Digital Media, Ads & Marketing Counsel

Overview

About the Role - Instacart is seeking a dynamic and experienced Counsel to provide legal support across both our Ads (Retail Media Network) business and our Marketing function. This is a unique opportunity to work cross-functionally with two high-impact teams, advising on a wide array of legal and business issues in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. From negotiating cutting-edge advertising and marketing deals to advising on legal compliance for product launches and promotional campaigns, you’ll be at the forefront of Instacart’s growth.

You’ll have the opportunity  to quickly dive into the complexities of the Instacart business.  By building strong cross-functional relationships, you’ll become a trusted legal and business partner: identifying opportunities, crafting solutions, and driving impact, even amid ambiguity and evolving priorities.   

You’ll be drafting and negotiating a wide variety of commercial agreements with partners, advertisers, publishers, and vendors. You’ll also offer strategic legal advice on product development, campaigns, digital media strategy, and compliance with evolving regulatory landscapes, including privacy, advertising standards, and consumer protection laws.

We’re looking for an attorney who excels in navigating novel challenges, operates independently, collaborates cross-functionally, and enjoys solving complex problems with practical, business-minded solutions.

About the Team - Every day we solve incredibly hard problems to create a world where everyone has access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together.  Join us!

About the Job 

Legal Counsel & Strategic Advising

• Serve as a trusted legal advisor to both the Ads and Marketing teams, supporting strategic initiatives, campaigns, product innovations, and launches, while mastering the intricacies of the Instacart business to provide meaningful, proactive guidance .
• Provide proactive, pragmatic legal advice on a range of matters, including commercial terms, business operations, consumer protection, advertising compliance, IP (including trademark, copyright, and right of publicity clearance and counseling), privacy, and digital content strategy.
• Anticipate legal issues and trends, helping the business “see around corners” and mitigate risk before it arises.

Contract Drafting & Negotiation

• Draft, negotiate, and implement commercial agreements, including advertising platform agreements, publisher contracts, influencer, talent and sponsorship deals, creative and production agency agreements, agency terms, ad tech terms, media buying terms and guidelines (e.g., IAB), and integrated marketing promotions.
• Create and update form agreements and templates that reflect best practices and reduce friction for business teams.

Regulatory & Compliance

• Monitor and interpret relevant legal and regulatory developments affecting marketing, retail media, advertising platforms, and e-commerce—including FTC, FCC, NAD, GDPR, and CCPA/CPRA requirements.
• Guide on compliance with advertising law, substantiation, disclosures, privacy requirements, endorsements, user-generated content, sweepstakes, promotions, and digital media campaigns.

Collaboration & Education

• Partner with Product, Compliance, Data Privacy, Brand, and Engineering to ensure legal considerations are embedded in the planning stages.
• Train internal stakeholders on legal policies, risk mitigation strategies, and regulatory requirements.
• Communicate complex legal issues clearly and succinctly to non-legal stakeholders, including executive leadership.
• Drive scalable legal solutions, operational efficiencies, and process improvements supporting Instacart’s rapid growth.
• Engage with emerging technologies such as AI in advertising/marketing, and contract management systems to proactively identify legal and practical risks and solutions.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. from a top-tier law school and active membership in at least one state bar (California preferred).
• 5+ years of relevant legal experience, with a strong emphasis in advertising and marketing law.
• At least 3+ years supporting or advising businesses on digital advertising platforms, marketing programs, or retail media networks.
• Direct experience providing legal support to a high-performing sales team and/or an innovative, fast-paced marketing organization.
• Proven ability to counsel on new product launches and marketing activations, including pre-launch review and cross-functional collaboration.
• Proven in-house or law firm experience working with consumer-facing technology companies, retailers, or CPG brands is highly desirable.
• Strong command of advertising, intellectual property, privacy, and consumer protection law.
• Demonstrated experience  acting as a business advisor and strategic partner, not just a legal reviewer, with a history of quickly developing cross-functional relationships.
• Demonstrated experience managing partner negotiations and handling contracts from inception to execution.
• Practical experience with or a strong understanding of AI technologies, digital advertising and marketing  tools, and contract management systems.
• Ability to balance multiple high-priority initiatives in a fast-paced environment with sound judgment and commercial pragmatism.
• Thrives in ambiguous, high-velocity settings, showing initiative and adaptability, even with limited guidance or structure.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify legal complexity for a wide audience.
• Comfortable working autonomously, but collaborative and team-centric in style.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with legal issues in the e-commerce or Internet sectors, including:
• Data security (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA)
• Payments law
• Healthcare or pharmaceutical marketing
• Alcohol and age-restricted marketing laws
• Familiarity with ad tech, media buying, and measurement practices a plus.
• Strong preference for experience advising in e-commerce, CPG, and/or ad tech sectors.

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