Legal Counsel, Corporate Governance & Regulatory

Cohere•San Francisco, CA

3d•$170,000 - $280,000

About The Position

Cohere is seeking a versatile corporate and regulatory lawyer to join its Legal team. Reporting to the Senior Governance Counsel, the role supports a global portfolio of corporate governance, entity and intercompany matters, alongside cross-border regulatory, trade and compliance workstreams. The lawyer will work with Legal, Finance, Tax, People, Security, Government Affairs and commercial teams, and coordinate with specialist external counsel across jurisdictions. The position calls for sound judgment, curiosity and ownership of matters, including the ability to recognize when specialist advice is needed and translate that advice into practical action. The role covers subsidiary governance, entity establishment and restructuring, board and shareholder matters, corporate approvals, delegated authorities, signing frameworks and ongoing entity maintenance. It also supports intercompany agreements and cross-border operating arrangements, foreign investment screening and national-security reviews, regulatory diligence and filing coordination, and implementation of regulatory commitments. Additional work includes export-control, sanctions and related compliance, as well as public-sector and regulated-market opportunities involving sovereignty, procurement, security or market-access requirements. Cohere is a global technology company headquartered in Toronto, with offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. The company describes its work environment as remote-friendly, with office and co-working options.

Requirements

Qualified lawyer with approximately 4–8 years of relevant experience, gained at a leading law firm, a sophisticated in-house legal team, or preferably a combination of both.
Strong corporate and cross-border legal foundation, including experience with subsidiary governance, entity structuring and reorganisations, intercompany arrangements, delegated authorities, corporate approvals and international corporate practice.
Meaningful exposure to cross-border regulatory matters, particularly foreign investment screening, national-security reviews, export controls, sanctions, international trade or related corporate compliance issues; deep specialism in one area is not required.
Experience working across multiple jurisdictions, including coordinating local and specialist external counsel and combining legal, regulatory and business inputs into a coherent internal position.
Strong judgment, range and commercial awareness, including the ability to get up to speed on unfamiliar issues, identify priorities and distinguish matters for internal handling from those requiring specialist advice.
Ability to own an internal legal workstream, ask effective questions of specialist counsel, digest complex advice and translate it into clear, practical next steps for the business.
Clear, practical communication skills and ability to work effectively with Legal, Finance, Tax, People, Security, Government Affairs and commercial stakeholders.
Collaborative and pragmatic approach, with comfort working across subject areas, functions, jurisdictions and time zones.

Nice To Haves

Experience in technology, AI, cloud or infrastructure, or another regulated industry.
Experience supporting a multinational organisation with a growing international entity footprint, particularly where legal, tax, finance and operational considerations intersect.
Exposure to public-sector, government-facing or regulated-market matters, including procurement, digital sovereignty, security, accreditation or related market-access requirements.
Familiarity with North American, UK or EU regulatory frameworks relevant to cross-border technology businesses.

Responsibilities

Support global corporate governance and entity matters, including subsidiary governance, entity establishment and restructuring, board and shareholder matters, corporate approvals, delegated authorities, signing frameworks and ongoing entity maintenance.
Support intercompany legal arrangements, including intercompany agreements and cross-border operating arrangements, in collaboration with Finance, Tax, People and local counsel.
Support cross-border regulatory workstreams, including foreign investment screening, national-security reviews, regulatory diligence, filing coordination and implementation of regulatory commitments.
Support export-control, sanctions and related compliance matters, coordinating specialist external advice and translating regulatory requirements into practical internal guidance, controls and documentation.
Support legal and regulatory work arising from public-sector and regulated-market opportunities, including sovereignty, procurement, security and market-access requirements.
Coordinate internal stakeholders and external counsel across jurisdictions, ensuring legal and regulatory workstreams are scoped, progressed and implemented.
Take ownership of matters within the role’s remit and help develop practical, scalable approaches as Cohere’s international footprint grows.

Benefits

Weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent in local currency.
Full health and dental benefits, including a separate mental health budget.
RRSP matching, 401K and pension scheme.
100% parental leave top-up for up to 6 months for either parent.
Annual enrichment benefits for arts and culture, fitness and wellness, quality time, and workspace improvement.
Education and learning stipend for conferences, courses and coaching.
Six weeks of paid vacation (30 working days).
Budget for traveling to other offices for remote employees, plus an annual company offsite.
Daily lunch program, snacks, and regular community and social events for employees working in an office.
Co-working benefit for employees who are not near an office.
$500 home office stipend.