Counsel II, Vendor

Affirm, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 164,000 - 224,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% health coverage for you and your

Remote-first culture

Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)

Job summary

Affirm is seeking a practical, proactive transactional attorney to join the Vendor Legal team. You will lead negotiation and drafting of vendor agreements across marketing tech, cloud services, SaaS, data platforms, and more, while building scalable playbooks and templates to improve efficiency.

You will partner with Procurement, Financial Partnerships, Engineering, and Privacy teams to provide pragmatic guidance, train business partners, and support global transactions for a remote-first

Qualifications

• JD and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 5+ years of relevant transactional experience in-house at a technology company or in a technology practice group at a top law firm.
• Experience in marketing tech, adtech, fintech, payments, or financial services.
• Experience supporting global or multi-jurisdictional transactions (e.g., Canada, US, UK/EU, Australia).
• Strong working knowledge of data protection and privacy regimes such as CCPA, GDPR, APPs, PIPEDA, and GLBA.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiation, drafting, and execution of a wide range of vendor agreements, including marketing tech, technology services, cloud services, SaaS, data platform, contractor, creative, lease, and payment processing engagements.
• Design, implement, and continuously improve playbooks, contract templates, negotiation guides, and other projects that enable the team to operate efficiently at scale.
• Work closely with Procurement, Financial Partnerships, Engineering, Product, Finance, Information Security, Privacy, and other teams to provide clear, practical guidance.
• Serve as a proactive, strategic business partner to stakeholders across the organization.
• Develop and deliver training and resources that empower business partners to self-serve on routine commercial legal matters, increasing team capacity and reducing bottlenecks.

Skills

Vendor contracts

Contract negotiation

Privacy & data protection

Cross-functional collaboration

In-house tech law

Startup experience

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

At Affi…? Actually, we exist for the moments that matter- giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.

About the Legal, Compliance, and Public Affairs team

The Legal, Compliance, and Public Affairs team is a group of dedicated professionals committed to helping affirm scale, innovate, and provide outstanding products for consumers, merchants, and key partners. We combine legal, compliance, and policy expertise to guide growth, shape products, and build trust across our ecosystem. Our work spans multiple professional disciplines and provides the foundation for affirm's mission to deliver honest financial products.

About the role

Affirm seeks a practical, proactive, and people-oriented transactional attorney to join our Vendor Legal team. You are pragmatic, solutions-oriented, and comfortable balancing risk with business velocity in a high-growth, technology-driven environment. You will partner closely with Procurement, Financial Partnerships, and other cross-functional teams to negotiate a range of vendor transactions. In addition to managing a busy deal pipeline, you will help design and improve processes, playbooks, and programs that increase efficiency so the team can scale with company growth. This is a unique opportunity to help rebuild the Vendor Legal team from the ground up.

What you'll do

Lead negotiation, drafting, and execution of a wide range of vendor agreements, including marketing tech, technology services, cloud services, SaaS, data platform, contractor, creative, lease, and payment processing engagements. Manage a high volume of deals with speed and sound judgment

Design, implement, and continuously improve playbooks, contract templates, negotiation guides, and other projects that enable the team to operate efficiently at scale. Identify friction points and build solutions that reduce cycle time without sacrificing quality

Work closely with Procurement, Financial Partnerships, Engineering, Product, Finance, Information Security, Privacy, and other teams to provide clear, practical guidance

Serve as a proactive, strategic business partner to stakeholders across the organization

Develop and deliver training and resources that empower business partners to self-serve on routine commercial legal matters, increasing team capacity and reducing bottlenecks

What we look for

JD and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar

5+ years of relevant transactional experience in-house at a technology company or in a technology practice group at a top law firm

Experience in marketing tech, adtech, fintech, payments, or financial services

Experience supporting global or multi-jurisdictional transactions (e.g., Canada, US, UK/EU, Australia)

Strong working knowledge of data protection and privacy regimes such as CCPA, GDPR, APPs, PIPEDA, and GLBA

Proven ability to manage high deal volume while maintaining quality, consistency, and attention to detail

A track record of building or improving legal processes, playbooks, templates, or other operational tools in a high-growth environment

Clear, concise communication skills, with the ability to distill complex legal and commercial issues into plain language

Collaborative working style, with experience guiding cross-functional teams toward practical, win-win outcomes

Intellectual curiosity and creative problem-solving instincts: you learn new products and business models quickly and enjoy finding solutions to novel challenges

Proactive, self-starter mentality with a bias for action

Excellent judgment, and ability to make timely, pragmatic, and business-focused decisions in ambiguous situations with imperfect information

Humility, integrity and a sense of humor; you take your work seriously, but not yourself

Base Pay Grade - M

Equity Grade - 6

Employees new to affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.

Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)

USA base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT) per year: $185,000 - $245,000

USA base pay range (all other U.S. states) per year: $164,000 - $224,000

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Remote-first with flexibility built inAffirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.

Benefits designed for youOur benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:

• Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
• Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
• Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
• Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy affirm stock at a discount.

We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.

For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.

Demographic Survey Statement (US-based roles)

Affirm is dedicated to building an inclusive culture where affirmers belong and have an equal opportunity to thrive.

To help us assess our outreach efforts, we invite candidates to voluntarily share information through a short demographic survey. This information is:

• Completely optional
• Anonymized and stored in aggregate
• Not accessible to recruiters or hiring managers at the individual level
• Never used in any hiring decision

Your decision to provide or withhold this information will not impact your candidacy in any way.