Lead Counsel - NYC

Datadog•New York, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

In this role, you will lead complex negotiations with U.S. federal and SLED public sector customers and partners, serving as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders. You will collaborate closely with Sales and go-to-market teams, as well as Privacy, Customer Trust, Product Legal, and Compliance, to deliver practical and actionable advice. This position will play a key role in advancing Datadog’s U.S. public sector commercial strategy. With broad scope and senior-level accountability, you will serve as the subject matter expert and partner with Legal leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to influence company policies impacting public sector customers, while gaining exposure to cutting-edge SaaS areas such as privacy, security, and AI/ML. At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.

Requirements

Possessing 10+ years of law firm and/or in-house experience with government (federal, state, and local) contracting, with a focus on SaaS and related technology areas.
Demonstrating a deep understanding of how to translate government procurement and compliance requirements into commercially workable SaaS contracting models, and the judgment to know when adaptation is (and is not) appropriate.
Having in-depth knowledge of government legal and regulatory contracting requirements (including familiarity with federal and specific state requirements).
Someone who is able to independently review and negotiate complex SaaS agreements, as well as ancillary documents including BAAs and privacy-related documents, applying strong judgment to adapt guidance and address novel issues, and partnering closely with GTM teams to manage multiple negotiations under tight deadlines.
Comfortable working cross-functionally with technical, business, and executive stakeholders.
Someone with integrity, excellent judgment, and a high degree of emotional intelligence; you have experience building strong collaboration channels with peers and stakeholders across a business and are ready to identify pathways to success with our customers.
Licensed to practice law and have earned a JD and bar admission in the U.S.
Possessing an active US security clearance or the willingness and ability to obtain one.

Responsibilities

Independently negotiate and close complex SaaS agreements with public sector customers and their partners, exercising keen judgement on risk tradeoffs and escalation decisions.
Counsel internal teams on federal and state procurement laws and regulations, including FAR/DFARS, cybersecurity requirements, data handling, supply chain rules, and compliance obligations.
Serve as the primary legal advisor to U.S. public sector GTM teams, helping shape deal strategy and negotiation posture across complex and high-stakes opportunities by balancing government contracting requirements, legal risks, and business goals.
Partner with our Product Legal and Security teams to advise on product features, deployment models, and compliance standards relevant to government environments.
Create and improve scalable processes, templates, and training materials to support Datadog’s public-sector growth.
Manage and maintain company registrations required by public sector customers.
Coach and mentor other Commercial Legal team members on public sector contracting issues, including escalation strategy, negotiation posture, and risk analysis.