Commercial Counsel

ABOUT ZIP

Zip is the AI platform for enterprise procurement — built for humans and agents working together. By orchestrating procurement across teams, tools, and suppliers with the help of AI agents, companies can secure the resources they need to innovate faster than ever before.

The world’s most influential enterprises trust Zip, including T-Mobile, OpenAI, AMD, Mars, Dollar Tree, and more. Together they’ve saved over $8 billion and processed over $500 billion in spend. Zip’s team includes product leaders from Apple, Airbnb, and Meta, as well as former procurement leaders from United Health, Sanofi, MGM Resorts, Discover, and NASA.

Backed by Adams Street, Alkeon, BOND, CRV, DST, Tiger Global, and Y Combinator, Zip has raised $371 million, most recently at a $2.2 billion valuation and has been recognized by Forbes Fintech 50, Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Inc. Best in Business, and LinkedIn Top Startups.

YOUR ROLE

TLDR - If you are a commercially minded lawyer who enjoys helping a fast-growing software company close deals, solve practical problems, and build a high-functioning legal team, we would like to hear from you.

Zip is looking for a Commercial Counsel based in San Francisco (or remote) to support our go-to-market and revenue teams, with a primary focus on customer contracts and outbound commercial work. This role is for a business-minded lawyer who knows how to help close deals, calibrate risk appropriately, and keep the business moving.

The core of the role is negotiating and advising on customer-facing agreements in a fast-paced, high-growth enterprise software environment. We are looking for someone who is practical, responsive, and commercially sharp, with added value if they also bring experience in product, AI, privacy, or data-related matters.

This lawyer should be comfortable working closely with Sales, Revenue, Product, Security, and other cross-functional teams, and should have the judgment to distinguish between issues that matter and issues that should not slow the deal down.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of a high volume of customer-facing commercial agreements, including:

• SaaS agreements

• MSAs

• Order forms

• DPAs

• NDAs

• Partner and reseller agreements

• Other outbound commercial contracts

• Partner closely with Sales, Revenue, Partnerships, Security, Procurement, and other business teams to support efficient deal execution

• Advise internal stakeholders on legal and commercial risk in a practical, business-forward way

• Help structure positions that support revenue goals while keeping risk at an acceptable level for Zip

• Negotiate inbound commercial contracts with vendors, partners, and service providers

• Build and refine templates, fallback language, negotiation playbooks, and approval frameworks that help accelerate deal cycles

• Identify recurring friction points in customer negotiations and improve the contracting process at a systems level

• Support questions relating to privacy, data use, data protection, and product-related commercial issues as they arise in customer deals

• Collaborate with Product, Security, and compliance stakeholders on contract terms touching product functionality, security commitments, AI, and data handling

• Contribute to scalable legal processes and help improve how legal supports the business as Zip grows

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• 6 to 8+ years of relevant legal experience, preferably with a mix of law firm and in-house experience

• Significant experience negotiating customer-facing commercial agreements, especially SaaS and enterprise software contracts

• Strong business judgment and comfort balancing legal risk, commercial priorities, and speed

• Ability to give clear, concise advice that enables stakeholders to make decisions quickly

• Strong drafting and negotiation skills

• Comfort working independently in a fast-moving environment with shifting priorities

• Ability to partner effectively with sales and business teams while maintaining sound legal judgment

• A practical approach to problem-solving, with a focus on enabling the business rather than creating unnecessary process

• J.D. and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience advising on product counseling matters

• Experience with privacy and data protection issues, including commercial privacy questions and data processing terms

• Familiarity with U.S. privacy laws and general global privacy frameworks relevant to customer contracting

• Experience working with security review processes and security-related contract provisions

• Experience in a high-growth SaaS or enterprise software company

• Experience supporting international commercial work

HOW YOU WORK

• You are practical, responsive, and commercially minded

• You know how to separate real risk from theoretical risk

• You move quickly and help the business move quickly

• You are comfortable taking informed, thoughtful positions in support of revenue goals

• You build trust with stakeholders by being clear, solutions-oriented, and easy to work with

• You look for ways to make recurring legal work more scalable and efficient

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

This role is central to how Zip supports revenue and scales its commercial legal function. You will help close customer deals more efficiently, improve contracting processes, and partner closely with teams across the company to support growth. You will also have the opportunity to broaden into adjacent areas such as product, privacy, and data as the legal team continues to expand.

The salary range for this role is $161,500-$236,250. The salary for this position is determined based on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant experience, education, or particular skills and expertise.

PERKS & BENEFITS

At Zip, we’re committed to providing our employees with everything they need to do their best work.

• 📈 Start-up equity

• 🦷 Full health, vision & dental coverage

• 🍽️ Catered lunches & dinners for SF employees

• 🚍 Commuter benefit

• 🚠 Team building events & happy hours

• 🌴 Flexible PTO

• 💻 Apple equipment plus home office budget

• 💸 401k plan

We're looking to hire Zipsters and that means hiring people who take ownership, communicate openly, have an underdog mindset, and are excited to increase the pace of innovation for every business in the world. We encourage all candidates to apply even if your experience doesn't exactly match up to our job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workspace where everyone (regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and more) feels like they belong. We look forward to hearing from you!