Senior Legal & Commercial Affairs Manager

Havenly Brands (Havenly, Interior Define, Burrow, The Citizenry, The Inside, and St. Frank)•Quinte West, ON

8d•$150,000 - $200,000•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 manager will triage a varied portfolio of contracts, disputes, and claims, drive matters to practical resolution, and use AI to improve how the work is performed. Success means closing matters efficiently, engaging outside counsel where it is most valuable, and keeping leadership informed of status and decisions without surprises. The role manages routine commercial legal matters, assesses incoming issues, sets priorities, recommends paths forward, and coordinates with external corporate, debt, and intellectual-property counsel. It also reviews, drafts, and negotiates commercial agreements; tracks inherited contractual obligations and acquisition-related cleanup; coordinates insurance and corporate compliance processes with specialists; and maintains a concise view of open matters, financial exposure, next actions, and leadership decisions. The manager will negotiate difficult commercial situations, support sensitive cross-functional projects and complex vendor or partner discussions, and recommend pragmatic solutions that balance risk, cost, speed, and business relationships. They will use AI to accelerate research, issue spotting, drafting, tracking, and analysis while verifying outputs, safeguarding confidential information, and recognizing when professional legal judgment is needed. The position may expand to broader business challenges as the manager earns trust and learns the portfolio. This is a full-time, salaried-exempt role based in the office at Havenly’s headquarters in Cherry Creek, Denver, Colorado, or its secondary office in New York, New York. Applicants must already be authorized to work full-time in the United States; employment sponsorship is not offered. The application deadline is December 1, 2026, unless additional applications are needed.

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, including the ability to distinguish genuine risk from negotiating noise and recommend proportionate action.
Executive-ready communication skills, including concise updates, early escalation, and the ability to manage up.
Ability to judge when to handle an issue directly and when to involve licensed counsel.
Operational range and comfort working across contracts, disputes, and unfamiliar corporate problems.
AI fluency with healthy skepticism; ability to verify outputs, protect confidential information, and recognize when professional legal judgment is essential.
Ability to handle ambiguity by identifying problems and taking action without waiting for direction.
Ability to move quickly, take ownership of outcomes, and maintain a high bar for 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, obtaining attorney review when warranted.
Manage inherited contractual obligations and acquisition-related cleanup, keeping commitments, deadlines, and follow-through visible.
Coordinate insurance and corporate compliance processes with relevant specialists.
Maintain a concise, reliable view of open matters, financial exposure, next actions, and leadership decisions needed; provide early updates and escalate issues succinctly.
Negotiate difficult commercial situations with vendors, claimants, counterparties, and external advisers.
Support sensitive cross-functional projects and complex vendor or partner discussions alongside functional leaders without taking over their normal relationship ownership.
Develop pragmatic recommendations, negotiating parameters, and clear tradeoffs that balance risk, cost, speed, and long-term business relationships.
Use AI to improve the speed and quality of legal and commercial research, issue spotting, drafting, tracking, and analysis while verifying outputs and protecting confidential information.
Identify and fix broken processes and, as trust and portfolio knowledge grow, take on broader business challenges.