Commercial Counsel, Partnerships & Alliances

Commercial Counsel, Partnerships and Alliances

About Anthropic

Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

About the Role

As a Commercial Counsel for Partnerships and Alliances at Anthropic, you'll be the legal architect behind the strategic relationships that amplify our AI technology's reach and impact. We’ll count on you to be a trusted business partner who forges, structures, and negotiates transformative partnership arrangements including ISV integrations, SI alliances, reseller channels, and strategic referral networks. You'll work at the intersection of cutting‑edge AI technology and complex commercial arrangements, building the legal foundation for partnerships that will shape how the world accesses and builds with Claude.

Responsibilities:

• Own end‑to‑end legal strategy and execution for Anthropic's partnership ecosystem, including ISV agreements, systems integrator relationships, channel partner programs, reseller arrangements, and strategic alliance structures

• Independently draft, negotiate, and close complex multi‑party agreements involving technical integrations, support commitments, joint go‑to‑market strategies, and revenue considerations

• Serve as primary legal partner to our rapidly scaling Partnerships and Business Development teams, providing strategic counsel that balances legal risk management with aggressive growth objectives

• Design scalable partnership frameworks, templates, and playbooks that enable the team to evaluate and execute deals efficiently while maintaining appropriate risk controls

• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Business Development, Partnerships, Finance, and GTM teams to structure creative deal solutions that achieve business objectives while managing complex risk profiles

You might be a good fit if you have:

• Have a JD and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar (California preferred)

• At least 8 years of relevant legal experience, with at least 3 years of substantial focus on technology partnerships, channel programs, and strategic alliances - you've been the lawyer in the room for ISV deals, SI partnerships, and reseller arrangements

• Demonstrated track record of independently leading complex, multi‑stakeholder negotiations that resulted in successful partnership launches

• Business development instincts paired with legal precision – you understand partnership incentives and can spot opportunities to structure arrangements that work for all parties

• Exceptional ability to build trusted relationships with both internal business teams and external partner counsel, becoming the legal partner they actively want at the table

• Proven ability to design scalable processes and frameworks that enable high‑velocity partnership execution without sacrificing quality

• Superior judgment in risk assessment and mitigation, with the confidence to say both "yes, here's how" and "no, here's why" when the situation demands

• Outstanding communication skills that translate complex legal and commercial concepts into clear guidance for technical and business audiences

• Genuine intellectual curiosity about AI technology and its applications, with commitment to supporting responsible AI deployment through well‑structured partnerships

• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort with ambiguity – you thrive in environments where you're building the plane while flying it

Strong candidates may have:

• Direct experience supporting partnerships organizations at high‑growth technology companies, particularly those that scaled from startup to enterprise

• Background negotiating with and managing relationships with major systems integrators (e.g., Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, Big 4 consulting) or leading ISVs

• Experience designing and launching channel partner or reseller programs from the ground up

• Familiarity with partnership contract incentive alignment including deal registration, referral fees, revenue…