Senior Counsel, U.S. Public Sector

The Role:

As the Senior Counsel for the U.S. Public Sector, you will join Celonis’ global Legal, Ethics & Compliance organization as the primary Legal architect for our government go-to-market (GTM) strategy. You are not just an advisor; you are a strategic business enabler who understands how to bridge the gap between cutting-edge SaaS innovation and the mission-critical requirements of the U.S. Federal, State, and Local governments.

We are looking for a self-starter with a strong sense of ownership who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments and possesses the executive presence to influence senior stakeholders across the company.

The work you’ll do:

• Strategic business enabler: Serve as the principal Legal business partner to GTM, Information Security, Engineering, Product and Compliance teams to drive the expansion of Celonis’ U.S. Public Sector business.
• High-Stakes Negotiations: Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex software licenses, SaaS agreements, teaming arrangements, and partner/reseller contracts for federal and SLED (State, Local, and Education) customers.
• Scale & Innovation: Shape internal policies and processes, develop contract templates, and deliver training programs to empower stakeholders and reduce friction in the sales cycle.
• Regulatory & Policy Leadership: Interpret and ensure compliance with FAR/DFARS, agency-specific supplements, and evolving data protection/privacy regulations (e.g., FedRAMP, NIST SP 800-171).
• Oversight of External Legal Advisors: Collaborate with and manage external legal advisors, ensuring cost-effective and high-quality legal services that align with company objectives and standards.
• Risk Mitigation & Strategic Advisory: Proactively identify and propose mitigation strategies for legal, financial, and regulatory risks while maintaining a solution-oriented, business-first mindset.
• Thought Leadership: Stay current on developments in public sector law and policy, proactively advising the organization on how to navigate the shifting regulatory landscape.

The qualifications you need:

• U.S. citizenship required.
• Native or bilingual fluency in English.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible legal experience in government contracting, ideally with a mix of law firm training and in-house experience at a high-growth SaaS or cloud provider. Previous military experience a plus.
• Deep understanding of the public cloud space, including practical experience with FedRAMP authorizations and SaaS-specific licensing models.
• Demonstrated expertise in compliance with key regulatory requirements in the SaaS and public cloud space, including but not limited to procurement, privacy, data protection, export and technology issues.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to clearly explain complex legal issues to non-legal audiences.
• Experience supporting quota-carrying, enterprise-level sales personnel.
• The ability to maintain strong relationships with demanding internal clients and provide creative solutions to the company’s most complex challenges.
• High emotional intelligence an