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Senior Director - AI Commercial Counsel

Handshake· General & Administrative
Apply on company site
San Francisco, CA$304k - $380kFull-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Senior commercial attorney focusing on Handshake AI and Handshake AI Enterprise, leading strategic negotiations, deal structuring, and cross-functional collaboration to enable frontier AI data and enterprise transactions.

Responsibilities

  • Strategic commercial transactions: Own the legal strategy and negotiation of Handshake AI's most important customer and partner transactions, including AI data and training agreements, enterprise AI services, and strategic partnerships.
  • Bespoke deal structuring: Create novel commercial structures for complex opportunities where market standards are still developing—translating product, operational, and economic objectives into durable agreements and clear allocations of risk.
  • Data, IP, privacy, and security: Lead negotiations and provide practical advice on data rights, model-training and output rights, IP ownership and licensing, privacy, and security, with a deep understanding of how those terms affect Handshake's products and delivery model.
  • Customer and executive engagement: Represent Handshake directly with sophisticated customer legal teams and senior stakeholders, lead high-stakes negotiations, brief executives on material issues, and drive decisions that keep strategic deals moving.
  • Cross-functional partnership: Partner closely with Sales, Partnerships, Product, and Operations throughout the deal lifecycle—from opportunity shaping and term-sheet strategy through negotiation, signature, implementation, renewal, and expansion.
  • Commercial function leadership: Build the templates, playbooks, approval frameworks, deal-desk practices, and contracting workflows needed to improve deal velocity and risk calibration; establish the commercial legal function and build the team as the business grows.

Qualifications

  • JD and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar (California admission or eligibility to register as in-house counsel in California)
  • 10+ years of combined legal experience, including law firm training and in-house experience at a sophisticated technology company
  • A track record of structuring, negotiating, and closing complex, high-value commercial transactions with enterprise customers
  • Deep experience with enterprise technology and data licensing, including data-use rights, IP, privacy, and security terms
  • Exceptional commercial instinct and judgment, with the ability to identify what matters and calibrate risk to business objectives
  • Executive presence and comfort with ambiguity, with the communication skills to earn trust with fast-moving internal teams and senior stakeholders

Skills

Required:Contract negotiationData licensingIP licensingPrivacy & security

Benefits

  • Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company
  • Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching
  • Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching
  • Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend
  • Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development
  • Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office
  • Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days
  • Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses
Last updated Oct 22, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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