Senior Legal Counsel

Seqera

About The Position

Seqera exists to advance science for everyone through software We provide software for scientists solving today's most complex and important challenges from pioneering innovative therapeutics to unveiling the secrets of our universe. The journey began a decade ago with Nextflow — open software that helps over 100,000 global scientists analyze and process data, with more power and flexibility than ever before. Today, Seqera consolidates fragmented data and diverse computing resources into a unified platform. Our modern biotech stack is trusted by over 150 leading life sciences organizations. Empowered with modern software engineering, organizations conduct science faster, on larger datasets, and with more confidence. Seqera accelerates discoveries in an open world. Would you like to be a part of a company with a bigger purpose and make it successful with your own ideas? If yes, keep reading! Why This Role This is a rare opportunity to step into a high-impact role as Seqera’s dedicated in-house legal hire. You will take ownership of the legal function end-to-end, partnering closely with leadership and cross-functional teams to enable the business to scale globally, commercially, and responsibly. This role sits at the intersection of commercial strategy, risk management, compliance, and operational excellence. You won’t just advise - you’ll build, shape, and continue to operationalize how legal works at Seqera. The Role We’re looking for a hands-on, business-minded legal generalist who is equally comfortable drafting a complex SaaS agreement, advising leadership on risk, or building scalable processes from scratch. You’ll act as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to Leadership, Sales, Finance, Product, Engineering, and People - helping the company move fast while staying protected. You will own Seqera’s legal function across commercial contracting, corporate governance, data privacy (working closely with Seqera’s IT & Compliance team and any external providers such as external DPO’s), employment, IP, compliance, and legal operations, working functionally as needed.

Requirements

6–10+ years of legal experience (in-house tech/SaaS and/or private practice).
Strong background in commercial contracting, ideally within SaaS, tech, or high-growth environments.
Experience operating as a broad legal generalist across multiple domains (privacy, corporate, employment, IP, compliance).
Commercially minded with a strong ability to balance risk and opportunity.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and making pragmatic decisions quickly.
Hands-on and execution-focused, with a willingness to build from scratch.
Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
Highly organized with a process-oriented mindset.
Able to zoom in (drafting, execution) and zoom out (strategy, risk, structure).
Builder mentality: you enjoy creating structure where none exists.
Business partner first, not just a gatekeeper.
Autonomous and proactive, with strong ownership.
Practical, solutions-driven, and low ego.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a startup, scale-up, or international business environment with venture capital experience is highly preferred.
Experience supporting global, distributed teams.
Familiarity with legal tech, CLMs, and AI-enabled workflows.
Exposure to life sciences, biotech, or data-driven platforms.
Admission to practice law in a relevant jurisdiction (or equivalent qualification) is advantageous but not essential; candidates with comparable experience will be considered.

Responsibilities

Commercial & Revenue Support Own and lead all commercial contracting (customer agreements, MSAs, DPAs, SaaS terms, partnerships, vendor agreements).
Partner closely with Sales and Revenue teams to support deal execution and negotiations.
Develop and maintain contract templates, fallback positions, and playbooks to accelerate deal cycles.
Provide pragmatic, business-oriented advice on contract interpretation and risk.
Review procurement/vendor/advisor contracts as required.
Legal Operations & Infrastructure Build and manage Seqera’s legal operations (contract lifecycle management, documentation, workflows).
Implement and optimize legal tools, automation, and scalable processes.
Establish and maintain a centralized contract and documentation repository.
Introduce structure, tracking, and reporting across legal matters.
Corporate, Governance & Compliance Own corporate governance, entity management, and board-related matters.
Support equity, compensation, and cap table-related processes in collaboration with Finance and People.
Design and maintain internal policies and compliance frameworks.
Support audit readiness and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
Data Privacy, IP & Risk Co-lead data privacy and data protection efforts (GDPR and global frameworks).
Partner with Security and Engineering on compliance initiatives.
Identify, assess, and proactively manage legal and regulatory risks.
Advise and manage IP, licensing (including open-source licensing) and related matters in the ordinary course of business.
Employment & Cross-Functional Support Advise on employment-related matters in collaboration with People (contracts, policies, international workforce considerations).
Support local compliance considerations.
Partner with Product and Engineering on new features, ensuring legal and regulatory alignment.
Strategic Partnership Act as a trusted advisor to the Leadership Team on legal, risk, and business decisions.
Balance risk with growth, enabling the business rather than blocking it.
Help define how legal contributes strategically to Seqera’s long-term success.