Senior Legal Counsel

Leadenhall Search & Selection; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working model

Global exposure

Job summary

Akamai seeks a Senior Counsel to support its global network infrastructure and technology procurement. You will lead complex commercial transactions, advise cross-functional teams, and shape contracting playbooks for data centres, connectivity and related services in a fast-paced, international environment.

The role combines strategic legal guidance with pragmatic, commercially minded advice, requiring substantial experience in technology transactions and regulatory considerations across

Qualifications

• Experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex technology contracts.
• Strong understanding of data centre, bandwidth and interconnection agreements.
• Ability to advise procurement, engineering and business teams on risks and commercial terms.

Responsibilities

• Lead drafting, review and negotiation of complex commercial and technology agreements including data centre leases and network services.
• Advise business and engineering teams on commercial contracting and infrastructure-related legal matters.
• Provide guidance on contractual risks, liability, indemnification, data security and regulatory compliance.
• Develop templates, playbooks and standard positions for infrastructure and procurement transactions.
• Partner with senior stakeholders on strategy and global risk management.

Skills

Commercial transactions

Contract negotiation

Technology procurement

Cloud computing

Network infrastructure

Regulatory awareness

Job description

Senior Counsel, Network & Infrastructure Commercial Transactions | United States

We’re partnering with a leading global technology organisation, focused on cloud computing, cybersecurity and content delivery to appoint a Senior Counsel, Network & Infrastructure Commercial Transactions to support its global network infrastructure, technology procurement and commercial operations.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced commercial technology lawyer to work at the intersection of law, technology and global infrastructure. You’ll provide strategic, commercially focused legal advice on complex transactions while partnering with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams across an internationally recognised technology business.

The Role

• Lead the drafting, review and negotiation of complex commercial and technology agreements, including data centre leases, colocation, bandwidth, connectivity, interconnection, transit, peering and hardware and software procurement agreements.
• Advise business, procurement and engineering teams on commercial contracting and infrastructure-related legal matters.
• Provide practical legal guidance on contractual risks, including liability, indemnification, data security, regulatory compliance and operational dependencies.
• Support strategic supplier relationships, managing contract interpretations, renewals, amendments, escalations and disputes.
• Develop and maintain contract templates, negotiation playbooks and standard contracting positions for infrastructure and procurement transactions.
• Partner with senior stakeholders on transaction strategy, commercial negotiations and global infrastructure risk management.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting network infrastructure, data centres, telecommunications, technology procurement and global supply chains.
• Provide broader commercial legal support across the business as required.

About You

• Minimum of 8 years' legal experience, ideally combining law firm and in-house experience.
• Strong background in commercial technology transactions, cloud computing and network infrastructure.
• Experienced in drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex commercial agreements, including data centre leases, colocation, network services, hardware and software procurement, IaaS and SaaS contracts.
• Understanding of international regulatory considerations relating to cloud services, content delivery networks and internet technologies.
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to identify and manage complex contractual and operational risks.
• Comfortable advising senior stakeholders and working collaboratively with procurement, engineering, information security and other business teams.
• Excellent communication, analytical and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex transactions in a fast-paced global environment.
• Experience managing external counsel and supporting cross-functional projects.

A combination of law firm and in-house experience is preferred, alongside the ability to balance technical legal expertise with pragmatic, commercially driven advice.

The Opportunity

• Work on complex, high-value commercial transactions supporting one of the world's largest distributed cloud and edge platforms.
• Play a strategic role in shaping Akamai's global network infrastructure and technology procurement operations.
• Partner with senior stakeholders and specialist teams across a truly international organisation.
• Advise on business-critical agreements involving data centres, connectivity, telecommunications and emerging technology infrastructure.
• Join an established global legal team operating at the forefront of innovation, cloud computing and cybersecurity.
• Benefit from a flexible working model, supporting remote, office-based and hybrid working arrangements.