Associate Corporate Counsel

AHEAD is seeking an Associate Corporate Counsel - India to provide practical and commercial focused legal support to AHEAD’s India sales and business teams and to stakeholders across operations, services, procurement, finance, human resources, marketing, information security and administration.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial contracts and negotiations

· Independently manage commercial matters from intake.

· Draft, review, revise, and negotiate IT and technology-related agreements, including reseller and distribution agreements, OEM and partner agreements, master services agreements, customer master product and services agreements, statements of work, subcontractor agreements, vendor agreements, non-disclosure agreements, professional-services agreements, cloud and SaaS agreements, licensing arrangements, and data-processing terms.

· Develop negotiation strategies, identify business objectives, explain trade-offs, propose fallback positions, and drive matters to timely resolution.

· Work with business and functional stakeholders to confirm operational feasibility, translate executed-contract obligations into downstream requirements, and maintain accurate negotiation and approval records.

Legal operations, risk and compliance management

· Maintain contract templates, clause libraries, playbooks, approval workflows, checklists, and contract lifecycle-management processes.

· Track legal issues, contractual obligations, renewals, notices, compliance deliverables, and remediation actions; provide practical, risk-based advice and conduct relevant legal research.

· Support external counsel as needed, including instructions, budgets, and work-product management.

· Conduct legal research and monitor developments affecting AHEAD’s technology-services business, contracting practices, privacy obligations, employment matters, and regulatory compliance.

India employment law and compliance

· Advise on applicable Indian central and state employment laws, labour codes, Shops and Establishments requirements, wages and working time, social security, maternity and leave, contractor arrangements, and related registrations, notices, returns, and records.

· Review and localize global HR policies, employment templates, and processes for India, identifying conflicts and recommending compliant alternatives.

· Partner with HR, payroll, and compliance teams to address recurring gaps, maintain an India employment-law compliance calendar, and deliver practical training and guidance to business teams.

· Communicate clearly with senior stakeholders and manage competing priorities across matters, teams, and time zones.

Required qualifications and competencies

· LLB, JD, LLM, or equivalent law degree from an accredited institution.

· 4-7 years of post-qualification legal experience, preferably in-house in a technology, IT services, cloud, managed-services, or similarly complex commercial environment.

· Substantial knowledge of commercial contract negotiation and management, including the ability to independently manage matters from intake through completion.

· Working knowledge of Indian data privacy and data protection laws, Indian employment laws, and applicable compliance requirements.

· Practical understanding of employment matters including employee relations, performance and disciplinary processes, termination, contractor workforce issues, and employment documentation.

· Self-regulating, responsible, accountable, and able to work independently while managing a high volume of matters, deadlines, and competing priorities.

· Strong risk analysis, commercial judgment, organization, attention to detail, discretion, written and verbal communication, and stakeholder-management skills.

· Ability to explain legal concepts to non-lawyers, negotiate effectively, create practical guidance and processes, and collaborate across India, the US, and the UK.

Preferred qualifications and experience

· SQE qualification or experience demonstrating familiarity with the law of England and Wales, with the judgment to identify when UK-qualified advice or external counsel is required.

· Experience supporting commercial contracts and employment matters in a multinational organization.

· Experience with cloud, SaaS, data processing, cybersecurity, intellectual property, managed services, contract lifecycle-management systems, legal operations, or compliance reporting.