Sr Counsel, Commercial

Company Overview

At Zuora, we do Modern Business. We’re helping people subscribe to new ways of doing business that are better for people, companies and ultimately the planet. It’s an approach resulting from the shift to the Subscription Economy that puts customers first by building recurring relationships instead of one-time product sales and focuses on sustainable growth. Through our leading expertise and multi-product suite, we are transforming all industries and working with the world’s most innovative companies to monetize new business models, nurture subscriber relationships and optimize their digital experiences.

THE LEGAL TEAM 

Zuora Legal is a high-performing, business-oriented team of thoughtful, empathetic attorneys and legal professionals. We focus on what matters most, apply sound judgment to complex issues, simplify wherever possible, and operate as trusted partners to the business. We value collaboration, continuous improvement, and  practical solutions that enable growth while managing risk. 

THE ROLE 

The Senior Counsel, Commercial role provides strategic, business-focused legal leadership in close partnership with Zuora’s Go-To-Market organization to enable revenue growth at scale. 

Reporting to the Deputy General Counsel, Commercial, Corporate & M&A, this role is responsible for providing sophisticated commercial transaction support, shaping and scaling Zuora’s commercial contracting practices, and helping modernize how Legal supports the business — including through  process design, automation, and AI-enabled solutions.

As part of a nimble, high-impact Legal team, this role also offers meaningful opportunities to contribute beyond core commercial work. Depending on business needs and individual interest, the  Senior Counsel may support strategic partnerships, corporate initiatives, and M&A-related matters, gaining exposure across a broad range of legal disciplines while maintaining a strong commercial foundation.

This role will work closely with Sales, Deal Desk, Product, Security, Privacy, Legal Operations, and other Legal colleagues, and will play a key role in advancing Legal as a proactive, data-informed, and technology-enabled function. 

In the U.S., this role may be fully remote (with periodic travel for in-person collaboration, quarter close, and Legal team offsites) or based in the Bay Area (hybrid). 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Commercial & Go-To-Market Partnership 

○ Serve as a trusted legal advisor to Sales and GTM leadership, providing clear, practical, and business-oriented guidance on complex commercial transactions, often with  Fortune 1000 and other sophisticated global customers. 

○ Lead and negotiate sophisticated SaaS, enterprise, and strategic commercial agreements, balancing risk management with revenue objectives. 

○ Develop a deep understanding of Zuora’s products, roadmap, pricing models, and go to-market strategy to deliver context-aware legal advice. 

○ Design and deliver practical training and guidance for Sales, Deal Desk, and other GTM stakeholders to improve contract fluency and deal velocity. 

Scaling the Commercial Legal Practice 

○ Design, build, and continuously improve commercial contracting frameworks, playbooks, templates, fallback positions, and internal guidance to support efficient deal execution. 

○ Identify opportunities to standardize, simplify, and operationalize recurring commercial workflows. 

○ Partner with Legal Operations to implement process improvements, automation, and data-driven insights across the commercial lifecycle. 

AI-Enabled Legal Innovation 

○ Actively contribute to the development and adoption of AI-enabled legal solutions, including contract review, knowledge management, and workflow optimization.
○ Pilot and scale AI-enabled tools for contract review, clause extraction, playbook application, and knowledge management, working closely with Legal colleagues and IT.
○ Help define best practices for responsible, secure, and effective use of AI within the Legal function.
○ Collaborate cross-functionally to anticipate and proactively address AI impacts related to our products, contracting, privacy, and regulatory compliance. 

Cross-Functional & Legal Collaboration 

○ Work closely with Privacy, Security, IP, Product Legal, and Corporate Legal colleagues to ensure aligned and consistent legal risk positions across the company.
○ Support strategic initiatives beyond core commercial transactions, which may include partnerships, corporate projects, and M&A-related diligence and integration work.
○ Partner with senior Legal leadership on complex, cross-functional matters that require sound judgment, creativity, and an enterprise-wide perspective.
○ Support select vendor and procurement-related agreements in partnership with Procurement, IT, and Legal Operations, applying a pragmatic, risk-based approach consistent with Zuora’s commercial standards.
○ Contribute to mentoring, knowledge-sharing, and a strong culture of collaboration within the Legal team. 

COMPETENCIES/PERSONAL TRAITS 

• Demonstrates impeccable ethics, sound judgment, and a strong sense of ownership.
• Commercially minded attorney who understands how deals get done and how to move them forward responsibly. 
• Comfortable navigating data protection, cybersecurity, revenue recognition, and other common SaaS issues in commercial contracts, with the ability to explain trade-offs clearly to business  stakeholders. 
• Executive-level communicator — clear, concise, and confident with business stakeholders at all  levels. 
• Influences through credibility, empathy, and problem-solving rather than hierarchy.
• Builder mentality: enjoys creating structure, tools, and scalable solutions, not just executing transactions. 
• Highly collaborative and inclusive, with the ability to work effectively across geographies, cultures, and functions. 
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity; agile, pragmatic, and solutions-oriented. 
• Process- and systems-oriented, with a strong interest in legal operations, automation, and AI.
• Organized, resilient, and able to prioritize competing demands in a fast-paced, matrixed environment. 

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE 

• J.D. (or equivalent) from an accredited law school; active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction. 
• 5-10 years of relevant in-house legal experience, with significant focus on commercial/SaaS transactions.
• Deep experience negotiating outbound enterprise SaaS agreements, including MSAs, order forms, SOWs, DPAs, and security addenda. 
• Demonstrated success partnering closely with Sales and GTM teams on complex commercial negotiations. 
• Experience building or scaling commercial legal processes, templates, or playbooks is highly valued.
• Familiarity with legal tech, contract automation, or AI-enabled legal tools is a meaningful plus. 
• Working knowledge of key data protection and cybersecurity frameworks relevant to enterprise SaaS (e.g., GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS) and how they show up in customer contracts a plus.

#ZEOLife at Zuora

As an industry pioneer, our work is constantly evolving and challenging us in new ways that require us to think differently, iterate often and learn constantly—it’s exciting. Our people, whom we refer to as “ZEOs" are empowered to take on a mindset of ownership and make a bigger impact here. Our teams collaborate deeply, exchange different ideas openly and together we’re making what’s next possible for our customers, community and the world.

As part of our commitment to building an inclusive, high-performance culture where ZEOs feel inspired, connected and valued, we support ZEOs with:

• Competitive compensation, variable bonus and performance reward opportunities, and retirement programs
• Medical, dental and vision insurance
• Generous, flexible time off
• Paid holidays, “wellness” days and company wide end of year break
• 6 months fully paid parental leave
• Learning & Development stipend
• Opportunities to volunteer and give back, including charitable donation match
• Free resources and support for your mental wellbeing

Specific benefits offerings may vary by country and can be viewed in more detail during your interview process.

Location & Work Arrangements

Organizations and teams at Zuora are empowered to design efficient and flexible ways of working, being intentional about scheduling, communication, and collaboration strategies that help us achieve our best results. In our dynamic, globally distributed company, this means balancing flexibility and responsibility — flexibility to live our lives to the fullest, and responsibility to each other, to our customers, and to our shareholders. For most roles, we offer the flexibility to work both remotely and at Zuora offices.

Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace

Think, be and do you! At Zuora, different perspectives, experiences and contributions matter. Everyone counts. Zuora is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an inclusive environment for all.

Zuora does not discriminate on the basis of, and considers individuals seeking employment with Zuora without regards to, race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Applicants in need of special assistance or accommodation during the interview process or in accessing our website may contact us by sending an email to [email protected].