Product Counsel

BENTLEY SYSTEMS, INC.; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Bentley Systems is seeking an experienced Product Counsel to help shape product roadmaps with legal and regulatory insight for global infrastructure software. The role partners with LCA to balance risk and commercial objectives while enabling rapid product development.

You will collaborate with product and technology leadership, monitor industry developments and regulations, and translate complex legal issues into actionable guidance for roadmap decisions.

Qualifications

• J.D. and active bar membership in good standing or equivalent qualifications.
• 8-12 years of relevant legal experience, with significant in-house experience at a technology, SaaS, or engineering/infrastructure software company.
• Experience supporting global software products in one or more areas including privacy, data governance, intellectual property, AI governance, cybersecurity, product compliance, cloud services, SaaS platforms, APIs, or software licensing.
• Strong understanding of modern software development lifecycles.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and influence with senior executives in a complex global organization, particularly in product and technology teams.
• Experience operating in highly matrixed organizations and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong systems thinking: comfort connecting dots across roadmap decisions, market/regulatory dynamics, and cross-functional strategy.
• Strong business judgment and ability to balance risk management with commercial objectives.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into practical business guidance.

Responsibilities

• Roadmap partnership: Serve as a proactive, embedded advisor through the product lifecycle— from early strategy and prioritization discussions through launch— bringing business and legal judgment to bear on decisions while they're still forming, connecting and collaborating with the right SMEs in the LCA team at the right time.
• Two-way information flow: Translate product strategy, priorities, and roadmap decisions into clear, timely updates for relevant LCA teams to ensure SMEs across the business unit can anticipate what's coming, align, and act accordingly.
• Business enablement: Empower product and technology teams to move quickly and confidently by amalgamating and translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, scalable guidance.
• Teamwork and culture: Establish and maintain a clear, well-understood working model with LCA specialist teams so roles, handoffs, and decision rights stay well-defined as the relationship with Product and Technology deepens.

Skills

Legal experience

Product collaboration

Regulatory understanding

Executive communication

Education

J.D. and bar membership

Job description

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Location: Exton, PA, US Philadelphia, PA, US

Location: Exton, PA or Philadelphia, PA (Hybrid)

Position Summary

Bentley Systems is seeking an experienced lawyer to serve as Product Counsel, who will be key to achieving our mission in reshaping how infrastructure systems and critical resources are delivered and optimized.

Our software supports the design, build, and operation of global infrastructure across sectors like transportation, water, energy, cities, and industrial facilities. Our teams are focused on unlocking performance for our accounts by embedding AI into our products and technologies, providing unprecedented ability for our users to analyze, predict, and improve infrastructure systems. But as our solutions evolve, the legal, regulatory, commercial, and trust considerations surrounding our products also become more complex.

The Product Counsel will help our product and technology leaders make the right decisions considering the intersecting complexities of these factors and balancing strong legal judgment with practical business acumen. In this role, you will help Bentley move faster and more confidently by bringing legal and regulatory thinking into product roadmap discussions.

The Product Counsel will report to the Senior Director, Insights & Business Partnership (IBP) within Bentley’s Law and Corporate Advancement (LCA) organization. LCA is the steward of Bentley’s integrity, trust, and license to operate and grow. It houses core legal and compliance functions that protect the company and what it has built, as well as functions that advance the company and clear the way for what it intends to build next, like sustainability and education, government relations, and infrastructure policy advancement.

IBP is the connective tissue between LCA and the rest of Bentley — facilitating two-way flow of knowledge and collaboration so the right teams have the right information at the right time to align, amplify, and accelerate Bentley's success. As the primary LCA business partner to Bentley's product and technology organizations, you will work closely with experts across LCA and the product and technology teams, playing a key role in helping Bentley innovate responsibly, strengthen account trust, and create durable competitive advantage.

Responsibilities

Roadmap partnership

• Serve as a proactive, embedded advisor through the product lifecycle — from early strategy and prioritization discussions through launch — bringing business and legal judgment to bear on decisions while they're still forming, connecting and collaborating with the right SMEs in the LCA team at the right time.
• Develop strong relationships with Product and Technology leadership, cultivating a deep working knowledge of roadmap priorities, strategic bets, and key build decisions across Bentley's product portfolio.
• Build genuine partnerships with LCA experts grounded in mutual trust, ensuring you amplify their reach and impact into Product and Technology.

