Associate Commercial Counsel
The Associate Commercial Counsel will serve as a core legal partner to the Sales, CSM, Product and Deal Desk teams, responsible for negotiating and closing complex, high-value B2B SaaS customer contracts while protecting Emburse through disciplined adherence to a contract playbook and risk framework. This role requires sound judgment, speed, resilience under pressure, and the ability to balance revenue enablement with risk management in a private equity-backed, high-growth environment. This role will play a critical role in the next phase of Emburse’s exciting trajectory, and it is an excellent opportunity to join a fun, fast-paced and good-natured legal team.
Essential Functions
- Lead legal negotiations for large enterprise SaaS agreements, including MSAs, Order Forms, SOWs, DPAs, and amendments.
- Act as a deal-enabler, partnering closely with Sales and Revenue Operations to drive contracts to signature without unnecessary friction or delay.
- Apply and enforce the Company’s commercial contracting playbook, including fallback positions, escalation thresholds, and approval workflows.
- Identify, assess, and clearly communicate legal and commercial risk, where possible offering practical alternatives that preserve deal momentum.
- Support global contracting needs, including some cross-border transactions and region-specific legal requirements (e.g., data protection, governing law, payment terms).
- Advise on issues related to data protection, security, liability allocation, indemnities, and regulatory considerations common to enterprise SaaS customers.
- Collaborate with Deal Desk, Finance and Accounting on revenue recognition-sensitive terms, pricing mechanics, and payment structures.
- Contribute to ongoing contract standardization, template improvements, and process optimization to support scale.
- Manage a high volume of concurrent matters under tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy and consistency.
- Escalate material issues appropriately and exercise independent judgment on deal risk.
Education and Experience
Education - Required: Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited U.S. law school
Experience
Required:
- 5-8 years of relevant legal experience, with a significant portion focused on commercial contracting
- Prior experience negotiating enterprise-level B2B agreements
- Experience in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment (e.g., SaaS company, high-growth tech company, or Am Law firm with strong commercial practice)
Preferred:
- Experience supporting PE-backed or VC-backed companies
- Exposure to international contracting and data protection frameworks (e.g., GDPR)
Certifications
- Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- Eligible to work in Texas (Texas bar membership a plus but not required)
Required Skills
- In-house experience at a B2B SaaS company
- Enterprise-grade contract negotiation skills with ability and senior-level presence to hold firm on non-negotiables while moving deals forward and treating customers and prospects with diplomacy and deference
- Strong commercial judgment and comfort making risk-based decisions in real time
- Ability to operate effectively under pressure, tight timelines, and competing priorities
- Clear, direct communicator who can translate legal risk into practical business guidance
- Strong understanding of SaaS-specific issues, including liability caps, indemnities, SLAs, data protection, and security terms
- High degree of ownership, accountability, and follow-through
- Comfortable working with senior stakeholders across Sales, Finance, and Executive Leadership
- Detail-oriented without losing sight of the broader commercial objectives