Commercial Counsel

Runway; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% medical, dental, vision coverage

Unlimited PTO with sabbatical

401k matching 3%

Remote stipend

Parental leave

Wellness stipend

L&D stipend

Job summary

Runway is seeking an experienced Commercial Counsel to lead B2B SaaS customer contract negotiations and strategic IP‑heavy partnerships. You will partner with sales, partnerships, marketing, and the Runway Executive Team to scale commercial and legal operations in a fast‑growing generative AI environment.

You will also manage outside counsel, monitor evolving laws, and improve templates, playbooks, and the legal tech stack to empower fast and compliant deal work.

Qualifications

• Experience negotiating complex commercial contracts for software or services.
• Experience advising on IP‑heavy partnerships and licensing.
• Experience scaling commercial processes and legal operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations for B2B SaaS customer contracts and partner agreements.
• Manage outside counsel and coordinate with cross‑functional teams.
• Monitor regulatory developments in generative AI and data privacy.
• Develop templates, playbooks, and the legal tech stack to scale turbulence.
• Advise sales, partnerships, and marketing to accelerate deals.

Skills

B2B SaaS negotiations

IP partnerships

privacy programs

vendor negotiations

compliance

Education

J.D. degree

bar admission

Job description

• Join the frontier of shaping generative AI video and its legal landscape as an early lawyer at Runway
• While the role is in large part focused on the commercial legal function, you might also bring to the table generalist experience across domains such as data privacy, vendor negotiations, and compliance
• You will serve as a strategic thought partner to cross-functional teams from sales to partnerships to marketing and to the Runway Executive Team
• Lead negotiations with Runway’s customers and strategic partners. These include B2B SaaS customer contracts for our generative AI SaaS platform and APIs, DPAs, partnership agreements, and vendor agreements
• Implement commercial processes, tools, and infrastructure to help us scale, including improving templates, playbooks, and our legal tech stack
• Empower the sales team with tools and knowledge to close deals quickly
• Dive into the technical aspects of our generative AI products to learn them inside and out, to inform your advice to the business
• Closely follow technical, legal, and policy developments in the generative AI space
• Manage outside counsel as appropriate

Benefits

• 100% medical, dental, and vision coverage: We cover 100% of medical, dental and vision for our US employees AND their dependents. Based on the plans selected, we have complimentary mental health benefits and a free One Medical membership
• Unlimited days of PTO: We have unlimited PTO with a minimum of 15 days a year. We also have a paid sabbatical program after employees have been with Runway for 3 years and again after 5 years. And of course, we can’t forget about Summer Fridays
• 401k Matching, 3% matching: Plan for the future! We provide a 3% 401K match for our US based employees
• Remote $250 stipend: All of our employees outside of commuting distance to the office, can expense up to $250 per month on co-working spaces, lunch or groceries, and internet connection
• Donations supporting our community: Beyond our employees, we have a commitment to our communities. Every quarter, Runway employees choose an organization for the company to support through a donation
• Custom setup, tech setup stipend: In addition to the choice of laptop, all employees get a stipend to customize their tech set up as they want
• Parental leave for all parents: We offer 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave plus a gradual return to work plan. This coverage is for all parents, regardless of how a child is brought into the family
• L&D $600 stipend: We’re investing in our employees’ long term growth by giving every employee $600 per year to spend on their personal or professional development. That means conferences, courses, and books, oh my!
• Wellness $600 stipend: We set ambitious goals and work hard to achieve them, so we believe it’s important to invest in employees’ mental and physical health. The $600 annual wellness stipend can be used for anything from therapy sessions to gym memberships

We are looking to hire a Commercial Counsel who has a strong background in B2B SaaS customer negotiations and strategic IP-heavy partnershipsYou are a self-starter who thrives at getting things done in fast-paced, unstructured environmentsYou have a passion for helping companies build and bringing scalable initiatives across our commercial and other legal workstreamsComfort working within a highly technical, rapidly evolving area of the law is a mustExcitement about generative AI and motivation to continuously learn more about the legal landscape governing a new and exciting industryGrowth mindset that prioritizes continuous operational improvement and service excellenceIn addition to B2B SaaS customer contract negotiations, experience with strategic IP-heavy partnerships and preferably B2C legal issues as wellExperience with scaling business processes globally and operating in environments that have achieved significant scaleNice to have: experience managing privacy programs relating to marketing, users, and enterprise customer/vendor agreements6+ years of experience negotiating complex commercial contracts, including significant experience on a commercial legal team at a fast-paced late stage private or mid-sized public B2B SaaS companyThe capacity to think big; a bias for action; and a willingness to take ownershipStrong business acumenA J.D. and admission in good standing with at least one state bar