Senior Lead Counsel, Confluent
Product & IP
$236.1-277.4k
+ Equity
Data streaming platform
Open for applications
Data streaming platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$236.1-277.4k
+ Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
Founded by the team that built Apache Kafka, their mission is to make managing Kafka easy.
Role
Who you are
- Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- 7+ years of experience as a practicing attorney, with a focus on product counseling, open source software licensing, and SaaS
- Deep understanding of open source licensing models (e.g., Apache, GPL, MIT) and their implications for SaaS products
- Demonstrated experience advising on product compliance and related legal risks in a SaaS environment
- Strong contract drafting and negotiation skills, with the ability to address technical, business, and legal issues effectively
- Familiarity with data privacy regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and their application to SaaS products
- Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset, with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams
What the job involves
- We are seeking a business-oriented product attorney with experience advising on open source, licensing, intellectual property, and other product related matters to join our growing legal team
- In this role, you will partner closely with product, engineering, and business teams to support the development and launch of innovative software solutions
- To be successful in this role, you must be able to work independently, navigate complex legal and regulatory landscapes related to software and open source, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams around the world
- In the legal department, we are passionate about enabling customer success, while building a strong foundation for the future. We strive to provide thoughtful and pragmatic counsel and to minimize risks as we pursue business opportunities. We thrive by working together to solve complex challenges, supporting and learning from each other, and having fun!
- Provide legal support throughout the product lifecycle, including development, launch, and ongoing management of SaaS offerings
- Advise engineering, product management, and business teams on open source software use, licensing obligations, and intellectual property risks
- Collaborate with engineering, product, and product marketing to facilitate Confluent’s engagement with the open source community, develop processes to enable compliant open source use at scale, and maintain open source policies
- Conduct license compliance reviews and oversee related audits to ensure adherence to open source policies
- Draft, review, and negotiate complex technology agreements, including SaaS agreements, licensing agreements, and partnership contracts
- Develop and maintain internal policies, training programs, and best practices related to open source software use and SaaS compliance
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to address data privacy, cybersecurity, and other regulatory requirements related to SaaS products
- Monitor evolving legal and regulatory frameworks impacting SaaS and open source, advising on potential business implications
Our take
Confluent is a commercial company built on top of the open-source Apache Kafka project. Confluent and Kafka have developed a streaming data technology that processes massive amounts of information in real-time.
The streaming database technology was developed at LinkedIn as a way of moving massive amounts of messages. The company decided to open-source that tech in 2011, and Confluent launched as the commercial arm in 2014.
While the base open-source component remains available for free download, it doesn’t include the additional tooling the company has built to make it easier for enterprises to use Kafka. Confluent's value add is in those additional tools, including a cloud version of the product and a marketplace for sharing extensions to the platform.
Confluent expanded strategic partnerships with Microsoft and acquired Immerok, and in 2023 expanded its cloud platform. 2024 saw further product expansions with the launch of the Confluent Migration Accelerator, all exemplifying how the company is living up to its name by rocket-boosting the benefits of Apache Kafka integration for companies.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Apr 2020
$250m
SERIES E
Jan 2019
$125m
SERIES D
Total funding: $455.9m
Company HQ
Mountain View, California
Leadership
Jay Kreps
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously a Principal Engineer at LinkedIn.
Neha Narkhede
(Co-Founder & Board Member)Previously a Lead Engineer at LinkedIn and Oracle. They are an Investor/advisor for Gem, Block Party, Material Security, Abacus AI, Cortex Data, Yugabyte, Metaphor Data, Natalist, Common Room, and more.
Jun Rao
(Co-Founder)Previously a Senior Engineer at LinkedIn. Has a PhD in Computer Science from Columbia University.
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