Senior Director, Commercial Counsel

Reports to: General Counsel / Deputy General Counsel

Company: Global Payments Technology Company (PE-backed)

Overview

We are seeking a Commercial Counsel to serve as legal partner to our sales, business development, and partnerships teams. This role will provide practical, business-minded legal guidance on the structuring, negotiation, and execution of commercial agreements, with a focus on customer contracts, partnership deals, and vendor relationships in a fast-paced fintech environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including customer contracts, merchant agreements, referral/partnership agreements, and vendor and procurement contracts
• Advise sales and business development teams throughout the deal lifecycle, from term sheet through close
• Partner with compliance and risk teams to assess new commercial arrangements and partnership models for legal and regulatory risk
• Structure and negotiate strategic partnership and channel agreements supporting company growth initiatives
• Support pricing, revenue recognition, and deal structuring questions in coordination with finance
• Advise on intellectual property, licensing, and confidentiality provisions relevant to commercial deals
• Monitor evolving payments and fintech regulatory landscape (domestic and international) and translate changes into actionable contracting guidance
• Collaborate with product and employment counsel colleagues on cross-functional matters as needed

Qualifications

• J.D. and active bar membership in good standing (New York preferred)
• 5+ years of relevant experience, ideally combining law firm and in-house experience in fintech, payments, or technology
• Strong track record negotiating commercial agreements, including hardware, SaaS, licensing, and partnership contracts
• Experience negotiating and structuring large enterprise deals
• Structure and negotiate strategic partnership and channel agreements supporting company growth initiatives, including large‑scale enterprise partnerships (e.g., payment processors, financial institutions, and major retail/consumer brands)
• Working knowledge of payments regulatory frameworks (money transmission, card network rules, etc.) a plus
• Experience in payments ecosystems a plus (e.g., partnerships with payment processors, financial institutions, and large enterprise/retail brands)
• Experience advising sales/BD teams directly, with the ability to translate legal risk into practical, deal‑moving guidance
• Strong communicator, comfortable operating with autonomy in a lean, fast‑moving legal team
• Experience in a PE‑backed or high‑growth company a plus