Senior Manager Legal Counsel

About the role

AI71 is scaling its commercial and legal operations and needs a senior, commercially‑minded lawyer to own customer‑facing, revenue‑generating contracts and high‑value engagements. This is a hands‑on individual‑contributor position that will evolve into a leadership role as the legal function expands.

Key responsibilities

• Draft, review and negotiate master framework agreements, SaaS and support contracts, and statements of work from RFP stage through signature.
• Act as legal lead on high‑value, complex engagements, providing pragmatic advice and supporting M&A activity where required.
• Advise product and engineering teams on data‑sharing, licensing, AI, data‑protection and privacy requirements.
• Develop core legal infrastructure such as risk‑tiered templates, playbooks, a contract repository and self‑service capabilities.
• Mentor junior lawyers, manage external counsel relationships, and deputise for the General Counsel as needed.
• Handle disputes and oversee cost‑effective resolution, including managing external counsel.

Required profile

• 6–10 years post‑qualification experience, including in‑house work at a technology, SaaS, fintech or high‑growth company.
• Strong commercial contracting background across the full lifecycle (framework agreements, SaaS/licensing, SOWs, NDAs) with excellent drafting and negotiation skills.
• High emotional intelligence, collaborative style and ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Commercial acumen, pragmatic risk‑based judgment and a “can‑do” attitude.
• Resilience, strong organisational skills and ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment.
• Qualified lawyer (civil or common law jurisdiction) fluent in English.

Required skills

• Experience with AI, data privacy and data‑protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, UAE frameworks).
• Knowledge of intellectual property and revenue‑protection provisions in commercial agreements.