Senior Legal & Commercial Affairs Manager

Havenly•Denver, CO

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Havenly is seeking a commercially sharp senior individual contributor to own legal and commercial affairs across its portfolio of brands. The role reports directly to the Chief Operating & Technology Officer and is supported by experienced outside counsel. The successful candidate will manage a varied portfolio of contracts, disputes, claims, and routine legal matters, moving each toward practical resolution while using AI to improve the speed and quality of the work. Success means closing matters efficiently, using outside counsel where appropriate, and keeping leadership informed with early, clear updates and no surprises. The role includes assessing and prioritizing incoming issues; recommending practical approaches; driving matters to closure; coordinating with external corporate, debt, and intellectual-property counsel; reviewing, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements; and keeping inherited contractual obligations and acquisition-related follow-up visible. The manager will also coordinate insurance and corporate compliance processes with appropriate specialists and maintain concise reporting on open matters, financial exposure, next actions, and leadership decisions needed. The manager will negotiate with vendors, claimants, counterparties, and external advisers; support sensitive cross-functional projects and complex vendor or partner discussions alongside functional leaders; and recommend pragmatic solutions that balance risk, cost, speed, and business relationships. They will use AI thoughtfully to accelerate research, issue spotting, drafting, tracking, and analysis while verifying outputs, protecting confidential information, and recognizing when professional legal judgment is needed. The role is full-time, salaried exempt, and in-office in Denver, Colorado, or New York, New York.

Requirements

5–8 years of relevant experience in business operations, corporate development, commercial operations, legal affairs, or a similarly broad role at a fast-moving company.
Experience managing outside counsel and negotiating complex commercial issues.
Strong commercial judgment and executive-ready communication, including the ability to distinguish genuine risk from negotiating noise, recommend proportionate action, determine when to handle an issue personally versus involve licensed counsel, and provide concise updates with early escalation.
Operational range and AI fluency with healthy skepticism; comfort moving between contracts, disputes, and unfamiliar corporate problems, and ability to verify AI outputs rather than equating polished answers with correct ones.
Ability to resolve ambiguous problems by identifying what is broken and acting without waiting for direction.
Demonstrated ownership of outcomes, ability to move quickly, and a high standard of work.
Collaborative, low-ego, no-drama approach to working across teams.
Currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis; Havenly does not offer employment sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Formal legal training, such as a JD or paralegal background.
Genuine curiosity about AI-assisted tools and eagerness to adopt them; existing AI expertise is not required.

Responsibilities

Own the day-to-day portfolio of commercial legal matters across Havenly’s brands, including demand letters, contract disputes, claims, settlement discussions, and other routine matters.
Assess incoming issues, set priorities, recommend practical paths forward, and drive matters to closure, engaging outside counsel when appropriate.
Coordinate with external corporate, debt, and intellectual-property counsel by providing clear briefs, constructively challenging assumptions, and translating legal advice into actionable business decisions.
Review, draft, and negotiate commercial agreements, seeking attorney review when warranted.
Track inherited contractual obligations and acquisition-related cleanup, keeping commitments, deadlines, and follow-through visible.
Coordinate insurance and corporate compliance processes with specialists.
Maintain a concise, reliable view of open matters, financial exposure, next actions, and decisions needed from leadership; provide early updates and escalate issues promptly.
Negotiate with vendors, claimants, counterparties, and external advisers to improve outcomes in difficult commercial situations.
Support sensitive cross-functional projects and complex vendor or partner discussions alongside functional leaders without displacing their ownership of relationships.
Recommend pragmatic solutions that balance risk, cost, speed, and long-term business relationships, with proposed negotiating parameters and clear tradeoffs.
Use AI to accelerate research, issue spotting, drafting, tracking, and analysis while verifying outputs, protecting confidential information, and recognizing when professional legal judgment is essential.
Fix broken processes and, as trust and familiarity with the portfolio grow, take on broader business challenges.