Senior Counsel – Advertising, Media & Talent

Onward Search is a specialized staffing and talent solutions company that helps professionals find top jobs with the nation’s leading brands. We’re hiring a Senior Counsel – Advertising, Media & Talent for a hybrid opportunity in New York, NY. This is a contract role through the end of February 2026. The schedule is regular business hours, and the pay rate is $90–$100/hour, paid weekly, with benefits eligibility.

The Senior Counsel – Advertising, Media & Talent will provide legal and business affairs support on a temporary basis, covering revenue-generating and talent-related matters. This role advises on advertising campaigns, branded content, sponsorships, talent engagements, and consumer-facing initiatives across multiple media channels. The position involves negotiating, drafting, and reviewing a high volume of agreements, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to support broader business operations.

There is no application deadline for this role.

Senior Counsel – Advertising, Media & Talent Responsibilities:

• Advise on legal issues relating to advertising sales, including branded content and sponsorships across digital, print, video, social, and experiential media.
• Draft, review, and negotiate agreements such as insertion orders, SOWs, MSAs, strategic partnerships, advertising sales representation agreements, talent agreements, and NDAs.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate talent-related agreements for editorial, commercial, and event content.
• Support development and implementation of standard policies, tools, and processes for revenue-generating and branded content activities.
• Deliver training and guidance on FTC disclosure requirements, particularly for social media influencers.
• Advise on compliance with health and safety laws, permitting, and local regulatory requirements.
• Provide counsel on consumer-facing activities, including affiliate marketing, sweepstakes, subscription products, and eCommerce.
• Ensure advertising and consumer marketing teams understand relevant laws, including data privacy, IP, FTC and State AG consumer protection, and auto-renewal regulations.
• Address regulatory issues involving advertising compliance, including election law, pharmaceutical and vice advertising, and other restricted industries.
• Collaborate with colleagues to interpret and apply global advertising guidelines to specific campaigns.
• Partner with data privacy counsel on issues relating to data use and protection.
• Support development of best practices in advertising and marketing law across commercial teams to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Provide mentorship to junior team members and collaborate with peers across the legal function.

Senior Counsel – Advertising, Media & Talent Qualifications:

• Significant legal experience in an in-house environment.
• Expertise in commercial contracts, talent agreements, and major revenue transactions.
• Proven ability to deliver legal services within a large, global corporation.
• Experience working in a matrix reporting structure.
• Familiarity with legal operations, compliance, technology, and process improvement.
• Strong ability to present legal advice in a pragmatic, problem-solving, and commercial manner.
• Highly detail-oriented, confident, and proactive with strong self-management skills.
• Positive, flexible, and collaborative attitude with the ability to adapt to a changing business landscape.
• Demonstrated integrity, trustworthiness, and ethical judgment.

Perks & Benefits:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
• Life Insurance.
• 401(k) Program.
• Commuter Benefit.
• eLearning & Ongoing Training.
• Education Reimbursement.

*Eligibility requires working over 30 hours per week on an assignment lasting at least 10 weeks.

If you meet the qualifications and are excited about this opportunity, apply today! Our team will connect with you to discuss next steps, support you through the interview process, and advocate for your success.

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About Onward Search

Onward Search is a nationwide staffing agency and talent solutions provider specializing in creative, marketing, and technology professionals. We work with our nationwide clients to continuously pipeline and fill specialized roles. As such, not all jobs contain an application deadline.

Equal Opportunity Employment

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected category. Candidates must be at least 18 years old to be considered for employment.

EOE/M/F/D/V/SO

Inclusive Hiring Practices

We’re committed to making every part of our hiring process accessible and inclusive. If you need any accommodations or adjustments to support you during the application or interview process, please contact us at inclusivehiring@onwardsearch.com.

Employment Eligibility

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired must verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. We are unable to support 1099 / Corp-to-Corp / Independent Contractor arrangements. All freelancers will be hired as W2 employees.

Benefits

We offer medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as a 401(k) retirement plan to all eligible full-time temporary employees. Onward Search is a drug-free workplace.

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Virtual Interview Process

To help streamline the hiring process and ensure a more flexible and accessible experience for all candidates, we’ve partnered with Apriora, a virtual interviewing platform. For select job openings, you may receive an invitation to interview with Alex, our virtual interviewer, via email at alex@onwardsearch.com.

Alex will guide you through a brief set of questions to help us better understand your background and interests. The virtual interview can be completed on your own time, and your responses will be reviewed by our recruiting team as part of the screening process.

To learn more about the platform, visit Apriora’s website.

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Job Seeker Scam Alert

We’ve become aware of fraudulent recruiters impersonating Onward Search representatives to collect personal or financial information from potential job seekers. Please be vigilant and always protect your information. Learn more about potential threats and how to protect yourself by visiting our job seeker scam alert page.