Lead Counsel, AI Partnerships

Meta; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 170,000 - 237,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta is seeking a Commercial Counsel for its AI Partnerships Legal group in the United States. You will lead the legal structuring and negotiation of distribution arrangements for Meta's AI models, advise on data licensing, and support large-scale commercial deals with CSPs, developers, and ecosystem partners.

The role requires deep tech transactions experience and independent judgment. You will collaborate with product, policy, and BD teams to accelerate go-to-market strategies while ensuring

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications: J.D. (or equivalent) and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Minimum Qualifications: 5+ years of legal experience, with meaningful time spent on technology transactions, commercial licensing, or strategic partnerships.
• Minimum Qualifications: Experience structuring and negotiating complex commercial agreements (cloud, SaaS, platform, or similar technology deals).
• Minimum Qualifications: Ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and drive deals to close with minimal oversight.
• Minimum Qualifications: Experience assessing legal risk and advising business stakeholders on risk mitigation strategies in ambiguous or evolving regulatory environments and comfortable advising where the law is unsettled or evolving.

Responsibilities

• Lead Counsel, AI Partnerships Responsibilities: Model Distribution & Ecosystem Launch: Serve as the primary legal partner for efforts to distribute Meta's AI models through CSPs, open source channels, and other go-to-market pathways
• Structure, negotiate, and close distribution agreements that enable broad model availability while protecting Meta's interests
• Large-Scale AI Commercial Transactions: Lead or support complex commercial deals involving AI technology - including strategic partnerships, joint development arrangements, and enterprise licensing
• Data Licensing: Advise on data acquisition and licensing transactions that fuel model training and product development, including negotiating inbound and outbound data rights
• Consumer Product Support: Provide commercial legal counsel to teams building and shipping AI-powered consumer experiences across Meta's family of apps
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Work closely with business development, product, engineering, policy, and other legal teams to enable fast-moving commercial activity in a rapidly evolving space

Education

J.D. (or equivalent) and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction

Job description

Summary:

About the RoleMeta's Legal team is looking for a Commercial Counsel to join our AI Partnerships Legal group. This role will support the full range of commercial legal work powering Meta's AI ambitions - with a particular focus on bringing our models to market across the broader ecosystem.About the TeamThe AI Partnerships Legal team supports Meta's most commercially significant AI relationships - from frontier model partnerships and data licensing to ecosystem distribution and product integrations. The work is fast-paced, high-visibility, and directly tied to Meta's AI strategy.

Required Skills:

Lead Counsel, AI Partnerships Responsibilities:

1. Model Distribution & Ecosystem Launch: Serve as the primary legal partner for efforts to distribute Meta's AI models through cloud service providers (CSPs), open source channels, and other go-to-market pathways

2. Structure, negotiate, and close distribution agreements that enable broad model availability while protecting Meta's interests

3. Large-Scale AI Commercial Transactions: Lead or support complex commercial deals involving AI technology - including strategic partnerships, joint development arrangements, and enterprise licensing

4. Data Licensing: Advise on data acquisition and licensing transactions that fuel model training and product development, including negotiating inbound and outbound data rights

5. Consumer Product Support: Provide commercial legal counsel to teams building and shipping AI-powered consumer experiences across Meta's family of apps

6. Cross-Functional Partnership: Work closely with business development, product, engineering, policy, and other legal teams to enable fast-moving commercial activity in a rapidly evolving space

Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

1. J.D. (or equivalent) and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction

2. 5+ years of legal experience, with meaningful time spent on technology transactions, commercial licensing, or strategic partnerships

3. Experience structuring and negotiating complex commercial agreements (cloud, SaaS, platform, or similar technology deals)

4. Ability to operate independently, manage competing priorities, and drive deals to close with minimal oversight

5. Experience assessing legal risk and advising business stakeholders on risk mitigation strategies in ambiguous or evolving regulatory environments and comfortable advising where the law is unsettled or evolving

Preferred Qualifications:

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)

2. Background working with CSPs (AWS, Azure, GCP) on technology distribution or marketplace agreements

3. Familiarity with open source licensing frameworks and community dynamics

4. Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies

5. Experience supporting go-to-market strategies for platform or developer ecosystem products

6. Direct experience with AI/ML model licensing, distribution, or commercialization

7. Prior in-house experience at a technology company operating at scale

8. Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)

Public Compensation:

$170,000/year to $237,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Industry:

Internet

Equal Opportunity:

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affi­rmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].