Sr. Commercial Counsel

Vercel; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package, including equity.

Inclusive Healthcare Package.

Flexible Time Off.

Mentorship and skill-building events.

Job summary

Vercel is looking for an enthusiastic attorney to join its legal team in San Francisco. In this role, you will handle commercial contracts and collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance efficiency and deal velocity using AI tools.

Ideal candidates will have over 10 years of legal experience, including at least 5 years in-house at a tech company. A strong understanding of US privacy regulations is crucial, along with the ability to manage negotiations with enterprise clients effectively.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of legal experience, with 5+ years in-house in a technology company.
• Familiarity with US privacy regulations and ability to discuss them confidently.
• Demonstrated skill in using AI for building tools and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Negotiate commercial agreements, including vendor and partnership contracts.
• Design scalable contracting processes to improve deal velocity.
• Participate in and advise on expansion strategies for Vercel.

Skills

Legal experience

Contract negotiation

AI integration

Privacy regulation knowledge

Communication skills

Risk assessment

Organizational skills

Education

Qualified attorney in California or another US jurisdiction

JD from an accredited law school

Tools

AI tools

Job description

About Vercel:

Vercel is the agentic infrastructure company. We free people and agents to ship what’s next.

For more than a decade, Vercel has shaped how the web is built. As the team behind Next.js, v0, and AI SDK, we create products that help builders move from idea to production with speed, security, and exceptional developer experience.

Now, software is entering a new era, and the next generation of products will not just be used by people. They will be built, extended, and operated by agents.

We are building the platform for that future, trusted by companies likeOpenAI, PayPal, Ramp, Supreme, and millions of developers worldwide. Whether you’re building our products, supporting our customers, growing our community, or shaping our story, you’ll help define what comes next.

About the role:

We are looking for a keen and enthusiastic attorney based in San Francisco to join our small but mighty Legal team.

You will partner closely with Sales, Partnerships, Procurement, and other cross‑functional teams to negotiate commercial contracts with customers, vendors, and partners. In addition to managing a busy deal pipeline, you will use AI tools to help design and improve processes, playbooks, and programs that increase efficiency and deal velocity so the team can scale with company growth. Depending on need and interest, you may work on product development projects and other areas outside of Commercial Legal.

You will report to the Senior Director of Legal, Commercial and will be based in San Francisco with a 3 day/week in‑office requirement.

What you will do:

• Serve as a primary Legal point of contact for go‑to‑market and procurement deals, providing clear, practical advice to relevant teams
• Independently manage and negotiate a variety of commercial agreements, including customer, vendor, partnership, and reseller agreements
• Partner with cross‑functional teams to design and improve scalable contracting processes, playbooks, and tools that increase deal velocity
• Draft, maintain, and iterate on agreement templates, playbooks, and fallback positions
• Participate in and advise on Vercel regional expansion strategies
• Use AI tools to build and refine workflows and processes that help the team work more efficiently and consistently
• Contribute to other Legal work as needed, which may include supporting commercial deals in EMEA and APAC, or product, privacy, or security initiatives

About you:

• Qualified and in good standing in California or another US jurisdiction
• 10+ years of legal experience, including 5+ years of in‑house commercial experience at a technology company (ideally AI, SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS)
• Deeply familiar with US privacy regulations and able to confidently discuss privacy issues with customers
• Strong understanding of AI and cloud‑based services and the associated global regulatory landscape, with a willingness to dig deep into Vercel's evolving product offerings
• Demonstrated skill and experience with using AI to build tools, workflows, and processes
• Excellent judgment, with strong risk‑assessment and mitigation skills and the ability to make pragmatic recommendations with imperfect information
• Clear and concise communicator, able to explain complex issues in plain language to a wide range of stakeholders
• Proven ability to confidently and independently negotiate technology agreements with enterprise customers and technology vendors
• Strong prioritization and organization skills, with the ability to manage a high volume of fast‑moving workstreams and diverse stakeholders
• Track record of building new or meaningfully improving existing programs or processes in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment.
• Collaborative and low‑ego team member, willing to roll up your sleeves and take on work of varying scope and visibility
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced environment with a proven track record of building new or improving existing programs or processes at other high‑growth companies

Bonus if you have:

• Used Vercel's products and services
• Experience supporting channel and reseller partnerships
• Fluency in other languages

Benefits:

• Competitive compensation package, including equity.
• Inclusive Healthcare Package.
• Learn and Grow - we provide mentorship and send you to events that help you build your network and skills.
• Flexible Time Off.
• We will provide you the gear you need to do your role, and a WFH budget for you to outfit your space as needed.

The San Francisco, CA base pay range for this role is $250,000 - $270,000. Actual salary will be based on job‑related skills, experience, and location. Compensation outside of San Francisco may be adjusted based on employee location. The total compensation package may include benefits, equity‑based compensation, and eligibility for a company bonus or variable pay program depending on the role. Your recruiter can share more details during the hiring process.

Vercel is committed to fostering and empowering an inclusive community within our organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Vercel encourages everyone to apply for our available positions, even if they don't necessarily check every box on the job description.