About the role
Chainguard is the trusted source for open source. By delivering hardened, secure, and production-ready builds of all the open source software engineers and AI agents rely on, Chainguard helps organizations build faster, stay compliant, and eliminate risk.
Our customers include Fortune 500 enterprises and global industry leaders, including Anduril, Canva, Fortinet, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, OpenAI, Snap Inc., and Snowflake.
Chainguard is venture-backed by leading investors, including Amplify, IVP, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mantis VC, Redpoint Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Spark Capital.
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_*]:min-w-0 gap-3 standard-markdown"> The role, in a nutshell
We are seeking a Lead Counsel, Commercial Legal to lead Chainguard's US commercial legal team, reporting to the Director of Commercial Legal who oversees the global commercial legal function. This is a people leadership role with real deal ownership. You will manage a team of legal professionals while remaining a hands-on negotiator and trusted partner to our US Go-To-Market organization.
The ideal candidate is a seasoned commercial attorney who has made the transition into legal management and knows how to lead a high-performing team without losing their edge as a practitioner. You are organized, decisive, and business-minded, equally capable of coaching a team member through a difficult negotiation and closing a deal yourself. You thrive in high-growth environments, operate with a strong degree of autonomy, and bring the judgment and credibility to earn the trust of both your team and your sales partners.
In addition to deep commercial expertise, this role requires experience navigating open source licensing considerations, familiarity with US federal and state privacy and data security frameworks, and comfort negotiating with highly regulated customers across industries such as financial services, healthcare, defense, and insurance.