Lead Counsel, Commercial
About the role
The role, in a nutshell
We are seeking a Lead Counsel, Commercial Legal to lead Chainguard's US commercial legal team, reporting to the Director of Commercial Legal who oversees the global commercial legal function. This is a people leadership role with real deal ownership. You will manage a team of legal professionals while remaining a hands-on negotiator and trusted partner to our US Go-To-Market organization.
The ideal candidate is a seasoned commercial attorney who has made the transition into legal management and knows how to lead a high-performing team without losing their edge as a practitioner. You are organized, decisive, and business-minded, equally capable of coaching a team member through a difficult negotiation and closing a deal yourself. You thrive in high-growth environments, operate with a strong degree of autonomy, and bring the judgment and credibility to earn the trust of both your team and your sales partners.
In addition to deep commercial expertise, this role requires experience navigating open source licensing considerations, familiarity with US federal and state privacy and data security frameworks, and comfort negotiating with highly regulated customers across industries such as financial services, healthcare, defense, and insurance.
What You'll Do
- Lead the US commercial legal team
- Manage a team of legal professionals while remaining a hands-on negotiator
- Act as a trusted partner to the US Go-To-Market organization
- Coach team members through difficult negotiations
- Close deals as needed
- Navigate open source licensing considerations
- Address US federal and state privacy and data security frameworks
- Negotiate with highly regulated customers