Two-way information flow

• Translate product strategy, priorities, and roadmap decisions into clear, timely updates for relevant LCA teams to ensure SMEs across the business unit can anticipate what's coming, align, and act accordingly.
• Act as an early-warning and opportunity-spotting connector: collaborate closely with LCA experts and the IBP team to monitor emerging regulations, industry developments, and technology trends to identify roadmap implications and ensure it reaches Product early enough to inform build decisions — so Bentley can compete and win.
• Bring a solutions-oriented, business-savvy approach to legal and cross-functional questions — representing LCA advice to protect the company while earning a reputation as someone who helps Bentley innovate and compete.

Business enablement

• Empower product and technology teams to move quickly and confidently by amalgamating and translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, scalable guidance.
• Partner with LCA and product teams to ensure product positioning, commitments, marketing claims, and contractual obligations remain aligned.
• Contribute to IBP's broader efforts to improve LCA's operating cadence, planning, and collaboration with the business, sharing insights from the product and technology relationship where relevant.

Teamwork and culture

• Establish and maintain a clear, well-understood working model with LCA specialist teams so roles, handoffs, and decision rights stay well-defined as the relationship with Product and Technology deepens.
• Foster a culture of partnership, accountability, innovation, and sound judgment.
• Identify and leverage technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to expand impact and improve the delivery of legal and business guidance.

This is a full-time individual contributor role expected to work 40 hours per week.

Requires occasional domestic and international travel, estimated at up to 25%.

Required Qualifications

• J.D. and active bar membership in good standing or equivalent qualifications.
• 8-12 years of relevant legal experience, with significant in-house experience at a technology, SaaS, or engineering/infrastructure software company.
• Experience supporting global software products in one or more areas including privacy, data governance, intellectual property, AI governance, cybersecurity, product compliance, cloud services, SaaS platforms, APIs, or software licensing.
• Strong understanding of modern software development lifecycles.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust and influence with senior executives in a complex global organization, particularly in product and technology teams.
• Experience operating in highly matrixed organizations and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
• Strong systems thinking: comfort connecting dots across roadmap decisions, market/regulatory dynamics, and cross-functional strategy.
• Strong business judgment and ability to balance risk management with commercial objectives.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into practical business guidance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in engineering, construction, or infrastructure-adjacent industries (AEC, industrial, utilities, or public infrastructure).
• Experience serving as Product Counsel, Technology Counsel, Privacy Counsel, Commercial Counsel, or a similar role within a software or technology company.
• Experience supporting AI-enabled products, developer platforms, digital twins, cloud services, or enterprise SaaS offerings.
• Familiarity with how regulatory or standards shifts (e.g., project delivery methodologies, safety or environmental standards) affect product strategy in infrastructure-related markets.
• Experience working within a US-headquartered publicly traded company environment.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future employer sponsorship.

• An exciting career as an integral part of a world‑leading software company providing solutions for architecture, engineering, and construction - watch this short documentary about how we got our start.
• An attractive salary and benefits package.
• A commitment to inclusion, belonging and colleague wellbeing through global initiatives and resource groups.
• A company committed to making a real difference by advancing the world’s infrastructure for better quality of life, where your contributions help build a more sustainable, connected, and resilient world. Discover our latest user success stories for an insight into our global impact.

About Bentley Systems

Around the world, infrastructure professionals rely on software from Bentley Systems to help them design, build, and operate better and more resilient infrastructure for transportation, water, energy, cities, and more. Founded in 1984 by engineers for engineers, Bentley is the partner of choice for engineering firms and owner-operators worldwide, with software that spans engineering disciplines, industry sectors, and all phases of the infrastructure lifecycle. Through our digital twin solutions, we help infrastructure professionals unlock the value of their data to transform project delivery and asset performance. www.bentley.com

Equal Opportunity Employer

Bentley is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, pregnancy, protected veteran status, religion, national origin, age, genetic information or any other protected characteristic. This commitment extends to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, compensation, and training. Know Your Rights as an applicant under the law.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Bentley is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. We encourage you to request a reasonable accommodation if you are not able to fully use or access our online application system. You can make an accommodation request by calling 610-458-5000 or sending us an email at [e-mail]

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