Description:
About the Opportunity:- Ellucian is seeking a proactive, business-oriented, and tech-savvy Associate General Counsel to join our growing Legal team. This is a critical leadership role, reporting to the Chief Legal Officer (CLO), responsible for helping shape and execute the company's legal strategy while leading and modernizing our global commercial contracting function.
- In this role, you will oversee high-impact commercial transactions across our global SaaS business and drive the adoption of legal technology to increase scalability, transparency, and contracting velocity. You will serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership and partner cross-functionally with Sales, Product, InfoSec, Engineering, Finance, and Operations to enable revenue growth while managing legal, regulatory, data protection, and governance risk.
- This role offers the opportunity to shape and scale a modern, technology-enabled legal function while serving as a strategic partner to executive leadership and driving meaningful business impact across Ellucian's global operations.
Strategic Leadership
- Serve as a key leader, reporting to the CLO, helping to oversee and run the commercial contracting function across the enterprise fostering a high-performing, solutions-oriented team culture.
- Drive modernization across the legal function, including implementing and optimizing Legal Tech solutions, contracting workflows, templates, playbooks, and automation tools to increase efficiency and velocity.
- Drive cross-functional legal initiatives that enhance operational excellence, compliance, and revenue enablement.
- Advise senior executives and business leaders on legal risks, opportunities, and strategic decisions.
- Translate complex legal and regulatory requirements into clear, business-ready guidance to support practical and compliant decision-making.
- Draft, structure, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of complex commercial agreements, including:
- SaaS subscription and cloud services agreements
- Licensing, development, and strategic partnership agreements
- Data Processing Addendums (DPAs) and AI addendums
- NDAs, content licenses, and vendor/supplier agreements
- Lead end-to-end negotiations for high-value, strategic transactions, balancing legal risk with business objectives to close impactful deals.
- Oversee scalable contracting frameworks that accelerate deal cycles while maintaining appropriate risk controls.
- Partner with M&A integration teams to streamline contracting processes, harmonize terms, and align legal frameworks post-acquisition.
- Advise on corporate, intellectual property, governance, and compliance matters.
- Provide guidance on complex regulatory issues affecting global SaaS providers, including data privacy, AI governance, and information security.
- Support compliance with GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act, FERPA, and other applicable regulations.
- Assist with business development transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships, including post-acquisition integration.
- Uphold the company's ethical standards and demonstrate sound professional judgment in all legal and business matters.
What you will bring:
- Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
- 10+ years of legal experience, including in-house experience in commercial contracting, IP, M&A, and corporate governance matters.
- Experience leading commercial legal initiatives as a strategic business partner, improving efficiency and supporting revenue growth.
- Proven experience managing multiple complex projects and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced, global environment.
- Experience working cross-functionally across Sales, Product, InfoSec Engineering, Finance, and Operations teams.
- Experience modernizing contracting and Legal Operations functions.
- Exceptional business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with strategic objectives.
- A collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset that builds trust and drives alignment across stakeholders.
- Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex legal concepts for non-legal audiences.
- Adaptability, resilience, and a commitment to continuous improvement in a dynamic, global environment.
What makes #Ellucianlife
- Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
- Flexible time off
- Thrive Flex Lifestyle Account (LSA) that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
- 401k w/ match & BrightPlan - to help you save for the future
- Parental Leave
- 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
- Telemedicine
- Wellness
- Headspace Care (mental health)
- Wellbeats (virtual fitness classes)
- RethinkCare & Wellthy– caregiver supporq
- Diversity and inclusion programs which provide access to internal employee resource groups
- Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
- We Foster a learning culture with:
- Education Assistance Program
- Professional development opportunities
#LI-Hybrid
