Senior Counsel - Public Affairs

Zones.•Auburn, WA

About The Position

Zones LLC is seeking a corporate attorney to serve as a key legal advisor to the business. The role provides practical, business-oriented counsel across commercial transactions, government and public sector contracting, vendor relationships, strategic partnerships, and corporate matters. The attorney will draft, review, negotiate, and advise on complex agreements supporting public and private sector business, including state and local government and public sector contracts, utility agreements, customer and commercial contracts, vendor agreements, subcontractor agreements, and partner or alliance agreements. The position works closely with Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, Risk, other members of the Legal team, and executive leadership to structure agreements, identify and mitigate risks, negotiate terms, and support business growth. The role covers commercial and customer contracting, public sector and federal contracting, utility-sector agreements, vendor and partner arrangements, and general corporate legal support. Responsibilities include advising on contractual risk and compliance, improving templates and processes, supporting contract lifecycle matters, and assisting with corporate governance, due diligence, and strategic transactions as applicable. Experience with mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and general corporate matters is desirable; federal government contracting experience is a plus. Zones is a global IT solutions provider operating in more than 120 countries. It describes its culture as collaborative, client-centric, technology-focused, and supportive of change and lifelong learning. The company identifies as a Minority Business Enterprise and an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school.
Active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
At least 7 years of relevant legal experience; a combination of law firm and in-house corporate experience is preferred.
Significant experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating sophisticated commercial contracts.
Demonstrated experience supporting public sector and/or government contracting.
Working knowledge of federal contracting principles, including familiarity with FAR and DFARS requirements.
Experience negotiating vendor, supplier, partner, subcontractor, and commercial customer agreements.
Strong knowledge of commercial contracting principles, risk allocation, and contract negotiation.
Ability to manage complex negotiations independently and appropriately escalate significant business or legal risks.
Strong analytical, judgment, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Ability to translate complex legal issues into clear, actionable business guidance.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment.

Nice To Haves

Federal contracting experience is strongly preferred.
Experience supporting utility-sector contracts or customers.
Prior in-house legal experience in technology, IT services, solutions integration, managed services, or a similarly complex B2B organization.
Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, including due diligence, transaction documentation, integration, and related corporate activities.
Experience with corporate governance and general corporate legal matters.
Experience supporting organizations serving commercial, public sector, federal, and regulated-industry customers.
Experience partnering directly with senior executives and Sales, Finance, Procurement, Operations, and Compliance teams.

Responsibilities

Work directly with sales leads and other stakeholders on customer, vendor, and partner strategy, opportunities, and contracting.
Identify and drive improvements to contract templates and internal processes.
Draft, review, negotiate, and provide legal guidance on complex commercial agreements, working with stakeholders to bring agreements to closure.
Support customer contracting involving master services agreements, professional services agreements, statements of work, purchase agreements, licensing agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other commercial arrangements.
Advise business leaders on contractual risk and provisions covering liability, indemnification, warranties, intellectual property, insurance, data protection, and termination rights.
Provide practical recommendations that balance legal risk with business objectives and commercial considerations.
Develop and maintain contract templates, standard provisions, negotiation guidelines, and contracting best practices.
Support contracting with federal, state, local, education, and other public sector customers.
Review and negotiate government and public sector contracts, solicitations, RFP terms, subcontracting agreements, teaming agreements, and related documents.
Advise stakeholders on federal contracting requirements and contractual compliance obligations, including relevant FAR and DFARS provisions when applicable.
Identify government-contracting risks and work across the organization to develop mitigation strategies.
Partner with business and compliance stakeholders on public sector requirements involving representations, certifications, flow-down provisions, recordkeeping, and audit rights.
Support agreements involving utility-sector customers and partners, including regulated or public utility organizations.
Advise business teams on utility-sector contractual requirements, risk allocation, procurement requirements, and other engagement considerations.
Draft and negotiate agreements with technology partners, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, service providers, subcontractors, and other third parties.
Support strategic partner and alliance relationships, including reseller, referral, and channel agreements.
Work with Procurement and business stakeholders to negotiate commercial terms and manage legal and operational risk.
Provide guidance on disputes, contract interpretation, renewals, amendments, terminations, and other contract lifecycle issues.
Provide general corporate legal guidance and partner with senior leadership on strategic initiatives, corporate transactions, and emerging legal and business risks.
Assist with corporate governance, entity management, and other corporate matters as appropriate.
Support legal due diligence and transaction activities for acquisitions, investments, integrations, or other strategic transactions, when applicable.