Commercial Counsel/Attorney

A growing technology company in the higher education space is seeking a Commercial Counsel to serve as a strategic legal partner supporting its expanding SaaS business. This is an excellent opportunity for an attorney who enjoys partnering with business teams, negotiating sophisticated commercial agreements, and helping scale legal operations in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

What You'll Do

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a wide variety of commercial agreements, including SaaS licensing agreements, MSAs, API agreements, data processing agreements, AI addendums, professional services agreements, reseller agreements, and privacy-related documents.
• Partner closely with Sales, Client Success, Product, Finance, Security, and Executive Leadership to facilitate business growth while managing legal risk.
• Lead contract negotiations with colleges, universities, and other institutional clients, including public sector organizations with complex procurement requirements.
• Advise internal stakeholders on legal matters involving technology transactions, data privacy, intellectual property, accessibility, procurement, and regulatory compliance.
• Support initiatives related to FERPA, GDPR, state privacy laws, WCAG accessibility standards, and evolving AI governance requirements.
• Improve contract templates, legal playbooks, approval workflows, and contract lifecycle management processes.
• Collaborate across departments on product launches, vendor agreements, strategic initiatives, and operational scaling.
• Help oversee the full contract lifecycle, including negotiations, execution, renewals, amendments, and compliance tracking.
• Review and negotiate AI-related contractual provisions while partnering with Product and Engineering teams to ensure responsible and compliant AI practices.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) and active bar admission in good standing.
• 2–5 years of legal experience supporting commercial transactions, preferably within SaaS, technology, EdTech, or higher education.
• Strong experience negotiating commercial agreements, including software licensing and technology contracts.
• Working knowledge of privacy and compliance regulations such as FERPA, GDPR, WCAG, and state privacy laws.
• Familiarity with higher education or public sector procurement is highly desirable.
• Experience with AI-related contracting, data governance, or contract lifecycle management tools is a plus.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Join a growing, innovative SaaS organization making an impact in higher education.
• Work cross-functionally with executive leadership and key business stakeholders.
• Handle sophisticated commercial transactions and emerging legal issues involving AI and technology.
• Opportunity to influence legal processes, contracting strategy, and business operations as the company continues to grow.

If you're interested in learning more, I'd be happy to share additional details confidentially- skylar.leffel@gogpac.com.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable laws or regulations. GPAC (Growing People and Companies) is an award-winning search firm specializing in placing quality professionals within multiple industries across the United States since 1990. We are extremely competitive, client-focused and realize that our value is in our ability to deliver the right solutions at the right time.