Senior Legal Counsel

HR Tech Job; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 178,000 - 267,000; Full time

Job summary

Workday, a Fortune 500 AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, seeks a Senior Legal Counsel to manage the full contract lifecycle for outbound and inbound transactions, including SaaS agreements, AI addenda, and vendor agreements.

You will negotiate, draft, and manage complex agreements, collaborating with Sales, Procurement, Deals Operations and other Legal teams, ensuring compliance with company models and legal requirements, in a hybrid work environment based in Boston, MA.

Qualifications

• JD required and licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 10+ years drafting and negotiating contracts in a corporate setting.
• Experience with inbound and outbound SaaS/tech agreements, particularly with sales and procurement.
• Proficient in privacy and AI term negotiations.
• Experience with data privacy rules and contracts.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations of contract modifications with customers, vendors, and partners with stakeholders.
• Draft, review, and revise contracts and amendments to address business needs.
• Advise internal teams on edits, policies, and risk in commercial terms.
• Participate in calls with clients and internal stakeholders.
• Improve contract processes and establish playbooks and templates.
• Support cross-functional collaboration between Legal and Sales, Procurement, Finance.

Skills

Juris Doctor

Contract Negotiation

SaaS / Technology Agreements

Privacy & AI Terms

Cross-functional Collaboration

Legal Research & Writing

Independent Work

Sales & Procurement Experience

Education

Juris Doctor degree

Tools

Contract Management System (e.g., Salesforce, Apttus, Conga)

AdobeSign / DocuSign

Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint

Job description

Your work days are brighter here.

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

The Global Legal Services team delivers world class legal shared services to Workday’s Legal and Sales teams in a wide variety of transactional and in-depth work. This worldwide team is composed of legal professionals who handle work across Workday’s customers, vendors, and internal partners. The team is asked to manage a large volume of deals and opportunities; as well as interact with several cross functional teams, and it operates at scale through efficiency, speed, and skills.

About the Role

As a Senior Legal Counsel at Workday, you will play a crucial role in managing the full contract lifecycle for a fast-growing, innovative company. You will directly support the outbound and inbound segments of the business. Support both outbound customer-facing transactions and inbound procurement/vendor transactions, including SaaS agreements, DPEs, AI addenda, vendor agreements, partner agreements, and related amendments. This position demands critical thinking, high integrity, and strong operational management. You will be directly responsible for negotiating, drafting, and managing a wide array of agreements that establish complex business relationships with customers, vendors, and partners. This involves collaborating closely with Sales, Procurement, Deals Operations, and other Legal teams to structure agreements and ensure all contracts comply with company models, guidelines, and other applicable legal requirements. Success requires a proactive approach, excellent communication skills, exceptional attention to detail, adaptability in a changing business environment, and the ability to work independently while managing multiple, competing, and sensitive priorities. A successful candidate will be proactive, solutions-oriented, and able to creatively resolve issues to help accelerate deal closure while appropriately managing risk.

Responsibilities

Contract Drafting & Negotiation

• Lead the negotiation of proposed contract modifications by customers, prospects, vendors, and partners working directly with sales, procurement, and internal stakeholders; securing necessary internal and external approvals.
• Draft, review, and revise contracts, addenda, including amendments, to address specific business requirements and legal concerns as they arise.
• Act as a primary liaison for the Legal department, providing cross-functional teams with clear guidance on common edits, non-standard terms, policies, and contract-related questions.
• Join calls with customers, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Privacy and AI knowledge-Advise on privacy, data protection, and AI technology issues in commercial transactions, including negotiation of data processing agreement terms, AI addenda, subprocessors, security terms, and related risk allocations.

Process & Workflow Management

• Help implement legal efficiencies through the negotiation cycle and continuously improve the contracts management system and associated operational processes.

Legal & Business Support

• Maintain and enhance critical processes and collaboration points between the Legal department and other internal business groups.

• Execute assigned projects as determined by the evolving needs of the business and the Legal department.

• Identify and implement process improvements, playbooks, templates, and workflow enhancements that increase contracting speed, consistency, and scalability.

About You

Basic Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree and active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 10+ years of experience drafting and negotiating contracts in a corporate environment
• Direct experience independently drafting and negotiating complex SaaS/technology agreements both on the Inbound and Outbound side, particularly with commercial (sales and procurement)
• Deep experience negotiating Privacy and AI terms
• Sales, customer, and procurement experience
• Prior financial services and/or healthcare inbound or outbound transactions experience

Other Qualifications

• Commercial Expertise: Skilled in drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements including SaaS Agreements, Data Protection, AI Addendum, and Service Level Agreements, as well as complex vendor subscription/technology agreements and subprocessor/Embed Reseller Agreements. Able to reach mutually beneficial outcomes through open dialogue and convey complex legal concepts clearly to both legal and non-legal audiences. Experience with data privacy rules and contracts
• Business Acumen: Applies keen business judgment to align legal strategy with Workday's broader goals. Skilled at building internal and external relationships while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams (sales, services, product, finance, procurement).
• Risk Analysis & Project Management: Proficient in analyzing risk and developing solutions that protect the business while enabling growth.
• Manages legal projects with discipline to keep complex matters on track.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Direct experience using a Contract Management System (e.g., Salesforce, Apttus, Conga) and electronic signature software (e.g., AdobeSign, DocuSign)
• Analytical Thinking: Demonstrates strong analytical skills by breaking down complex information into actionable guidance, identifying transaction patterns, and applying process improvement principles to drive efficiencies in legal workflows.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and thrive in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

Primary Location: USA.MA.Boston

Primary Location Base Pay Range: $177,800 USD - $266,600 USD

Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $160,800 USD - $285,700 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field or with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.

Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision-making to any degree. Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or as otherwise provided under applicable law.

Workday prohibits taking adverse action against any candidate or employee for reporting a possible violation of this policy, requesting one or more work accommodations, exercising a privacy right, or cooperating in an investigation in accordance with applicable law. Any employee who retaliates against a candidate or employee for doing so may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, to the fullest extent allowable under applicable law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation, you may email [e-mail], as far in advance as possible.

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