Associate Commercial Counsel

About the role

You will lead the negotiation and execution of large enterprise SaaS agreements, owning the end-to-end commercial and legal strategy from initial discussions through signature. You will act as a primary legal partner to Sales, CSM, Product, and Deal Desk, embedding directly into the revenue process to enable deals while protecting the company. In this role, you will apply a disciplined risk framework and the company's contract playbook to manage complexity and ensure consistency. You will exercise sound judgment and resilience under pressure, balancing the enablement of revenue with the protection of the business. This role requires independent judgment to escalate material issues and make timely decisions on deal risk. You will contribute to the ongoing improvement of contract templates and processes, driving standardization and efficiency for scale. This is a critical position within Emburse's next growth phase, offering the chance to build and influence a high-performing legal function. You will join a fun, fast-paced, and good-natured team committed to delivering extraordinary results through technology.

Key facts

What you'll do

Lead negotiations for large enterprise SaaS agreements, including Master Service Agreements, Order Forms, Statements of Work, Data Processing Addenda, and amendments across multiple stakeholders.

Partner with Sales and Revenue Operations as a deal enabler, driving contracts to signature efficiently while removing commercial and legal friction without compromising risk tolerance.

Interpret, apply, and enforce the Company's commercial contracting playbook, utilizing defined fallback positions, escalation thresholds, and approval workflows to maintain control.

Assess and communicate legal and commercial risks clearly and proactively, proposing practical alternatives that protect the business and preserve deal momentum.

Support global contracting needs, navigating cross-border transactions and region-specific legal requirements such as data protection, governing law, and payment terms.

Provide advice on data protection, security, liability allocation, indemnities, and regulatory considerations common to enterprise SaaS customers, aligning terms with best practices.

Collaborate with Deal Desk, Finance, and Accounting on revenue recognition-sensitive terms, pricing mechanics, and payment structures to ensure alignment and accuracy.

Contribute to contract standardization, template improvements, and process optimization initiatives that support scalability and efficiency across the organization.

Manage a high volume of concurrent matters under tight deadlines, maintaining accuracy, consistency, and attention to detail in all deliverables.

Escalate material issues to senior leadership and exercise independent judgment on deal risk, ensuring decisions reflect both legal prudence and commercial reality.

Serve as the primary liaison with internal stakeholders, translating complex legal concepts into practical business guidance that facilitates informed decision-making.

Monitor trends in enterprise SaaS contracting and regulatory landscapes, incorporating insights into contract practices to maintain competitive and robust agreements.

Own the administration of key contract lifecycle tasks, ensuring proper documentation, version control, and adherence to internal governance standards.

Act as a trusted advisor to commercial teams, providing training and guidance on contracting policies, risk thresholds, and the effective application of the playbook.

Requirements

Juris Doctor from an accredited U.S. law school is required for this role.

Candidates must possess a current and active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.

Eligible to work in Texas is mandatory, with Texas bar membership being a preferred but not required credential.

You must bring a minimum of 5 years of relevant legal experience, with a significant portion focused on commercial contracting.

Prior experience negotiating enterprise-level B2B agreements is essential to succeed in this position.

You must have experience working in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, such as a SaaS company, high-growth tech company, or Am Law firm with a strong commercial practice.

A high degree of ownership, accountability, and follow-through is required to manage complex matters with limited supervision.

You must be comfortable operating effectively under pressure, managing competing priorities, and meeting strict deadlines without sacrificing quality.

Clear and direct communication is essential, with the ability to translate legal risk into practical business guidance for non-legal stakeholders.

Strong commercial judgment is required to make risk-based decisions in real time while balancing revenue opportunities with liability exposure.

You must have a strong understanding of SaaS-specific issues, including liability caps, indemnities, service level agreements, data protection, and security terms.

Experience supporting Private Equity-backed or Venture Capital-backed companies is preferred and highly relevant to this environment.

Exposure to international contracting and data protection frameworks, such as GDPR, is preferred and adds significant value.

Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with the highest level of discretion is mandatory.

You must be detail-oriented while maintaining a holistic view of commercial objectives to ensure agreements support business goals.

Comfortable working with senior stakeholders across Sales, Finance, and Executive Leadership is necessary for effective collaboration.

Nice to have

Experience in supporting PE-backed or VC-backed companies.

Exposure to international contracting and data protection frameworks like GDPR.

Practical notes

This role requires availability during standard business hours.

Travel may be required, potentially up to 25 percent, for customer meetings or legal conferences.

Candidates must be eligible to work in Texas.

This position is subject to background checks as part of the hiring process.