Corporate Counsel

Surge AI; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Surge AI is seeking a Corporate Counsel to manage commercial contracts, collaborate with Business Development, and partner with General Counsel on non-standard agreements. The role emphasizes building clean templates and playbooks while scaling negotiations with growing independence.

The ideal candidate has 4+ years as a contracts lawyer, with a business-focused mindset, experience in SaaS/tech agreements, and a passion for AI.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience as a contracts lawyer, law firm or in-house.
• Strong drafting with a sharp eye for risk and material terms.
• Experience with technology, SaaS, data, or services agreements.
• Practical, business-minded approach and ability to say yes where possible.
• Comfortable handling high volume of contracts and prioritizing without direction.
• Interest in building templates and processes and growing into negotiations.
• Genuine curiosity about AI and AI companies.

Responsibilities

• Manage standard customer and vendor agreements and keep forms current.
• Provide first-round comments on incoming contracts and highlight key issues.
• Collaborate with Business Development to implement new product ideas.
• Design and maintain forms, templates, and playbooks to reduce reliance on lawyers.
• Lead negotiations with initial support as needed, increasing independence over time.
• Coordinate with IP, Data Privacy, and Labor Counsels on contract terms.
• Assist with other corporate and commercial questions as they arise.

Skills

Contract drafting

Commercial contracts

SaaS/tech agreements

Negotiation

Business acumen

High-volume workflow

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Tools

Contract management software

Job description

About Us

Our mission is to raise AGI with the richness of human intelligence - curious, witty, imaginative, and full of unexpected brilliance.

Surge was founded by engineers and researchers who dreamed of building the next generation of AI. Our platform powers the most capable models in the world, in partnership with the AI models you use every day.

At Surge, we believe the path to AGI isn’t just about scaling compute - it’s about embracing the unlimited ceiling of human intelligence and creativity in the data that shapes these systems.

Our platform combines elite human expertise with cutting-edge tools for scalable oversight, from building rich RL environments to conducting rigorous evaluations that go beyond benchmarks.

We’ve run a profitable business from day one without raising venture funding.

The Role

The RoleAs Corporate Counsel at Surge, you’ll handle the commercial contracts that keep our business moving. You’ll work with our Business Development and Growth teams on customer and vendor agreements, and with our General Counsel on everything that doesn’t fit a standard form. You’ll make it easier for the business to close deals quickly and safely.

This role is ideal for a contracts lawyer who likes being close to the business, wants to build a clean set of templates and playbooks, and wants room to grow into leading negotiations.

What You’ll Do

• Manage our standard customer and vendor agreements, and keep our forms current.
• Make the first round of comments on incoming contracts, and tell the business what matters and what doesn’t.
• Partner with Business Development and Growth to implement new product and business ideas.
• Design and maintain forms, templates, and playbooks, so routine agreements don’t need a lawyer every time.
• Take on negotiations, with support at first (as needed) and more independence over time.
• Work with our IP and Data Privacy Counsel and Labor Counsel on contract terms in their areas.
• Help with other corporate and commercial questions as they come up.

What We’re Looking for

• 4+ years of experience as a lawyer focused on commercial contracts, at a law firm or in-house.
• Strong drafting and a good eye for risk. You know which terms matter and which you can let go.
• Experience with technology, SaaS, data, or services agreements.
• A practical, business-minded approach. You give clear answers and help teams get to a yes where you can.
• Comfortable owning a high volume of work and prioritizing without being told.
• Interested in building forms and processes, not only working within them.
• Genuinely curious about AI and the companies building it.