Managing Commercial Counsel

Avalara, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 171,000 - 342,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunity

Paid time off

Paid parental leave

Private medical insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Job summary

Avalara, Inc. is seeking an experienced Managing Commercial Counsel to lead the global commercial legal team, oversee negotiations on complex enterprise deals, and drive operational efficiency.

Reporting to the Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Commercial, this remote role emphasizes people leadership, scalable processes, and strong cross-functional partnerships to accelerate revenue while managing risk.

Qualifications

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 8–12+ years of commercial SaaS/tech transactions in-house.
• Proven ability to mentor and develop commercial attorneys across seniority levels.
• Strong operational mindset building playbooks and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a global team of commercial attorneys.
• Draft, negotiate, and close high-value enterprise SaaS agreements.
• Oversee global transaction intake, capacity, and escalations.
• Partner with Sales, Deal Desk, and Finance to align contracting with revenue.
• Scale operations with negotiation playbooks and AI-enabled tools.

Skills

Team leadership

Negotiation

SaaS transactions

Cross-functional collaboration

Operational excellence

Education

J.D. degree

Bar admission (US)

Tools

AI tools

Contract management software

Deal desk tools

Job description

What You'll Do

We are looking for an experienced, business-minded, and collaborative legal leader to serve as Managing Commercial Counsel, leading day-to-day operations and people management for our global commercial legal team while actively managing key commercial transactions. Reporting directly to the Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Commercial, you will lead and develop a team of commercial attorneys across multiple levels of seniority while directly managing negotiations on complex enterprise and strategic commercial deals.

In this role, you will be the operational engine and frontline leader of the commercial legal function. You will translate commercial legal strategy into day-to-day team execution, manage workload and capacity across global deal pipelines, directly handle high-impact transactions, and drive operational efficiency through playbooks, automation, and legal technology.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in dynamic environments, enjoys both people leadership and active deal execution, and builds strong cross-functional partnerships to accelerate revenue while managing risk. This is a remote position in the United States.

#LI-Remote

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

• Lead, mentor, and develop a global team of commercial attorneys across multiple levels of seniority, balancing deal autonomy with operational consistency.
• Draft, negotiate, and close high-value enterprise SaaS subscription agreements, strategic partnership contracts, and key customer deals.
• Oversee global transaction intake, capacity allocation, and first-line deal escalations to ensure rapid turnaround times and manage risk.
• Partner closely with Sales Leadership, Deal Desk, and Finance to streamline deal cycles and align contracting strategy with revenue objectives.
• Scale team operations by developing negotiation playbooks, fallback guides, and training programs, while leveraging AI and legal tech to increase efficiency.

What You'll Need to be Successful

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction, with 8–12+ years of legal experience focused on commercial SaaS and technology transactions (substantial in-house experience required).
• Demonstrated track record managing, mentoring, and developing commercial attorneys across multiple levels of seniority, including experienced senior counsel.
• Proven success directly drafting, negotiating, and closing complex enterprise commercial agreements while balancing direct deal flow with team leadership.
• Strong operational mindset with demonstrated success building playbooks, optimizing contracting workflows, and adopting modern legal tech and AI tools.
• Pragmatic business judgment and exceptional communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex legal issues, influence cross-functional partners, and build lasting trust.
• Ability to adapt and ruthlessly prioritize while dealing across competing demands, high-volume deal flow, and shifting deadlines.
• Confidence to resolve complex and novel issues independently paired with the judgment to know when to elevate high-risk matters to leadership.

Pay Range Details

• Colorado $171,100-$282,300 (annually)
• Washington $171,100-$312,200 (annually)
• California $171,100-$341,900 (annually)
• NYC $207,100-$341,900 (annually)

The base pay range(s) below are provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different in other locations.

The pay range above is the general base pay range for a successful candidate in the state listed. The successful candidate’s actual salary/wage may be based on various factors, such as geographic location, candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations. This role is eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance, depending on the terms of the applicable plan and the employee’s role.

Avalara is an AI-first Company

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision‑making, and products. Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You’ll bring experience using AI and AI‑related technologies, ready to thrive here.
• You’ll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.
• You’ll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

How We’ll Take Care of You

Total Rewards

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.

Health & Wellness

Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.

Inclusive culture and diversit y

Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee‑run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.

What You Need To Know About Avalara

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry‑leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - we’re a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

We’re An Equal Opportunity Employer

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.