Commercial Counsel

Exterro is seeking a proactive and resourceful Commercial Counsel to join our growing legal team. This is a remote-first position. Starting out, much of your time will be spent managing a broad portfolio of commercial, vendor, partner, and consulting contracts, with the remaining time dedicated to building skills across privacy, compliance, product counseling, and other areas. This role demands a deep understanding of technology and SaaS contracts, the ability to engage with stakeholders across the business, and the instinct to anticipate legal issues and develop proactive solutions before they become problems. This is a ground-floor opportunity for a lawyer who wants to grow into a senior in-house leader, with a clear path to expand your scope as you develop.

Reporting to the General Counsel, you will work closely with Sales, Customer Success, Security, Compliance, and Product teams to mitigate legal risk while facilitating revenue growth and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate possesses a strong background in technology transactions (specifically SaaS), a genuine enthusiasm for AI and emerging legal technology tools, excellent communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, international environment.

Key Responsibilities

Contract Negotiation & Drafting

• Draft, review, and negotiate SaaS subscription agreements, enterprise license agreements, order forms, partner and reseller agreements, SOWs, and amendments.

• Negotiate customer and vendor contracts, including MSAs, DPAs, BAAs, NDAs, and professional services agreements.

• Develop and maintain contract templates, playbooks, and clause libraries to improve speed and consistency.

• Partner with Sales and Customer Success to close deals efficiently while managing risk.

Risk Management & Compliance

• As you grow in the role, take on increasing responsibility across privacy and data protection (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA), product counseling, compliance, commercial dispute resolution, and marketing with go-to-market support.

• Assist with global privacy compliance initiatives (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, emerging U.S. state privacy laws, and AI regulations such as the EU AI Act).

• Assist with dispute resolutions. Provide guidance on contract interpretations, operational compliance, and pre-litigation commercial disputes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & General Support

• Act as a strategic legal partner to internal business teams, providing timely, practical legal advice that moves deals and projects forward.

• Collaborate with IT/Security, Compliance, and Finance teams to ensure commercial and vendor agreements align with corporate risk tolerances and budget requirements.

• Conduct legal research and stay current on legislation, regulatory developments, and case law affecting privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, AI regulation, open source licensing, and SaaS industry contracting practices.

• Collaborate with external legal counsel when necessary.

• Develop and implement internal policies and procedures to manage the company's legal and operational risk.

• Provide training and guidance to internal teams on legal topics relevant to Exterro's business, including contract processes, data privacy, and compliance requirements.

• Support incident response efforts, including data breach notification obligations and coordination with Security and Compliance teams.

Qualifications & Experience

Required Education & Credentials

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.

• Active member in good standing of at least one State Bar.

Experience

• 3–6 years of experience practicing law, with a primary focus on commercial contracts and technology transactions.

• Proven experience in a corporate in-house legal department or a law firm tech/commercial practice group.

• Deep familiarity with SaaS business models, software licensing, and cloud computing legal issues.

• Working knowledge of global data privacy, AI and security frameworks (EU AI Act, GDPR, CCPA, SOC 2).

• Enthusiasm for AI, legal technology, and using new tools to work smarter. You stay current on how technology is changing legal practice and look for ways to apply it.

Skills & Competencies

• Commercial Pragmatism: Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives. You find solutions, not just problems, and you take initiative to drive them to completion without being asked.

• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders.

• Ownership and Problem-Solving: You dig into the details, get comfortable in the weeds, and take full ownership of your work. Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage a high volume of contracts simultaneously under tight deadlines.

• Interpersonal Savvy: Cultural awareness and the ability to work effectively across international teams and support cross-border commercial agreements (US, EMEA, APAC).

Why Exterro?

• Impact: Play a key role in a company at the forefront of data risk management, helping businesses safeguard their data in an increasingly complex digital world.

• Growth Opportunity: Join a rapidly growing organization where there is room for learning, development and upward mobility.

• Culture: Work in an innovative, inclusive, and collaborative environment, where your contributions are valued, and your professional development is supported.

Exterro participates in E-Verify and is a drug-free workplace. All employment offers are contingent upon the successful passing of a background check.

We believe in the importance of pay transparency and strive to create a fair and equitable workplace for all employees. As a remote first organization, our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The salary range for this remote position is $143,000-$165,000 per year, based on skills, experience and qualifications. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate. Exterro is a total compensation company, and this role may be eligible for variable pay, equity, bonus and/or other forms of compensation as part of the package. In addition, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, retirement plans, flexible paid time off and more.

Candidates are encouraged to discuss their salary expectations during the interview process. We are committed to ensuring that compensation aligns with market standards and is commensurate with the responsibilities of the role.

All employees are responsible for understanding and adhering to the organization’s security and privacy policies, procedures, and standards. As part of your role, you are expected to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and systems within your scope of responsibility. Additionally, you are required to participate in mandatory security and privacy training and ensure that best practices are applied in all work activities.