Associate General Counsel

Updater Inc. is seeking a strategic and pragmatic Associate General Counsel to join our legal team, with a focus on product counseling across our suite of products and services and supporting commercial transactions. The role will advise and support our Product and Go-to-Market efforts across all product lines and revenue streams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in product counseling and transactional law—particularly in fast-paced, tech-forward environments—with experience with data privacy and security, artificial intelligence, commercial contracts and regulatory matters. This role will be instrumental in shaping our legal approach to innovation, growth, and compliance, particularly as it relates to product strategy. This role also will present opportunities to grow and lead in other areas over time. Reporting to the General Counsel, this role demands exceptional judgment, negotiation, drafting, analytical skills, and a desire to learn. 

Responsibilities

• Product Counseling: Advise the product and engineering teams on the full product development cycle from ideation to deprecation of all products and product features across all business lines. Act as the lead legal advisor to our product, engineering, and design teams throughout the full product lifecycle, from ideation and development to launch and iteration. Identify legal risks and provide actionable solutions to advance innovation and regulatory compliance.

• Commercial Contracts: Lead all commercial contracting activities (revenue and procurement) and draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial contracts with a focus on achieving stated business objectives. Partner with cross-functional business teams to understand and support their needs to achieve Company objectives while appropriately managing legal risk.

• Data Privacy and Security: Partner closely with the Security function to advise on product, marketing and internal operations on data privacy and security risk and issues. Shape, lead and maintain data privacy policies.

• EmergingTechnologies & Innovation: Advise on the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies within the Company's products. Help shape internal policies and frameworks governing ethical and compliant AI use across the business. Advise engineering on open source use and IP protection strategies.

• Operational Excellence and Enablement: Drive continuous improvements to internal processes, including revising templates and developing and maintaining playbooks, checklists and other knowledge management tools to support scalable legal support across functions.

• Strategic Leadership: Shape, develop and enhance Company-wide legal strategies on artificial intelligence, privacy and security, regulatory compliance and commercial risk management. Drive high-impact projects involving legal analysis and compliance with cross-functional stakeholders. 

• Advisory: Provide timely advice on matters involving intellectual property, transactional law and regulatory compliance, including ongoing monitoring on emerging legal and regulatory trends that may impact the Company's business and operations.

• Management: Manage and mentor Contract Manager, fostering a culture of high performance and accountability to drive operational excellence.

Requirements

• Knowledge and Experience: 12+ years of legal experience, with a mix of law-firm and in-house experience advising on product and commercial matters. In-depth knowledge of product counseling and commercial contracting in fast-paced environments, including, in particular, knowledge of AI and privacy regulatory frameworks and contracting best practices. Preferred: A mix of law-firm training and corporate tech-forward, in-house experience. Experience with litigation and/or corporate transactions (i.e., fundraising and/or M&A). 

• Credentials and Education: Admission in good standing to practice law in the relevant state bar and Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school. 

• Independence and Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to independently manage a diverse and complex workload in a fast-changing environment as well as collaborate across functions at all levels. 

• Communication: Exceptional interpersonal and oral and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate legal and complex issues and risks to executive and non-legal audiences.

• Mindset: Demonstrated adaptability and curiosity with a willingness to dive into new legal and technology areas, solve problems creatively, and contribute beyond a traditional legal role. Developed solutions-oriented approach to analyzing issues with an ability to consider divergent perspectives.

• Attitude and Ethics: A desire to build the legal function and grow personally without fear of taking on new things. Dedication to integrity, judgment and discretion with confidential and sensitive matters. 

The new hire salary range for this position is $250,000 - $300,000 annually. Factors that may affect the starting pay within this range include skills, experience, and other qualifications aligned with Updater's internal leveling guidelines.