Senior Legal Counsel - Commercial

Organizations everywhere struggle under the crushing costs and complexities of “solutions” that promise to simplify their lives. To create a better experience for their customers and employees. To help them grow. Software is a choice that can make or break a business. Create better or worse experiences. Propel or throttle growth. Business software has become a blocker instead of ways to get work done.

There’s another option. Freshworks. With a fresh vision for how the world works.

Freshworks Inc. builds uncomplicated service software that delivers exceptional employee and customer experiences. Our people-first approach to AI eliminates friction, helping businesses reduce complexity, lower cost-to-serve, and deliver faster, more human support through enterprise-grade yet easy-to-use CX and IT solutions. Nearly 75,000 companies, including Bridgestone, New Balance, Nucor, S&P Global, and Sony Music, trust Freshworks to power their Employee Experience (EX) and Customer Experience (CX) operations.

Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.

At Freshworks, we're looking for a Senior Commercial Counsel to act as a lead legal partner across Sales, Partner, and Vendor engagements in North America. In this role, you'll own complex commercial transactions and help drive the design and evolution of scalable programs, frameworks, and contracting structures that support our continued growth. 

What You'll Do: 

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of agreements, including cloud (SaaS), channel, reseller, referral, managed services, marketplace, data protection, and professional services agreements 
• Support Freshworks' Partner, Channels, and Strategic Alliances teams globally by advising on potential legal risks, business strategies, and structuring 
• Negotiate data processing agreements, business associate agreements, and similar compliance-driven contracts
• Maintain and enhance commercial contract templates, playbooks, and standard contracting clauses to streamline Deal Desk processes
• Continuously improve standardized documentation across multiple jurisdictions for our partner teams
• Work closely with Sales, Finance, Deals Desk, and Professional Services to expedite transactions and align with our compliance requirements
• Assist in developing internal policies to support efficient vendor onboarding and contract review processes 
• Keep up-to-date on relevant laws and regulations, including those related to IP, open source, privacy, and security 

• 8+ years as a transactional attorney at a leading law firm or in-house legal department, preferably with experience at a multinational company. 
• Demonstrated expertise in partner and channel agreements, SaaS agreements, customer agreements, professional services, vendor agreements, and data processing agreements
• Strong ability to apply sound, practical business judgement and creatively address complex legal matters with sensible solutions 
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills 
• Ability to work across multiple time zones and cultures with remote and global teams 
• Solid grasp of business processes related to commercial contracts, intellectual property, international data privacy, and data protection law 
• Highly responsive with a service-oriented attitude, strong work ethic, accountability, and professionalism. Able to work under tight timelines with close attention to detail 
• Proven ability to work effectively within a team setting, build strong work relationships across functions (e.g., finance, operations, professional services), and manage relationships with non-legal business partners 
• Juris Doctorate from an accredited U.S. law school and license to practice law in California

Please note this is a hybrid role with onsite expectations of 3x/ week (Tues - Thurs) from our San Mateo, CA headquarters. 

The annual base salary range for this position is $180,000 - $235,000 USD. This role is also eligible for a target bonus.

Compensation is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to location, experience, job-related skills, and level. Bonus/equity may be available. Freshworks offers multiple options for dental, medical, vision, disability and life insurances. Equity + ESPP, flexible PTO, flexible spending, commuter benefits and wellness benefits are also offered. Freshworks also offers adoption and parental leave benefits.

At Freshworks, we have fostered an environment that enables everyone to find their true potential, purpose, and passion, welcoming colleagues of all backgrounds, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and ethnicities. We are committed to providing equal opportunity and believe that diversity in the workplace creates a more vibrant, richer environment that boosts the goals of our employees, communities, and business. Fresh vision. Real impact. Come build it with us.