Commercial Counsel

Socket.dev; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 188,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fast-paced environment

Learning & development allowance

Competitive cash and equity, and clear

100% medical, dental, and vision

Fertility/adoption & parental planning

Flexible PTO

Wellness stipend

Job summary

Checkr is seeking a Commercial Counsel to join our Legal team in San Francisco. You’ll draft, negotiate, and close a broad range of enterprise agreements, advising Sales and Revenue on legal, regulatory, and risk considerations to support rapid growth.

You will own deals end-to-end, develop templates and playbooks, and collaborate with Compliance and other functions to scale the department while managing outside counsel as needed.

Qualifications

• JD and active membership in good standing of the California Bar.
• 3+ years of experience structuring, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements, ideally with some time in-house at a high-growth technology company.
• Working knowledge of the legal issues in commercial agreements—liability, indemnification, risk allocation, data protection, privacy—and the judgment to know when risks matter and when to consult subject-matter experts (including on the FCRA)
• A pragmatic strategist who resolves issues in the context of the company’s commercial goals and risk thresholds and communicates them clearly to non-lawyers, including senior stakeholders
• Ability to manage many projects independently in a fast-paced environment, with strong attention to detail, sound judgment, humility, and a good sense of humor
• An A-player mindset with a strong bias for action: you raise the bar, move with urgency, stay resilient through ambiguity, and take ownership to deliver meaningful outcomes

Responsibilities

• Lead the review, drafting, and negotiation of a variety of commercial agreements, including SaaS, licensing, partnership, and data provider agreements
• Own deals end-to-end, providing practical, risk-based guidance in the context of Checkr’s commercial goals and risk thresholds, and knowing when to escalate
• Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales and Revenue teams, resolving issues independently and building consensus across stakeholders
• Create, improve, and manage commercial templates, playbooks, and internal processes that help the legal team scale
• Research and analyze laws that affect the business, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), from a commercial standpoint
• Partner cross-functionally as a creative problem-solver and strategic thinker, and help manage outside counsel on commercial matters

Skills

Commercial agreements experience

Strategic thinking

Project management

Bias for action

Communication with non-lawyers

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) and California Bar membership

Job description

About Checkr

Checkr is building the data platform to power safe and fair decisions. Over 140,000 companies and millions of people rely on Checkr for AI verification in the moments that matter most: getting a new job, a new place to live, a car ride, childcare, even a date. Customers include Uber, Pennymac, Airbnb, Doordash, and Anthropic.We’re a team that thrives on solving complex problems with innovative solutions that advance our mission. Checkr is recognized on Forbes Cloud 100 2025 List and is a Y Combinator 2024 Breakthrough Company.

About the team/role

Reporting to Checkr’s VP, Commercial & Corporate Legal, you’ll join our legal team as Commercial Counsel and serve as a trusted advisor to the revenue organization on the agreements that power our growth. You’ll draft, negotiate, and close a wide range of complex, enterprise-level commercial agreements, advising internal clients on the legal, regulatory, and risk considerations behind each deal. Partnering closely with Sales and Revenue, and cross-functionally with Compliance, you’ll help Checkr scale responsibly and move deals at the speed our customers expect.

What you’ll do

• Lead the review, drafting, and negotiation of a variety of commercial agreements, including SaaS, licensing, partnership, and data provider agreements


• Own deals end-to-end, providing practical, risk-based guidance in the context of Checkr’s commercial goals and risk thresholds, and knowing when to escalate


• Serve as a trusted advisor to Sales and Revenue teams, resolving issues independently and building consensus across stakeholders


• Create, improve, and manage commercial templates, playbooks, and internal processes that help the legal team scale


• Research and analyze laws that affect the business, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), from a commercial standpoint


• Partner cross-functionally as a creative problem-solver and strategic thinker, and help manage outside counsel on commercial matters

What you bring

• JD and active membership in good standing of the California Bar


• 3+ years of experience structuring, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements, ideally with some time in-house at a high-growth technology company


• Working knowledge of the legal issues in commercial agreements—liability, indemnification, risk allocation, data protection, privacy—and the judgment to know when risks matter and when to consult subject-matter experts (including on the FCRA)


• A pragmatic strategist who resolves issues in the context of the company’s commercial goals and risk thresholds and communicates them clearly to non-lawyers, including senior stakeholders


• Ability to manage many projects independently in a fast-paced environment, with strong attention to detail, sound judgment, humility, and a good sense of humor


• An A-player mindset with a strong bias for action: you raise the bar, move with urgency, stay resilient through ambiguity, and take ownership to deliver meaningful outcomes

Pay Transparency Disclosure

We use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop ranges for our roles and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range. If this role is remote, we have listed the top to the bottom of the possible range, but we will specify the target range for an exact location when you are selected for a recruiting discussion. For more information on our compensation philosophy, see our website.

On-target Earnings OR Base Salary range (San Francisco, CA)

$188,000—$221,000 USD

What We Offer

• A fast-paced and collaborative environment


• Learning and development allowance


• Competitive cash and equity compensation, and opportunity for advancement


• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage


• Up to $25K reimbursement for fertility, adoption, and parental planning services


• Flexible PTO policy


• Monthly wellness stipend

At Checkr, we believe an in office work environment strengthens collaboration, drives innovation, and encourages connection. Our hub locations are Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA; Nashville, TN; and Santiago, Chile. Individuals are expected to work from the office 3+ days a week. In-office perks are provided, such as lunch five times a week, a commuter stipend, and an abundance of snacks and beverages. A relocation stipend may be available for those willing to relocate to a Checkr hub location.

Equal Employment Opportunities at CheckrCheckr is committed to building the best product and company, which requires hiring talented and qualified individuals with a diverse set of perspectives and lived experiences. Checkr believes in hiring people of all backgrounds, including those whose histories are impacted by the justice system in accordance with local, state, and/or federal laws, including the San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance.

Applicant Privacy PolicyIf you are a California resident or are located in Alberta or British Columbia, our Applicant Privacy Policy applies to our collection and processing of your personal information when you apply for a role with us or otherwise participate in our recruitment process.

*Legitimate Checkr emails will always include our official domain name after the @ symbol (e.g., [e-mail] or [e-mail]).