Jr. Commercial Counsel

Overview

Smartling was founded 16 years ago to make localization and translation seamless. Today, Smartling is profitable and backed by Battery Ventures, a global technology‑focused investment firm, supporting company growth and expanding our market share and leadership position. We are the only cloud‑based, AI‑enabled translation platform that combines a Neural Machine Translation Hub and professional language services empowering teams to collaborate in real‑time to create experiences customers love.

We are seeking a highly motivated Junior or Associate Commercial Counsel to join Smartling’s lean, but growing legal team. This role will focus on reviewing, drafting, and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements, supporting sales, partnerships, and vendor relationships. The Junior/Associate Commercial Counsel will work closely with our Commercial Counsel and internal business teams to ensure contracts align with company policies, manage risk, and support Smartling’s strategic objectives.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated attorney to gain broad experience in a fast‑paced SaaS and AI‑driven environment, while making an immediate impact by taking on meaningful responsibility for commercial contract work. The role will enable our Commercial Counsel to focus on higher‑level strategic matters, while providing the Junior/Associate Counsel with substantial exposure to business‑critical deals and regulatory issues.

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a variety of commercial agreements, including:
  • Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) subscription agreements
  • Master services agreements
  • Professional services agreements
  • Vendor and supplier agreements
  • Strategic partnership and reseller agreements
  • Confidentiality/non‑disclosure agreements (NDAs)
  • Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) and AI addenda
• Ensure contract terms align with company policies, risk tolerances, and business objectives.
• Provide practical, business‑oriented legal advice to internal stakeholders across sales, partnerships, product, procurement, and operations teams.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the evolving domestic and international regulatory landscape (including GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy/data security regulations).
• Support the development and maintenance of playbooks, contract templates, and negotiation guidelines.
• Contribute to team knowledge in specialized areas such as intellectual property, data protection, SaaS licensing, open‑source usage, and AI training data considerations.
• Train and advise business teams on contract processes and negotiation best practices.
• Collaborate with senior counsel and company leadership on broader legal initiatives, including policy development and compliance programs.
• Balance competing priorities and provide clear, decisive guidance in a fast‑paced environment.
• Perform other related legal duties and special projects as needed to support broader business objectives.

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school.
• Admission to and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar, in good standing.
• 2–4 years of relevant legal experience in a law firm and/or in‑house legal department.
• Experience with commercial transactions such as SaaS, IP licensing, strategic alliances, and vendor agreements.
• Strong understanding of data protection and privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) as applied to commercial contracts.
• Familiarity with cloud services, technology, and professional services contracting.
• Exceptional drafting and negotiation skills with the ability to explain complex legal issues to non‑lawyers in a clear, concise manner.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple matters simultaneously.
• Practical judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with business goals.
• A proactive, collaborative teammate with a strong client‑service orientation.
• Intellectual curiosity and an interest in emerging issues related to translation/localization services, SaaS, and AI.
• Bonus: experience with AI/ML contracts and knowledge of how training data is used in building AI models.

• An Analytical Thinker. Analyzing complex situations and making informed decisions
• Self‑organized. Can…