Commercial Counsel

Progress is seeking a Commercial Counsel to join their Legal team in a hybrid role based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The successful candidate will advise on various commercial matters and customer-facing transactions, working closely with sales, finance, and other teams. Responsibilities include drafting and negotiating contracts, ensuring data protection compliance, and identifying legal risks to support business goals. This role requires a minimum of 5 years of in-house commercial legal experience, preferably in the technology industry.

Must Have

• Advise on contracts and licensing for software, cloud, and services.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with customers, partners, and vendors.
• Create and update contract templates and playbooks.
• Advise on commercial disputes and escalations.
• Negotiate BAAs, Data Processing Addenda, and data protection terms.
• Identify and mitigate legal risks, provide practical solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve legal support.
• Minimum 5 years in-house commercial legal experience in technology.
• Ability to understand complex contractual issues and assess risk.
• Provide concise, business-focused legal advice.
• Self-motivated, proactive problem solver.

Good to Have

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Solid analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Solid business acumen and strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to changing business needs and priorities.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion.
• Experience supporting customer care, success, or support organizations in SaaS.
• Solid technical skills with a continuous learning mindset.
• Embrace change and work collaboratively.
• High ethical standards and integrity.

Perks & Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life & disability, and financial benefits (including 401(k) retirement savings plan).
• Tuition Reimbursement program.
• Additional voluntary benefits including crucial illness/hospital indemnity, identity theft protection, auto & home insurance, legal, and pet insurance.
• Competitive salary, bonus, and best-in-class Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) with a 27-month lookback.
• Flexible paid vacation time, paid day off for your birthday, and company holidays.
• A variety of leave plans, including Parental Leave.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and an employee well-being program focusing on physical, mental, and financial health.

We are Progress (Nasdaq: PRGS) - the trusted provider of software that enables our customers to develop, deploy and manage responsible, AI-powered applications and experiences with agility and ease. We're proud to have a diverse, global team where we value the individual and enrich our culture by considering varied perspectives because we believe people power progress. Join us as a Commercial Counsel and help us do what we do best: propelling business forward. This will be a hybrid role so working between your home office and our Raleigh NC office. You must already be local to that area to be considered for this role.

We seek a qualified and experienced Commercial Counsel to join our Legal team and provide advice and support to our management and internal clients on various commercial matters and customer-facing transactions. You will work closely with our sales, finance, operations, information security, product management, and business line executives to draft and negotiate contracts and licenses, ensure compliance with data protection laws and regulations, and help us achieve our business goals and objectives.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and maintain a solid working knowledge of the company's business, products and services, and industry trends.
• Advise internal clients on various legal issues pertaining to contracts and licensing, including software licenses, cloud subscriptions, professional services, distributors, resellers, and other technology-related agreements.
• Lead projects and work with cross-functional teams, including operations, sales enablement, finance, and marketing, to improve internal processes and increase the efficiency and scalability of commercial legal support;
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts and licenses with customers, partners, vendors, and other third parties in accordance with the company's policies and procedures.
• Create and update contract templates and playbooks, oversee their deployment, and train sales personnel and other constituents on their applicability and when to use them.
• Advise the business on contract negotiation thresholds, order acceptance issues, and other contract-related points.
• Advise on commercial disputes and support escalations.
• Work with legal team colleagues responsible for the data protection practice area, as well as other relevant constituents, in the negotiation of BAAs, Data Processing Addenda, and terms relating to data protection and information security practices.
• Understand and support public company controls and procedures.
• Identify and mitigate legal risks and provide proactive and practical solutions to complex and challenging business issues.
• Collaborate with other members of the legal team and external counsel as needed.

Your background:

• Law degree from a reputable university.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant in-house experience as a commercial lawyer, preferably in the technology industry, focusing on software, SaaS, and cloud offerings.
• In-house experience in a fast-paced, business results-oriented, and team-based environment.
• Understand complex contractual and business issues, assess risk, and provide concise business-focused legal advice to internal clients.
• Self-motivated, proactive, problem solver, and team player who can drive multiple time-sensitive projects.
• Must be comfortable working independently with little oversight in a dynamic environment.
• A self-starter and fast learner who likes a challenge.

Additionally, it would be great if you bring the following:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Solid analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Solid business acumen and strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt to changing business needs and priorities.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Experience in supporting customer care, success or support organizations in SaaS environment.
• Solid technical skills with a continuous learning mindset to develop a deeper understanding of the business.
• Embrace change in the organization and the role, working collaboratively to ensure the sales teams receive excellent support and service.
• High ethical standards and integrity.

Base Salary Range: $136,000 - $168,000

This position is also eligible to participate in our performance-based annual corporate bonus plan. Final base compensation is determined by a number of factors, including but not limited to job-related skills, education, demonstrable experience, and allowance for future and continued salary growth. We also offer a robust benefits package, with details below.

If this sounds like you and fits your experience and career goals, we’d be happy to chat.

What we offer in return is the opportunity to experience a great company culture with wonderful colleagues to learn from and collaborate with and also to enjoy:

• Medical, dental, vision, life & disability, and financial benefits (including 401(k) retirement savings plan. Tuition Reimbursement program. Additional voluntary benefits including crucial illness/hospital indemnity, identity theft protection, auto & home insurance, legal, and pet insurance.
• Competitive salary, bonus, and best-in-class Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) with a 27-month lookback
• Flexible paid vacation time, paid day off for your birthday, and company holidays. A variety of leave plans, including Parental Leave.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and an employee well-being program focusing on physical, mental, and financial health.

Apply now!

#LI-hybrid

Together, We Make Progress

Progress is an inclusive workplace where opportunities to succeed are available to everyone. As a multicultural company serving a global community, we encourage a wide range of points of view and celebrate our diverse backgrounds. Our unique combination of perspectives inspires innovation, connects us to our customers and positively affects our communities. It is only by working together and learning from each other that we make Progress. Join us!