Senior Commercial Counsel

Human Interest is on a mission to ensure that people in all lines of work have access to retirement benefits. 

More than half of all working Americans are not saving enough for their future. Too often, it’s because they are employed by a company that doesn’t offer a retirement plan. Human Interest is changing that by making it affordable and accessible for small and medium-sized businesses to offer employees a path to financial independence through retirement savings.

We’re a high-growth fintech company changing the retirement industry. We are backed by a number of investors. This includes funding from Marshall Wace and Baillie Gifford, as well as top investors such as BlackRock, TPG (The Rise Fund), SoftBank, Glynn Capital, NewView Capital, USVP, Wing, Uncork, and more.

About the role

In this role, you'll own and elevate Human Interest's commercial legal function. We're looking for a senior commercial attorney to take ownership and set the standard for how commercial legal work gets done here. We work as one team where everyone does their part, so you'll own commercial and bring genuine interest in stretching into other areas of the team's work. We change fast, so you'll keep the function agile and moving as the business evolves.

You'll report to the Assistant General Counsel, Corporate & Commercial, bringing seasoned commercial judgment and translating legal and risk issues into guidance the business can act on with confidence. As a senior member of the team, you'll lead our highest-stakes negotiations, set the standard for what excellent commercial legal work looks like, and mentor the colleagues who work alongside you. There's real room to grow as the team and the company continue to scale.

Our legal team runs on modern AI tooling, and this role is expected to push it further. Fluency with AI in your day-to-day legal work, and the instinct to build workflows that make the whole function faster, are essential.

What you get to do every day

Your work centers on helping the business get deals done - and building the infrastructure that lets it move faster. Day to day, you will:

• Lead commercial contracting end to end: Structure, draft, and negotiate the full range of agreements that keep the business moving, including customer contracts, partnerships (including white-label), vendor and SaaS agreements, and NDAs. You take the lead on our most complex, highest-stakes deals and the sophisticated counterparties behind them, with a Contracts Manager handling high-volume and routine work.
• Own the data and privacy terms in the deal: Negotiate DPAs and the data rights, security, and confidentiality provisions that sit at the center of a financial-data business, and know when a financial-privacy or information-security question needs a specialist alongside you.
• Handle the AI terms: Negotiate the AI and data use provisions that increasingly show up in both outbound and inbound contracts, and turn them into positions the business understands.
• Be the trusted advisor to the business: Be the responsive, go-to resource that gives clear, practical guidance and gets deals done, whether you're talking to a sales rep or a counterparty's general counsel.
• Spot issues and pull in the right experts: Recognize when a deal raises questions beyond commercial, such as ERISA and fiduciary, investment adviser, securities, employment, consumer marketing, or product, and bring in the right expert at the right time while keeping ownership and driving the deal to close.
• Make the function faster and more scalable: Set and execute the strategy for how the function scales, including leading our CLM implementation, building the templates, playbooks, and self-service that let the business move quickly, and folding AI and other tools into the workflow.
• Raise the legal IQ of the business: Equip go-to-market, procurement, and other teams to handle routine matters themselves, and mentor the Contracts Manager and other colleagues as the function grows.
• Support new and expanding products: Partner with Product Counsel to advise on the commercial side and build out terms of use and other foundational commercial documentation that new products and features need.
• Grow beyond commercial: Take on corporate, governance, and other projects as the team needs.

What you bring to the role

• Commercial Owner: You're ready to own Commercial Legal here at a senior level, bringing strong accountability and the best practices you've picked up from well-run teams.
• Seasoned Negotiator: You've led complex, high-stakes negotiations against sophisticated counterparties, and you know how to protect the company without stalling the deal.
• Business-Minded and Sharp: You read a deal for its business stakes, make confident risk-based calls under deadline pressure, and see quickly when to pull in the right expert or stakeholders.
• Fluent in Data and Privacy: You're comfortable owning DPA and data rights negotiations, and you understand the privacy and security issues that come with handling sensitive financial data.
• AI-Fluent: You already lean on AI day-to-day for review, drafting, and redlining, and you're eager to push the function further with it.
• A Force Multiplier: You make the people around you better. You mentor, you build the playbooks and processes others rely on, and you lift the whole team's output.
• Curious and Growth-Oriented: You're drawn to work beyond commercial, and you see that breadth and range as a feature of the role, not a distraction from it.
• Clear Communicator: You can make a hard issue clear to any audience, whether in a redline, an email, or a room full of stakeholders.
• Diligent and Detail-Oriented: You bring a strong work ethic, sweat the details, and follow through without being chased.
• Invested and Adaptable: You throw yourself in, have your colleagues' backs, stay steady when the pace is high, and flex as priorities change. No task is too big or too small.

