Senior Commercial Counsel

About Ancestry

When you join Ancestry, you join a human‑centered company where every person’s story is important. Ancestry®, the global leader in family history, connects everyone with their past so they can discover, preserve, and share their unique family stories. With our unparalleled collection of more than 65 billion records, over 3.5 million subscribers, and over 27 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives.

Over the past 40 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving, and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families.

We are committed to our location flexible work approach, allowing you to choose to work in the nearest office, from your home, or a hybrid of both (subject to location restrictions and roles that are required to be in the office – see the full list of eligible US locations).

Together, we work every day to foster a work environment that's inclusive as well as diverse, and where our people can be themselves. Every idea and perspective is valued so that our products and services reflect the global and diverse clients we serve.

Ancestry encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants. Passionate about dedicating your work to enriching people’s lives? Join the curious.

Are you passionate about law, technology, and privacy? Ancestry is searching for a Senior Commercial Counsel to lead contract negotiations and develop innovative strategies that safeguard both our company and our customers’ genetic and personal data. In this role, you will serve as a key business partner, driving global initiatives, navigating cutting‑edge legal challenges, and influencing the future of genomics.

• Act as the primary legal advisor for our procurement team, leading negotiations for essential vendor and supplier contracts that underpin our technology, laboratory, and data operations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a variety of inbound commercial agreements, including SaaS, technology licenses, master services, marketing, and professional services contracts.
• Collaborate with our privacy team to draft and negotiate Data Processing Agreements and security addenda, ensuring third‑party practices meet privacy laws and Ancestry’s high standards.
• Provide clear and actionable legal guidance on contract interpretation, risk mitigation, and compliance to business stakeholders.
• Partner closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure all contractual terms support company policies and objectives.
• Improve efficiency and scalability by helping to develop legal playbooks, contract templates, and internal policies.
• Stay current on legal and regulatory changes that impact Ancestry’s commercial and corporate activities, with a focus on privacy and data security.
• Support senior legal leadership with strategic transactions, corporate governance matters, and other corporate development initiatives.

• J.D. from an ABA‑accredited law school with strong academic performance and an active member in good standing of at least one U.S. state bar.
• 5+ years of relevant experience with a strong focus on technology transactions and complex commercial agreements.
• In‑house experience at a technology or data‑driven company required. Experience at a top‑tier law firm strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to independently negotiate complex procurement, vendor, supplier, and technology agreements on a global scale.
• Deep knowledge of data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA/CPRA, with hands‑on experience negotiating Data Processing Agreements. CIPP/US certification is highly preferred; CIPP/E or other international certifications are a plus.
• Technically savvy, with experience negotiating agreements involving new technologies including AI and machine learning, and comfortable using legal technology and CLM systems to manage workflows.
• Exceptional drafting and negotiation skills, with strong business judgment and excellent communication abilities.
• Collaborati…