Senior Counsel, Commercial

Chainguard

2d•Remote

About The Position

Working east coast hours strongly preferred. The role in a nutshell: We are seeking a Senior Counsel to serve as a key legal partner to our Go-To-Market organization. This is a highly visible, customer-facing role at the center of the business, enabling revenue growth while protecting the company. The ideal candidate is a strong commercial attorney with significant drafting experience who thrives in the energy and intensity of a high-growth company. You are proactive, business-minded, and comfortable operating in fast-moving environments. You enjoy partnering closely with Sales and cross-functional teams, negotiating directly with sophisticated customer counsel, and taking full ownership of transactions from start to finish. In addition to deep commercial expertise, this role requires experience navigating open source licensing considerations and negotiating with highly regulated customers.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active bar membership in good standing
5+ years of commercial legal experience, ideally combining law firm and in-house technology company experience
Strong experience drafting and negotiating SaaS, subscription, and professional services agreements
Demonstrated ability to draft standard form agreements and online terms from the ground up — not solely negotiating third-party paper
Experience negotiating with highly regulated customers and familiarity with the regulatory considerations impacting those industries
Working knowledge of open source licensing and compliance considerations
Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across Sales, Product, Security, and executive stakeholders
Sound business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives
Comfort managing multiple complex matters in a fast-paced, high-growth environment

Nice To Haves

Experience in cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, or related technology sectors strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary legal partner to the Go-To-Market team, supporting customer transactions from initial structuring through execution
Draft, review, and negotiate SaaS agreements, enterprise customer agreements, professional services agreements, NDAs, and partner/channel agreements
Draft and maintain standard form agreements and online terms (e.g., platform terms, universal license agreements, order forms)
Negotiate directly with sophisticated customer counsel, including those at financial services, insurance, healthcare, and pharmaceutical organizations
Ensure commercial agreements align with open source licensing requirements and industry best practices
Partner closely with Product, Product Legal, Security, and other cross-functional teams to align legal guidance with business and technical objectives
Provide practical, risk-calibrated advice consistent with company policies and risk tolerance
Support partnership initiatives as needed and contribute to scalable contracting processes as the company grows

Benefits

Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs.
Our Approach to Equity: Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options (yes, you read that correctly: 10 years!).
100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents. Nothing comes out of your paycheck.
∞ Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need – to do our best work, we need to recharge and reset.
18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: We offer 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your child's first year.

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