Qualifications

Experience:

• • 8+ years of legal experience, including substantial in-house time at a high-growth, fast-paced company, ideally one that has scaled quickly
  • A deep commercial contracting background, whether you've run a function or worked on a sophisticated team, drafting and negotiating a broad range of B2B and B2C agreements
  • Strong command of IP and technology licensing, SaaS terms, and data rights
  • Working fluency with data protection and privacy frameworks as they arise in commercial deals, including DPAs, data processing and security terms, and the added sensitivity of financial data
  • Experience practicing in a highly regulated industry
  • A track record leading complex, high-stakes negotiations directly with sophisticated counterparties, including Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies
  • Extensive experience advising internal business stakeholders in real time and turning legal conclusions into practical guidance
  • Admitted to the bar and in good standing, or otherwise authorized to practice law (e.g., registered in-house status) in any state
  Nice to Haves
  • In-house experience in fintech specifically
  • Experience at a large, sophisticated startup or technology company known for strong legal practices
  • Experience mentoring junior legal colleagues or building out a commercial legal function as it scales

Why you will love working at Human Interest

Human Interest is tackling one of our country's biggest challenges - closing the retirement gap. You'll be instrumental in architecting and scaling solutions that bring financial security to employees at small and medium-sized businesses nationwide. We’ve made significant progress, but there is still growth ahead, offering you a unique opportunity to solve complex problems, drive innovation, and advance your career alongside a dedicated, mission-driven team. We value hard work and recognize that our team's contributions are key to our continued success.

Join Human Interest and make a lasting impact by shaping the future of retirement.

Our operating principles define how we work together as a team. They reflect Human Interest’s unique view on what’s important and what’s right. Documenting this core aspect of our culture helps employees make good decisions on their own. It also helps candidates considering career opportunities critically evaluate whether they will thrive at Human Interest. 

• Customer obsession: We're all about creating amazing experiences for our customers. We put their needs first and go the extra mile to make them smile.
• Long-Term Orientation: We're not just playing for today; we're building a legacy. We think big, plan strategically, and invest in our future.
• Autonomous and Accountable Teams: We trust our team members to take ownership and make smart decisions. We empower you to be your best self!
• An Escalating Bar for Talent and Performance: We're constantly raising the bar and challenging ourselves to be better. We believe in growth and continuous improvement.
• Fundamental Optimism: We see the glass as half full (and then we fill it up with more amazing ideas!). We believe in the power of positivity and the potential for greatness.

Compensation - At Human Interest, there are a number of factors that are used to determine the appropriate pay range for each position. We take into account the cost of labor for each position in various markets across the U.S. The base salary for this position spans $200,000 - $240,000 annually and represents the minimum in our lowest geographic region to a maximum in our highest geographic region. The salary we offer to a new employee within this range is based on their location within the U.S., their relevant job-related skills, and experience. At Human Interest, base salary is one component of the overall total rewards package. Depending on the position, additional compensation components such as bonuses, commissions, and equity may be offered. All of our employees are offered a robust suite of physical, financial, and mental wellness benefits. In compliance with applicable laws, we do not inquire about salary history, or about criminal history prior to a conditional offer of employment.

Benefits - 

• A great 401(k) plan: Our own! Our 401(k) includes a dollar-for-dollar employer match up to 4% of compensation (immediately vested) and $0 plan fees
• Top-of-the-line health plans, as well as dental and vision insurance
• Competitive time off and parental leave
• Addition Wealth:  Unlimited access to digital tools, financial professionals, and a knowledge center to help you understand your equity and support your financial wellness
• Lyra: Enhanced Mental Health Support for Employees and dependents  
• Carrot: Fertility healthcare and family forming benefits
• Candidly:  Student loan resource to help you and your family plan, borrow, and repay student debt
• Monthly work-from-home stipend; quarterly lifestyle stipend
• Engaging team-building experiences, ranging from virtual social events to team offsites, promoting collaboration and camaraderie.

We’re a great place to work (but don’t take our word for it) 

Here’s a list of our awards and accolades:

• Certified as a Great Place To Work® (2023-2025)
• Fortune Best Place to Work in the Bay Area (2024)
• Best Places to Work by Built In (2023-2024)
• America’s Best Startup Employers by Forbes (2020-2022, 2024) 
• A Top Company by Y Combinator (2020-2023)
• Inc. Fastest Growing Companies (2021)

Human Interest is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran or military status, pregnancy, or any other characteristics protected under federal, state, or local laws. Employment with Human Interest is at-will, meaning either you or the company may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or notice, except as otherwise provided by law or written agreement.

We are committed to making every stage of our application process fully accessible to all individuals. If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the process, please let us know at [email protected].
Protect yourself against fraud and identity theft. Apply to our open positions directly via our careers page on Greenhouse. Human Interest will never ask applicants for their financial or banking information as part of our application process. All legitimate communication will come from a @humaninterest.com email address. If you have questions, please reach out to us directly at [email protected]

Please note Human Interest does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates. We will not consider resumes from vendors, including and without limitation search firms, staffing agencies, fee-based referral services, and recruiting agencies. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. We comply with CCPA guidelines.

See more: https://humaninterest.com/disclosures