The Director of Commercial Legal leads all aspects of commercial contracting and legal support, ensures efficient deal execution, and mitigates legal risks associated with customer and partner agreements, focusing on SaaS and software negotiations.
At Gurobi Optimization, we're on a mission!
A mission that focuses on mathematical optimization. We empower our customers to expand their use of mathematical optimization technology in order to make smarter decisions and solve some of the world's toughest and most impactful business problems. We're looking for passionate, dedicated, innovative game-changers to join our team and drive the future of Gurobi.
As Director, Commercial Legal at Gurobi Optimization, you will play a critical role in enabling the company’s growth by leading all aspects of commercial contracting and legal support for revenue-generating, partnering, and purchasing activities.
This is a commercially focused role, with primary responsibility for structuring, negotiating, and closing customer, partner, reseller, and vendor agreements. You will work closely with Operations, Sales, Finance, Corporate Development, and Revenue Operations to ensure deals are executed efficiently, consistently, and in alignment with Gurobi’s business objectives.
You will partner closely with the Deal Desk, Operations, and Sales teams to support effective deal structuring, streamline approval processes, and improve overall deal velocity. Together, you will help establish scalable frameworks, templates, governance models, and best practices that enable the business to move quickly while managing risk appropriately.
This role directly contributes to revenue outcomes by enabling efficient, high-quality deal execution and reducing friction in the contracting process.
As Gurobi’s first dedicated commercial legal leader, you will also help shape how Legal supports the business more broadly — building trusted relationships, providing practical and clear guidance, and contributing to a strong foundation for future growth.
This role will also serve as a key legal resource on data privacy, AI, and security matters as they intersect with commercial relationships, customer agreements, partnerships, and vendor engagements.
While this role will support broader legal areas such as employment, compliance, and governance as needed, the primary focus is on commercial contracting and enabling efficient deal execution.
What You Will Be Doing
- Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of customer software license and SaaS agreements, as well as partner, reseller, and vendor contracts
- Partner closely with Operations, Sales, Finance, Corporate Development, and Revenue Operations (including Deal Desk, Sales Operations, and Marketing Operations) to support deal strategy and enable efficient deal execution
- Operate with appropriate autonomy in deal-related decision-making, exercising sound judgment to balance risk with business priorities while aligning with established approval processes, risk thresholds, and company policies.
- Provide clear, practical legal guidance that enables the business to move forward with confidence.
- Support Deal Desk and Operations teams by advising on deal structure, approvals, and non-standard terms, helping reduce friction and unnecessary escalations
- Establish and scale contracting frameworks, templates, and playbooks to accelerate deal velocity and improve consistency.
- Identify and address legal and contractual risks early, offering solutions aligned with business priorities.
- Reduce reliance on legal escalations through improved standardization, guidance, and stakeholder enablement.
- Support broader legal needs across the business, including employment-related matters, corporate policies, corporate development, governance, and compliance considerations, as needed.
- Partner with IT, Product, Engineering, Security, and Operations on data privacy, AI, cybersecurity, and regulatory considerations where relevant
- Serve as a key legal advisor on data privacy, AI, and security matters related to commercial agreements, including Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), AI addenda, security exhibits, breach notification language, indemnification obligations, and liability provisions.
- Manage external counsel relationships and serve as the primary coordination point for outside legal support to ensure consistency, prioritization, and efficient resource use.
- Build strong, trusted relationships across the organization and position Legal as an approachable, solutions-oriented partner.
You will own and lead all aspects of commercial legal support, acting as a trusted partner to the business and a key enabler of revenue growth.
What Experience and Qualifications Should You Have?
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school and an active license to practice law in at least one jurisdiction
- 8–12+ years of legal experience, with a strong focus on commercial contracting
- Demonstrated experience negotiating complex SaaS or software agreements in a high-growth or technology environment
- Proven ability to partner closely with Operations, Sales, Finance, and Revenue Operations to support and close deals
- Experience working closely with Revenue Operations, Deal Desk, or similar commercial functions is strongly preferred
- Experience building or improving contracting processes, templates, approval frameworks, and deal governance models
- Familiarity with major privacy frameworks, including GDPR and CCPA/CPRA, as well as evolving AI-related regulatory considerations
- Experience negotiating Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), security exhibits, AI addenda, and related privacy/security contractual terms is strongly preferred
- Experience advising on privacy-related liability caps, indemnification obligations, and breach notification requirements in SaaS or AI/ML infrastructure environments is strongly preferred.
- Experience supporting a global organization, including cross-border contracting considerations
- Experience managing and coordinating outside counsel relationships is preferred.
- Working knowledge of employment law and compliance is beneficial, but not the primary focus of the role.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate legal concepts into clear, practical guidance
What Skills, Abilities, and Behaviors Should You Have?
- A strong commercial mindset, with the ability to balance risk and revenue in decision-making
- A pragmatic, solutions-oriented approach that enables the business to move forward effectively
- Ability to partner cross-functionally with Operations, Sales, Finance, Revenue Operations, and executive leadership to improve deal outcomes
- Confidence operating as both an advisor and decision-maker in deal-related matters while aligning with established governance and approval processes
- Ability to work at pace in a dynamic, evolving environment without sacrificing quality
- Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across multiple functions
- A builder mindset, with interest in creating scalable processes and improving how work gets done
- Collaborative, approachable, and people-focused, with the ability to provide clear and constructive guidance
- Foundational understanding of data privacy, AI, and cybersecurity considerations within commercial and SaaS contracting environments
Your Alignment with our Gurobi Core Values:
- Customer Focus: Verbal & written communication skills that bring clarity and build trust.
- Power of the Team: Motivated with a team-oriented mindset that aims to both inspire and be inspired by others.
- Innovation: The courage to bring ideas forward and see yourself as an integral part of our global team.
- Dedication: Organized and agile, focusing on meeting professional objectives while promoting a healthy work/life balance.
- Integrity: Promise to uphold honesty as your compass and conduct all business practices ethically while promoting fiscal responsibility.
Success in This Role
- Improved deal velocity and reduced contracting cycle times
- Compliance with the company-established risk management policies and guidelines
- Increased first-pass deal quality and reduced rework
- Reduction in contracting-related friction and escalations
- Strong partnership and trust with Operations, Sales, and Finance
Success in this role will be measured by:
Gurobi Optimization is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Gurobi Optimization is an E-Verify employer. As part of our hiring process, we utilize the federal E-Verify program to verify the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. For additional information regarding E-Verify, please visit www.e-verify.gov.
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