Senior Commercial Counsel, Chainguard
£132-155k
+Stock options
More information about location
Software supply chain security
Open for applications
Software supply chain security
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
£132-155k
+Stock options
More information about location
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To make the software supply chain secure by default.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate is a strong commercial attorney with significant drafting experience who thrives in the energy and intensity of a high-growth company
- You are proactive, business-minded, and comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy in a fast-moving environment
- You enjoy partnering closely with Sales and cross-functional teams, negotiating directly with sophisticated customer counsel, and taking full ownership of transactions from start to finish
- In addition to deep commercial expertise, this role requires experience navigating open source licensing considerations, familiarity with DORA and EU privacy law, and comfort negotiating with highly regulated customers
- Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent legal qualification with active bar or solicitor membership in good standing
- 5+ years of commercial legal experience, ideally combining law firm and in-house technology company experience
- Strong experience drafting and negotiating SaaS, subscription, and professional services agreements
- Demonstrated ability to draft standard form agreements and online terms from the ground up — not solely negotiating third-party paper
- Experience negotiating with highly regulated customers and familiarity with the regulatory considerations impacting those industries
- Working knowledge of open source licensing and compliance considerations
- Familiarity with DORA, GDPR, and UK and EU data privacy frameworks as they apply to commercial contracts
- Experience in cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, or related technology sectors strongly preferred
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong working relationships across Sales, Product, Security, and executive stakeholders
- Sound business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives
- Comfort managing multiple complex matters independently in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
- Based in the United Kingdom — candidates in other European hubs where Chainguard has existing personnel may also be considered
- If your experience is close but doesn't fulfill all requirements, please apply
What the job involves
- We are seeking a Senior Counsel, Commercial to serve as a key legal partner to our Go-To-Market organization
- This is a highly visible, customer-facing role at the center of the business, enabling revenue growth while protecting the company
- This is Chainguard’s first dedicated commercial counsel seat in the UK — an opportunity to lead the charge on the commercial front across EMEA while working closely with the broader legal team and your regional colleagues
- You will primarily support EMEA-based deals while also providing coverage for East Coast US deals — the reverse of how the US team currently supports the international side
- Serve as the primary legal partner to the Go-To-Market team for EMEA-based deals, supporting customer transactions from initial structuring through execution
- Provide coverage for East Coast US deals, working in close coordination with the US legal team
- Draft, review, and negotiate SaaS agreements, enterprise customer agreements, professional services agreements, NDAs, and partner and channel agreements
- Draft and maintain standard form agreements and online terms, including platform terms, universal license agreements, and order forms
- Negotiate directly with sophisticated customer counsel, including those at financial services, insurance, healthcare, and pharmaceutical organizations
- Ensure commercial agreements align with open source licensing requirements and industry best practices
- Maintain familiarity with DORA, GDPR, and applicable EU and UK privacy law as it relates to commercial contracting
- Partner closely with Product, Product Legal, Security, and other cross-functional teams to align legal guidance with business and technical objectives
- Provide practical, risk-calibrated advice consistent with company policies and risk tolerance
- Manage a volume of approximately four new deals per week, operating with strong autonomy and sound judgment
- Contribute to scalable contracting processes as the company and international team grow
Our take
Developers rely on open source code and apps in their day to day work, but when the provenance of the code is unknown this creates potential weaknesses that cybercriminals can exploit. Chainguard exists to build security into the coding supply chain by making it possible for companies to enforce security policies based on auditable signatures baked into the code.
In the wake of huge cyber attacks, software supply chain security has been an area of major focus. However, most of this has surrounded the scanning and detection of threats. Chainguard's approach comes from the other end of the process, focusing on building security into the software itself.
Built by former engineers who are aware of developer workloads, Chainguard is designed to be easily installed and integrated into existing automation systems. The company has secured substantial funding, the latest of which will support more aggressive product and R&D spending as it looks to further boost sales.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
55% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Oct 2025
$280m
GROWTH EQUITY VC
Apr 2025
$356m
SERIES D
Total funding: $892m
Company benefits
- Equity/stock options
- Unlimited PTO
- Remote work with flexible coworking and team meetup opportunities
- Home office and internet stipend
- 100% health/dental/vision insurance coverage for you and your family
Company HQ
Everest, Kirkland, WA
Leadership
Dan Lorenc
(CEO & Co-Founder)Before co-founding Chainguard was a Software Engineer at Google, Disqus and Microsoft.
Kim Lewandowski
(CSO & Co-Founder)Prior to co-founding Chainguard was a Product Manager with Google. Before that was the Head of Product & Engineering at Brit + Co and the founder of Spotwag.
Matthew Moore
(CTO & Co-Founder)Was a Software Engineer at VMware, Google and Microsoft.
Ville Aikas
(Distinguished Engineer & Co-founder)Was a Senior Staff Engineer at VMware and a Software Engineer for Google and the University of Washingtom. Was previously Owner at VA Systems.
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