In this role, you will lead complex negotiations with U.S. federal and SLED public sector customers and partners, serving as a trusted advisor to internal stakeholders. You will collaborate closely with Sales and go-to-market teams, as well as Privacy, Customer Trust, Product Legal, and Compliance, to deliver practical and actionable advice.
This position will play a key role in advancing Datadog’s U.S. public sector commercial strategy. With broad scope and senior-level accountability, you will serve as the subject matter expert and partner with Legal leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to influence company policies impacting public sector customers, while gaining exposure to cutting-edge SaaS areas such as privacy, security, and AI/ML.
At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.
What You’ll Do:
- Independently negotiate and close complex SaaS agreements with public sector customers and their partners, exercising keen judgement on risk tradeoffs and escalation decisions.
- Counsel internal teams on federal and state procurement laws and regulations, including FAR/DFARS, cybersecurity requirements, data handling, supply chain rules, and compliance obligations.
- Serve as the primary legal advisor to U.S. public sector GTM teams, helping shape deal strategy and negotiation posture across complex and high-stakes opportunities by balancing government contracting requirements, legal risks, and business goals.
- Partner with our Product Legal and Security teams to advise on product features, deployment models, and compliance standards relevant to government environments.
- Create and improve scalable processes, templates, and training materials to support Datadog’s public-sector growth.
- Manage and maintain company registrations required by public sector customers.
- Coach and mentor other Commercial Legal team members on public sector contracting issues, including escalation strategy, negotiation posture, and risk analysis.
Who You Are:
- Possessing 10+ years of law firm and/or in-house experience with government (federal, state, and local) contracting, with a focus on SaaS and related technology areas.
- Demonstrating a deep understanding of how to translate government procurement and compliance requirements into commercially workable SaaS contracting models, and the judgment to know when adaptation is (and is not) appropriate.
- Having in-depth knowledge of government legal and regulatory contracting requirements (including familiarity with federal and specific state requirements).
- Someone who is able to independently review and negotiate complex SaaS agreements, as well as ancillary documents including BAAs and privacy-related documents, applying strong judgment to adapt guidance and address novel issues, and partnering closely with GTM teams to manage multiple negotiations under tight deadlines.
- Comfortable working cross-functionally with technical, business, and executive stakeholders.
- Someone with integrity, excellent judgment, and a high degree of emotional intelligence; you have experience building strong collaboration channels with peers and stakeholders across a business and are ready to identify pathways to success with our customers.
- Licensed to practice law and have earned a JD and bar admission in the U.S.
- Possessing an active US security clearance or the willingness and ability to obtain one.
Datadog values people from all walks of life. We understand not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one. That's okay. If you’re passionate about technology and want to grow your skills, we encourage you to apply.
Benefits & Growth:
- Generous and competitive benefits package
- New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan
- Continuous career development and pathing opportunities
- Employee-focused best in class onboarding
- Internal mentor and cross-departmental buddy program
- Friendly and inclusive workplace culture
Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.
Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.
About Datadog:
Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) is a global SaaS business, delivering a rare combination of growth and profitability. We are on a mission to break down silos and solve complexity in the cloud age by enabling digital transformation, cloud migration, and infrastructure monitoring of our customers’ entire technology stacks. Built by engineers, for engineers, Datadog is used by organizations of all sizes across a wide range of industries. Together, we champion professional development, diversity of thought, innovation, and work excellence to empower continuous growth. Join the pack and become part of a collaborative, pragmatic, and thoughtful people-first community where we solve tough problems, take smart risks, and celebrate one another. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.
Equal Opportunity at Datadog:
Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.
Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete this form. This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
Privacy and AI Guidelines:
Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.
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What We Do
Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) is a global SaaS business, delivering a rare combination of growth and profitability. We are on a mission to break down silos and solve complexity in the cloud age by enabling digital transformation, cloud migration, and infrastructure monitoring of our customers' entire technology stacks. Built by engineers, for engineers, Datadog is used by organizations of all sizes across a wide range of industries. Together, we champion professional development, diversity of thought, innovation, and work excellence to empower continuous growth. Join the pack and become part of a collaborative, pragmatic, and thoughtful people-first community where we solve tough problems, take smart risks, and celebrate one another.
Why Work With Us
At Datadog, we learn from and celebrate each other daily - each win is a team win. Datadogs solve tough problems, innovate pragmatically, and grow together. We promote from within, provide mentorship and opportunities for career development, and support our colleagues in the process. Best of all? We truly love what we do.
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Datadog Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them and their team.
