Principal Counsel, Commercial & Ads

We are looking for a candidate with expertise in negotiating commercial agreements for strategic partnerships, product integrations, and MSAs / IOs with ad agencies and brands.

This role will partner closely with our Ads, Marketing, Sales, Product, and Engineering teams. Deep knowledge of the global privacy landscape governing ad-tech, particularly the use of cookies, pixels, and AI, to customize and personalize digital advertising, is a requirement. Direct experience advising on ad-tech strategies, including direct and programmatic advertising, ad measurement, and data clean rooms is also a necessity for this role.

Critical to success in this role is the ability to: work well under pressure, prioritize, deliver timely on competing demands, and make practical risk assessments.

The ideal candidate is an expert at building effective relationships, navigating ambiguity, and maintaining a flexible, team-first mindset. This role will have the opportunity to help build the legal function as it grows and scales, as well as our larger learning platform.

This position will report to our General Counsel, who will work closely with the extended leadership team and broader organization.

We're happy to share that this is an onsite position in our San Francisco or New York office. To help foster team collaboration, we require that employees be in the office a minimum of three days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and as needed by your manager or the company. We believe that this working environment facilitates increased work efficiency, team partnership, and supports growth as an employee and organization.

In this role, you will:

• Own the drafting and negotiation of the broad range of commercial agreements that enable A Multi-National American Company business, including agreements with ad agencies and brands, first-of-kind agreements for strategic partnerships and platform integrations, DPAs, technology licensing agreements with software providers, and all vendor and sales agreements
• Partner closely with key leaders on our Ads, Marketing, Product, Engineering, and Sales teams to provide practical and business-oriented advice regarding partnerships, our ads product, and other commercial matters, and develop creative solutions to contribute to the overall success of the company
• Counsel on the intersection of global privacy laws and ad-tech, and how the use of cookies, tags, pixels, AI/ML models, and other mechanisms customize and personalize digital advertising
• Assist in managing existing commercial relationships, interpreting contractual obligations, and resolving disputes as they arise
• Act as a thought partner to the extended leadership team as the Company evaluates expanding monetization, both domestically and internationally
• Continually improve scalable legal processes, templates, and playbooks to help the business move quickly and thoughtfully

What you bring to the table:

• Education: J.D. degree from an ABA accredited law school
• Bar: Active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar and eligibility to obtain registered in-house counsel status (if required)
• 10+ years relevant experience in-house or in combination with an internationally/nationally recognized law firm required
• Proven expertise negotiating direct IOs and programmatic vendor agreements, including counseling the business on compliance with global data privacy laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, CCPA, COPPA)
• Deep experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial and technology agreements and identifying key data and privacy issues
• Ability to build effective relationships established on trust, respect, and knowledge - the kind of supportive business partner that inspires cross-functional stakeholders to proactively seek you out for advice and guidance
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to educate and translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable business advice
• Superb business judgment and problem-solving skills
• Calm under pressure, led by curiosity, with a practical approach to risk assessment
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities without missing deadlines and with high autonomy
• Empathetic teammate with a strong work ethic

Bonus points if you have:

• Experience supporting international commercial expansion and localization of legal agreements
• A passion for education and a genuine interest in the future of learning