VP, Legal

Public.com; California (MO); On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible PTO

Equity options

Job summary

Dutch is seeking a VP, Legal to take charge of its legal function as the company scales in the consumer healthcare pet care sector. This leadership role requires a blend of legal acumen and business strategy, focusing on navigating complex regulatory environments.

The ideal candidate will have a JD, significant experience in consumer healthcare, and the ability to manage compliance while driving the organization forward. The role offers a competitive salary and the chance to work in a remote-first culture.

Qualifications

• Active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Experience advising a regulated consumer business.
• Excellent commercial contract drafting and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead Dutch's legal function across various legal matters.
• Advise CEO and executives on business decisions.
• Manage outside counsel efficiently.

Skills

Legal judgment

Commercial pragmatism

Excellent communication skills

Strong regulatory judgment

Project management

Education

JD from accredited law school

Job description

The Role

We’re looking for a VP, Legal to lead Dutch’s legal function as we scale one of the most important consumer healthcare companies in pet care.

This is a highly strategic and hands‑on leadership role for someone who can operate as both a legal executive and a business partner. You will be responsible for helping Dutch navigate a complex and fast‑changing regulatory environment across veterinary telemedicine, pharmacy, consumer healthcare, subscription commerce, privacy, marketing, employment, corporate governance, and strategic partnerships.

This role is ideal for someone who combines excellent legal judgment with commercial pragmatism. You should be comfortable operating in ambiguity, advising executives, managing outside counsel, building scalable legal processes, and helping the company move quickly while maintaining a high bar for compliance, trust, and long‑term durability.

What you’ll do

• Own and lead Dutch’s legal function across corporate, regulatory, commercial, product, privacy, employment, litigation, and compliance matters
• Serve as a strategic legal advisor to the CEO, executive team, and board on key business, regulatory, and risk decisions
• Partner closely with clinical, pharmacy, product, operations, marketing, finance, people, and growth teams to enable compliant and scalable execution
• Lead Dutch’s legal strategy around veterinary telemedicine, VCPR, pharmacy operations, prescribing, state‑by‑state regulatory requirements, and related healthcare compliance matters
• Support Dutch’s regulatory advocacy efforts as the company works to expand access to virtual veterinary care across the United States
• Build legal frameworks that allow Dutch to launch new products, expand into new states, enter new business lines, and deepen its pet health platform
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements, including vendor contracts, strategic partnerships, pharmacy‑related agreements, marketing agreements, data/privacy agreements, and other business‑critical contracts
• Advise on product and marketing initiatives, including claims review, consumer protection, advertising compliance, subscription practices, and customer‑facing disclosures
• Oversee corporate governance, board materials, financing support, equity matters, cap table administration, and investor‑related legal work
• Manage employment legal matters in partnership with the People team, including policies, employee relations, offer documentation, separations, and compliance with applicable employment laws
• Develop and scale internal legal processes, templates, policies, approval workflows, and playbooks that help teams move faster with better judgment
• Manage outside counsel efficiently across regulatory, corporate, employment, litigation, pharmacy, privacy, and other specialized areas
• Identify and proactively mitigate legal and regulatory risk without slowing down the business unnecessarily
• Help prepare Dutch for future scale, including potential strategic transactions, financing events, audits, and public‑company readiness over time

What we’re looking for

• Company experience
• JD from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar
• Experience advising a regulated consumer, healthcare, telehealth, pharmacy, marketplace, subscription, fintech, insurance, or similarly complex business
• Strong regulatory judgment and the ability to interpret state‑by‑state requirements in practical, business‑oriented ways
• Experience partnering with executive teams and advising senior leaders on high‑stakes legal, regulatory, and commercial decisions
• Excellent commercial contract drafting and negotiation skills
• Comfort operating in a fast‑moving startup environment where the legal function must be both rigorous and practical
• Strong understanding of privacy, marketing, consumer protection, employment, and corporate governance issues relevant to a consumer healthcare business
• Ability to build scalable legal processes from scratch, including templates, playbooks, workflows, and training
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex legal issues clearly to non‑lawyers
• Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple workstreams, outside counsel, and business priorities at once
• High integrity, sound judgment, and a bias toward finding legally sound paths to “yes”
• Low‑ego, collaborative leadership style and a willingness to roll up your sleeves

Nice to have

• Experience with telehealth, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, digital health, consumer healthcare, or healthcare marketplaces
• Experience with VCPR, veterinary board regulations, pharmacy boards, prescribing regulations, or state healthcare regulatory frameworks
• Experience supporting legislative, regulatory, or policy advocacy efforts
• Experience building or scaling a legal function at a venture‑backed or growth‑stage company
• Experience managing compliance programs, privacy programs, or regulated product launches across multiple states
• Familiarity with subscription businesses, consumer marketplaces, DTC healthcare, or pet health

Why this role is exciting

• You’ll lead the legal function at a company working to redefine how pet parents access veterinary care
• You’ll work at the intersection of veterinary medicine, telemedicine, pharmacy, consumer healthcare, and technology
• You’ll help expand access to care in a category where regulation is evolving quickly and the stakes are meaningful
• You’ll partner directly with the CEO and executive team on company‑defining decisions
• You’ll build the legal infrastructure for a fast‑scaling business with significant long‑term ambition
• You’ll have the opportunity to shape the regulatory strategy for one of the most important companies in pet health
• You’ll join Dutch at a moment when the company is scaling rapidly and expanding beyond telemedicine into a broader pet health platform

Why work for Dutch

• Competitive compensation range between $225,000 - $275,000, equity, and benefits. Actual compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and location.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible PTO
• Remote‑first culture
• The chance to make a meaningful impact on pets and the people who love them
• The opportunity to help build one of the most important consumer healthcare companies in pet care