The Senior Commercial Counsel will serve as a senior individual contributor and trusted advisor within the Legal team, with substantial autonomy and primary responsibility for leading the company’s most complex commercial transactions. The role is expected to independently resolve sophisticated legal and commercial issues, exercise sound judgment regarding appropriate risk acceptance, and escalate matters to Legal leadership only when warranted by the significance or novelty of the issue.
The ideal candidate is an experienced commercial attorney who combines excellent legal judgment with a strong understanding of business objectives and risk. This role requires the ability to independently manage complex negotiations, identify and communicate material legal and commercial risks, develop pragmatic solutions, and effectively advise senior business stakeholders in a fast-paced, technology-driven environment.
The Senior Commercial Counsel will also contribute to the continued development of the Legal function through mentorship, development of contracting standards and playbooks, and improvements to contracting processes and legal operations.
What you will do:
- Complex Commercial Transactions: Independently lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex client, vendor, technology, data licensing, and strategic partnership agreements, particularly involving adtech, martech, and data-driven products and services.
- Strategic Legal Advice: Serve as a trusted legal advisor to Sales and other business leaders, providing practical guidance on contractual, commercial, and legal risks and developing solutions that enable business objectives while appropriately protecting the company.
- Negotiation Strategy & Risk Management: Develop and execute negotiation strategies for sophisticated and high-value transactions; identify, assess, and clearly communicate material legal and commercial risks and recommend appropriate paths forward.
- Data & Privacy Contracting: Partner closely with Privacy and other subject-matter experts to address privacy, data protection, security, and regulatory requirements in commercial agreements, including requirements arising under applicable U.S. and international privacy and data laws.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Sales, Privacy, Finance, Security, Product, Operations, and other stakeholders to resolve complex deal issues, support strategic initiatives, and facilitate efficient deal execution.
- Commercial Legal Standards: Develop and maintain the company’s contracting framework, including templates, playbooks, fallback positions, approval and escalation standards, and risk guidelines. Identify recurring contracting issues and recommend changes to company positions and processes based on evolving business needs, market practices, and legal developments.
- Mentorship & Leadership: Provide guidance and mentorship to attorneys and other legal professionals and demonstrate leadership through subject-matter expertise, sound judgment, and effective collaboration, without formal people-management responsibility.
- Business & Industry Expertise: Develop and maintain deep knowledge of the company’s products, services, business model, contracting practices, and the evolving legal and commercial landscape affecting data-driven businesses.
What you will need:
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
- 8+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience negotiating sophisticated commercial and technology transactions; 12+ years of experience preferred.
- Significant experience independently leading complex negotiations involving technology, data, SaaS, licensing, services, or similar commercial arrangements.
- Exceptional contract drafting and negotiation skills, including the ability to identify material risks, prioritize issues, and develop practical solutions in complex transactions.
- Strong business judgment and demonstrated ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives, make risk-based decisions, and determine when escalation to Legal leadership is appropriate.
- Ability to independently manage a substantial workload, prioritize competing demands, and drive matters to resolution with appropriate urgency.
- Ability to understand complex business, technical, and data-related issues and communicate them clearly to legal and non-legal audiences.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to effectively advise and influence stakeholders at multiple levels of the organization, including senior leadership.
- Comfort operating independently in an environment involving ambiguity, evolving priorities, and complex business issues.
What will set you apart:
- Experience working directly with sophisticated enterprise customers and their legal, procurement, privacy, and security teams.
- Demonstrated ability to serve as a trusted advisor to senior business leaders and influence outcomes without formal authority.
- Experience supporting government or public sector transactions
Primary Location City/State:
Homebased - Conway, Arkansas
Additional Locations (if applicable):
Acxiom is an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status (EOE/Vet/Disabled) and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, promotion or other employment of associates or the awarding of subcontracts because of a person's race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, protected veteran, military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics or other protected status.
Attention California Applicants: Please see our CCPA/CPRA Privacy Act notice here.
Attention Colorado, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Washington Applicants: This position is not located in the aforementioned locations but applications for remote work may be considered. For information about this role under state or local equal pay or pay transparency laws, please contact recruit@acxiom.com.
