Commercial Counsel - Socket

About Us

Socket helps devs and security teams ship faster by cutting out security busywork. Thousands of orgs use Socket to safely find, audit, and manage open source code. Our customers - from Anthropic to xAI, and Figma to Vercel - love Socket.

Founded by Feross Aboukhadijeh, a long-time open source maintainer with software downloaded over a billion times a month, Socket has raised $125M in funding from top angels, operators, and security leaders.

About the Role

Socket is looking for a Commercial Counsel to substantially increase our commercial contracting outcomes. You'll join a lean legal team handling around 60 contracts a month, and you'll be the person sales pulls in to get deals done: fast, collaborative with customers, and always within Socket's risk positions. You'll operate with high agency and minimal direction, use AI and automation to multiply your output, and set a new benchmark for what commercial counsel looks like at Socket.

What You'll Do

• Partner closely with sales from early in the deal cycle, shaping terms before redlines arrive and helping the team win
• Own a meaningful share of Socket's commercial contracts, driving faster turnaround and fewer deals stalled or escalated in legal
• Negotiate directly with customers and their counsel in a way that's fair, responsive and relationship-building
• Keep deals within Socket's approved risk positions, and escalate genuine exceptions to the CEO with a clear recommendation
• Use Socket's existing contracting systems, AI tools and automation to handle more volume and reduce reliance on contractors
• Find creative deal structures that unblock stuck negotiations

What You'll Bring

Required:

• Licensed attorney with substantial experience negotiating high-volume commercial agreements (MSAs, order forms, DPAs, NDAs) at a SaaS or technology company
• Proven track record of partnering with sales teams and improving contract velocity
• Sound, commercially grounded risk judgement across liability, indemnities, IP, data protection and payment terms
• Ability to operate with high agency and minimal direction

Preferred:

• Experience at a security, developer tools or infrastructure company
• Hands-on use of AI and automation tools to increase legal productivity
• Experience negotiating directly with enterprise customers and their counsel

Our Interview Process

1. Phone Screen with our Talent Team
2. Virtual f2f with the Hiring Manager
3. Presentation
4. Virtual f2f with a few members of the team
5. Call with our Founder
6. References
7. Offer

Benefits

• Market competitive salary bands
• Meaningful equity program
• Comprehensive health benefits for you and your family (99% coverage)
• Flexible time-off, holidays, and winter shutdown to rest & recharge
• Paid parental leave
• Remote-first, with quarterly team off-sites