Legal Counsel, Commercial

• Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. By delivering hardened, secure
• production-ready builds of all the open source software engineers and AI agents rely on, Chainguard helps organizations build faster, stay compliant
• Our customers include Fortune 500 enterprises and global industry leaders, including Anduril, Canva, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, OpenAI, Snap Inc., and Snowflake.
• Chainguard is venture-backed by leading investors, including Amplify, IVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mantis VC, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Spark Capital.
• The role in a nutshell:
• We are seeking a Senior Counsel, Commercial to serve as a key legal partner to our Go-To-Market organization. This is a highly visible, customer-facing role at the center of the business, enabling revenue growth while protecting the company. This is Chainguard’s first dedicated commercial counsel seat in the UK — an opportunity to lead the charge on the commercial front across EMEA while working closely with the broader legal team and your regional colleagues.
• The ideal candidate is a strong commercial attorney with significant drafting experience who thrives in the energy and intensity of a high-growth company. You are proactive, business-minded
• comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy in a fast-moving environment. You enjoy partnering closely with Sales and cross-functional teams, negotiating directly with sophisticated customer counsel
• taking full ownership of transactions from start to finish.
• In addition to deep commercial expertise, this role requires experience navigating open source licensing considerations, familiarity with DORA and EU privacy law
• comfort negotiating with highly regulated customers. You will primarily support EMEA-based deals while also providing coverage for East Coast US deals — the reverse of how the US team currently supports the international side

What You’ll Do

• Serve as the primary legal partner to the Go-To-Market team for EMEA-based deals, supporting customer transactions from initial structuring through execution
• Provide coverage for East Coast US deals, working in close coordination with the US legal team
• Draft, review, and negotiate SaaS agreements, enterprise customer agreements, professional services agreements, NDAs, and partner and channel agreements
• Draft and maintain standard form agreements and online terms, including platform terms, universal license agreements, and order forms
• Negotiate directly with sophisticated customer counsel, including those at financial services, insurance, healthcare, and pharmaceutical organizations
• Ensure commercial agreements align with open source licensing requirements and industry best practices
• Maintain familiarity with DORA, GDPR, and applicable EU and UK privacy law as it relates to commercial contracting
• Partner closely with Product, Product Legal, Security, and other cross-functional teams to align legal guidance with business and technical objectives
• Provide practical, risk-calibrated advice consistent with company policies and risk tolerance
• Manage a volume of approximately four new deals per week, operating with strong autonomy and sound judgment
• Contribute to scalable contracting processes as the company and international team grow

What We’re Looking For

• Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent legal qualification with active bar or solicitor membership in good standing
• 5+ years of commercial legal experience, ideally combining law firm and in-house technology company experience
• Strong experience drafting and negotiating SaaS, subscription, and professional services agreements
• Demonstrated ability to draft standard form agreements and online terms from the ground up — not solely negotiating third-party paper
• Experience negotiating with highly regulated customers and familiarity with the regulatory considerations impacting those industries
• Working knowledge of open source licensing and compliance considerations
• Familiarity with DORA, GDPR, and UK and EU data privacy frameworks as they apply to commercial contracts
• Experience in cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, or related technology sectors strongly preferred
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across Sales, Product, Security, and executive stakeholders
• Sound business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives
• Comfort managing multiple complex matters independently in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
• Based in the United Kingdom — candidates in other European hubs where Chainguard has existing personnel may also be considered
• Why this role:
• This is a rare opportunity to be the first full-time commercial counsel in Chainguard’s UK and EMEA presence. You will not be starting from scratch — you will have an existing EMEA-based regulatory lawyer as a colleague and a strong US legal team to work alongside. But on the commercial front, you will be making the seat your own, building relationships with the regional sales team
• shaping how Chainguard does deals in this market. As the international team grows, so does the opportunity.
• Base Salary Range
• £132,000 — £155,000 GBP
• About Us
• We live and breathe our company values:
• We are customer obsessed — We focus on delivering solutions to our customers that create value and make their lives better.
• We have a bias for intentional action — We prioritize, plan, try things, and fail fast.
• We don't take ourselves too seriously (but we do serious work) — We are solving an important problem which takes focus, but we also like to enjoy the journey.
• We trust each other and assume good intentions — We're transparent with decisions to empower team members to make well informed decisions.
• A few of the benefits we offer:
• Flexible & Remote-First Culture: Work remotely with team meetup opportunities, bi-annual destination summits, and a monthly stipend for coworking spaces, phone and internet costs.
• Our Approach to Equity: Receive stock options upon hire and promotion. Plus, you can participate in secondary offerings and have 10 years to exercise your options (yes, you read that correctly: 10 years!).
• 100% Covered Health Insurance: We cover 100% of your health, vision and dental insurance premiums for you and your dependents. Nothing comes out of your paycheck.
• ∞ Flexible Time Off: Take the time you need – to do our best work, we need to recharge and reset.
• 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave: We offer 18 weeks for birthing parents and 12 weeks for non-birthing parents, with the option to use it all at once or throughout your child's first year.
• If your experience is close but doesn't fulfill all requirements, please apply. We're building the best team in technology and are focused on hiring "Chainguardians" with unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.
• Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions
• related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity
• other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.
• By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Chainguard will process your personal data in accordance with Chainguard's Global Candidate Privacy Notice .
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