Legal Program Manager, Contracts and Governance

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Commercial Legal to continuously improve the end-to-end commercial contracting lifecycle for sell-side agreements (SaaS/API subscriptions, enterprise licenses, partnership and channel agreements, statements of work, and order forms), ensuring alignment with revenue recognition requirements under ASC 606
• Partner with Finance and Accounting to ensure commercial contract terms and structures support accurate revenue recognition, including proper identification of performance obligations, variable consideration, contract modifications, and multi-element arrangements
• Develop and maintain contract management workflows, templates, approval matrices, and playbooks that embed governance and compliance requirements directly into the contracting process
• Build and operate contract governance controls tied to compliance requirements, including contract review procedures, delegation of authority frameworks, and exception-tracking mechanisms
• Maintain disclosure-support processes for commercial contracts, including tracking of material agreements, contract-related risks, and commitments that feed SEC reporting and audit requirements
• Partner with Revenue Operations, Sales, and Engineering to design and enforce contract execution standards — including signature authority, amendment protocols, and proper documentation practices — that support SOX compliance and internal controls over financial reporting
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders (Sales, Partnerships, Finance, FP&A, Accounting, Engineering, and external auditors) to ensure commercial commitments are properly captured, classified, and reported
• Deploy LLM and AI tooling to scale contracting throughput, surface governance exceptions, and reduce manual handling

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 8–10 years of experience in legal program management, legal operations, contracts management, or commercial legal support, preferably in a technology or SaaS environment
• Deep, practical knowledge of sell-side commercial contracting processes, including SaaS, subscription, and enterprise licensing agreements
• Strong ability to read, interpret, and analyze commercial contracts, with a thorough understanding of legal requirements, key contractual provisions, risk allocation, and compliance obligations
• Working familiarity with revenue recognition principles (ASC 606) and how contract terms and deal structures impact revenue treatment
• Experience building or significantly improving contracting workflows, templates, approval processes, or contract lifecycle management systems
• Demonstrated ability to partner cross-functionally with Sales, Finance, Accounting, Engineering, and other business teams to align contracting practices with corporate requirements
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, drive accountability, and deliver results in a fast-paced, scaling environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal and financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders
• Sound judgment and the ability to identify and escalate contract risks, governance gaps, and compliance issues proactively
• Comfort using AI and LLM tools to streamline and scale routine contracting work

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience working in a public company environment, with firsthand knowledge of the governance, compliance, and reporting cadences that public company operations require
• Experience at a high-growth technology company that has undergone (or is preparing for) a company transition
• Deep cross-functional experience partnering with Accounting, Engineering, and other technical and operational teams
• Familiarity with SOX compliance requirements, particularly internal controls over financial reporting as they relate to the revenue cycle and commercial contracting
• Hands-on experience with Ironclad as a contract lifecycle management platform; experience with other CLM tools (Icertis, DocuSign CLM, Salesforce, or similar) also valued
• Experience with vendor and supplier contracting processes
• Background in building delegation of authority frameworks or contract governance programs from the ground up
• Professional certifications such as PMP or CPCM (Certified Professional Contracts Manager)
• Experience managing or administering equity-related commercial agreements, strategic partnerships, or complex multi-party commercial arrangements
• Interest in AI policy, AI safety, and the legal and governance questions emerging at the frontier of the field