Legal Ops & Contracts Manager, Forward Networks
$120-130k
Mathematically-accurate network modeling
Be an early applicant
Mathematically-accurate network modeling
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
$120-130k
101-200 employees
Company mission
To transform networks to be agile, predictable, and secure.
Role
Who you are
- Exceptional stakeholder enablement skills—able to translate complex legal requirements into simple, actionable training, playbooks, and self-service tools for non-legal teams (e.g., Sales, Finance, HR)
- Outstanding cross-functional communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to act as a strategic partner to General Counsel and operational leaders
- Adaptive, practical, and a natural problem-solver who thrives on ambiguity and is energized by the fast-paced, high-impact environment of a scaling company
- A genuine interest in technology and automation, including being comfortable learning and applying new solutions, in line with our identity as an AI ”Forward” team
What the job involves
- Forward Networks is seeking a highly strategic and hands-on leader to join us as our Legal Business Operations & Contracts Manager. This role is a pivotal force multiplier for the entire company, acting as the General Counsel’s chief operator, embedded within the business to optimize mission-critical processes.
- You will drive operational excellence across all legal workflows, focusing on business process improvement, scalability, and speed.
- You will be the architect and administrator of systems and tools that coordinate deal flow, train stakeholders, and establish the gold standard for contract intake and response. This is a high-visibility position reporting directly to the General Counsel, empowering you to shape the future of how Legal accelerates the business
- Lead Business Process Improvement: Architect and implement scalable, data-driven operational processes that minimize friction and accelerate commercial velocity across the Sales, Finance, and Legal organizations
- Chief Operator for Legal: Serve as the strategic partner and chief operator to the General Counsel, managing key initiatives and driving the overall execution of the Legal department’s priorities and roadmap
- Workflow Automation & Ownership: Own the end-to-end lifecycle of legal agreements. Design, implement, and optimize all contract management and intake workflows, treating Legal as a service organization for the rest of the business
- Negotiation & Triage Leadership: Act as the primary business contact for commercial agreements (NDAs, evaluations, standard contracts), utilizing your business acumen and legal lens to execute rapid, high-quality responses and negotiations
- Enablement & Governance: Develop company-wide playbooks, training, and centralized contract trackers that empower cross-functional teams (Sales, HR, etc.) to manage routine legal matters with confidence and consistency
- Data & Metrics: Establish and track key operational metrics (e.g., deal throughput time, cycle time) to continuously measure performance, identify bottlenecks, and make a quantifiable business impact
Our take
The rapid flow of data from inside and outside organisations has rendered top-down planning difficult, and often ineffective, especially in an enterprise network setting. Forward Networks provides a solution by creating digital twins of a company's network architecture so planners and developers can see how their activities will affect operations across the entire network.
Although digital twinning is relatively new, there is already intense competition for this space. Forward Networks has carved out a unique niche in focusing on enterprise networks rather than the organisation as a whole, a focus which is needed given the complexity of modern hybrid networks which can span several cloud environments.
In 2023, Forward Networks completed a Series D funding round led by MSD Partners, with participation from Goldman Sachs, one of its long-term customers. This investment has supported the business in further developing its product, expand the services available to its customers, and scaling its core team.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
95% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)
Jan 2023
$50m
SERIES D
Oct 2019
$35m
SERIES C
Total funding: $112.5m
Company benefits
- We’re an agile team and early-stage company with plenty of opportunities to grow, as a company and as individuals.
- Every team member receives a compensation package that includes equity, so we can grow together.
- We offer top-grade insurance, with medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family.
- Vacations, holidays, family days. With no tracked time off, you can go as long as it’s okay with your manager.
Company HQ
Santa Clara, CA
Leadership
David Erickson
(Co-Founder & CEO)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy, a Graduate Research Assistant at Stanford University and Member of Technical Staff at big switch networks.
Brandon Heller
(Co-Founder & CTO)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy. Prior to that, they interned at Google, Hewlett-Packard and Emerson Motor Company.
Nikhil Handigol
(Co-Founder)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy, as well as a Member of Technical Staff at ON.Lab and Research Assistant at Stanford University.
Peyman Kazemian
(Co-Founder)Was Director of Course Content and Instructor at SDN Academy, and a Researcher and Teaching Assistant at Stanford University. Also in terned at Google and Ericsson.
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