groups to navigate them through challenging issues, and we’re growing our department. Specifically, we’re looking for a Commercial Counsel to join our Commercial Legal team. In this role, you’ll work closely with individuals across the organization in support of various legal-related matters, with a primary focus on supporting the sales team. This is a great opportunity to join a mission-driven company and get exposure to a wide variety of issues, with the opportunity for career development and growth. You will be reporting to the Managing Commercial Counsel, AMER & APJ Sales. This role is based in our Chicago office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. The standard in-office days are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Most Asanas have the option to work from home on Wednesdays. Working from home on Fridays depends on the type of work you do and the teams with which you partner. If you're interviewing for this role, your recruiter will share more about the in-office requirements. What you’ll achieve: Strategically partner with our North American sales teams on enterprise-level outbound SaaS engagements, to draft and negotiate complex outbound commercial agreements, including SaaS Agreements and supporting agreements, such as DPAs, BAAs, and Product-Specific Terms in support of Asana’s growth. Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, including Finance, Deal Desk, Privacy, and Security, to develop processes and enforce applicable policies as they relate to global commercial contracting. Provide timely and practical legal advice on a variety of customer-driven requests, taking into account the relevant legal issues and risks, agreement structure, approval process, and company policies and procedures. Enable and train the sales teams by providing direct guidance on commonly requested revisions and non-standard terms and structures and respond to general contract questions. Apply original, innovative thinking on a continuous basis to improve processes and systems, manage change, and better service customer needs, including developing scalable contracting frameworks, playbooks, and standards to support a business in high-growth mode. Support and manage a variety of ad hoc projects with the team as they arise. Stay abreast of emerging laws, regulations, and judicial decisions relevant to our business (including applicable competition and data protection laws), conduct thorough research and analysis to understand the implications and potential impact of these developments, and knowledge share with colleagues and develop guidance materials, as necessary.

Requirements

8+ years experience working in-house on software licensing transactions, preferably at a SaaS technology company.
Law degree from an accredited law school and admitted to practice law in the U.S.
Proven experience supporting a sales organization and drafting and negotiating outbound SaaS Agreements, and supporting agreements, such as DPAs, BAAs, and AI terms across multiple U.S. markets.
Excellent legal and business judgment, integrity, and emotional intelligence; able to quickly assess material risks, provide practical guidance, and make the complicated understandable.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively and comfortably with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
Demonstrated success working cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, Revenue Accounting, Deal Desk, and Legal Operations to drive alignment and identify pathways to success with customers.
Proactive, solutions-oriented, and able to work independently on multiple complex projects while thriving in ambiguity and maintaining focus on closing deals that protect Asana’s values and business interests.
Curious about emerging technologies, including AI tools, and eager to leverage them to enhance productivity, collaboration, and decision-making.
Demonstrates curiosity about AI tools and emerging technologies, with a willingness to learn and leverage them to enhance productivity, collaboration, or decision-making.

Responsibilities

Strategically partner with our North American sales teams on enterprise-level outbound SaaS engagements, to draft and negotiate complex outbound commercial agreements, including SaaS Agreements and supporting agreements, such as DPAs, BAAs, and Product-Specific Terms in support of Asana’s growth.
Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, including Finance, Deal Desk, Privacy, and Security, to develop processes and enforce applicable policies as they relate to global commercial contracting.
Provide timely and practical legal advice on a variety of customer-driven requests, taking into account the relevant legal issues and risks, agreement structure, approval process, and company policies and procedures.
Enable and train the sales teams by providing direct guidance on commonly requested revisions and non-standard terms and structures and respond to general contract questions.
Apply original, innovative thinking on a continuous basis to improve processes and systems, manage change, and better service customer needs, including developing scalable contracting frameworks, playbooks, and standards to support a business in high-growth mode.
Support and manage a variety of ad hoc projects with the team as they arise.
Stay abreast of emerging laws, regulations, and judicial decisions relevant to our business (including applicable competition and data protection laws), conduct thorough research and analysis to understand the implications and potential impact of these developments, and knowledge share with colleagues and develop guidance materials, as necessary.