Senior Counsel, AI Ecosystem team

Lenovo is seeking a Senior Counsel to support its AI Ecosystem team, reporting to the Director of Legal for Artificial Intelligence. The successful candidate will be providing legal counsel to senior leaders and management teams responsible for the conception, development, and operation of Lenovo’s direct to customer AI Ecosystem products. 

The IDG AI Ecosystem team is a cross-functional business and technology organization within Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group (IDG) responsible for developing, integrating, and commercializing Lenovo’s AI experiences, platforms, agents, applications, and ecosystem partnerships across devices and services. It brings together teams spanning AI architecture, product strategy, user research, software and platform development, ecosystem innovation, and AI-powered experiences such as Qira and other personal and enterprise AI initiatives, with a focus on delivering Lenovo’s “Smarter AI for All” strategy through connected AI solutions that work across devices, edge, cloud, and services. The team also works with AI monetization programs, user research and strategy functions, and participation in broader AI architecture and ecosystem initiatives across IDG.

Position responsibilities include solutions counseling, contract creation, negotiation, and review, providing advice and counsel on legal, compliance and business transactions, including risk analysis and reward.

The position will collaborate with in house and outside counsel, technology experts, marketing and sales teams, product developers as well as with Lenovo’s suppliers and customers as needed.  The successful candidate will have at least 5 years of legal experience in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a variety of agreements, particularly within a technology company. Experience with AI products, SaaS and hybrid on device software products, and related product and service areas is highly desirable. Strong communication and presentation skills will be necessary to explain complex matters to business partners in a manner that is readily understandable to ensure well-informed business decisions. 

Specifically, this role is responsible for:

• Understanding and providing guidance to business partners regarding business models, legal and business risks, and solution-oriented approaches to complex legal-business-technical problems
• Coordinate very closely with the Global AI Legal Team, and the Responsible AI Program Group, to ensure clear and appropriate prioritization of business unit issues, and to serve as a primary translation layer between the business unit and the global AI legal team
• Partnering with Legal and business leadership to provide risk-balanced, practical legal solutions in the rapidly evolving global AI product ecosystem
• Strategic advice regarding legal risks in the increasingly fragmented geopolitical technology environment
• Negotiating a high volume of complex technology, service, development, and ecosystem partnership agreements, and a variety of other commercial contracts including confidentiality agreements, license agreements, data processing agreements, professional services agreements, assignments and amendments
• Develop and implement legal efficiencies to support business teams and improve contract processes and operations
• Improve and create contract templates and playbooks
• Work closely with clients and the legal team on strategic initiatives in support of all business units
• Provide proactive advice regarding business and legal issues and risks

Basic Qualifications:

• JD or LLM and admission to practice
• 12+ years of counseling, drafting and negotiation experience in a fast-paced environment, preferably focused on technology and/or technology transactions

• Demonstrated effective interpersonal interaction, including with senior managers in a highly customer-satisfaction focused environment
• Experience with in bound and out bound business models, contract structures and related practices and terms for AI technology, products and services is preferred
• Developed critical thinking and proactive problem-solving skills, with a willingness to get into the details of complex problems and drive creative solutions
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills
• Detail-oriented, with outstanding organizational skills and ability to manage multiple transactions and projects simultaneously under deadline pressure
• Demonstrated exceptional judgment, integrity and ability to give practical advice appropriately weighing legal and business objectives
• A strong team player who can work well with colleagues in all functional groups
• Committed to his/her personal growth and development by actively seeking feedback and responding with constructive action

Location:

• US, Remote