Couchbase, the operational data platform for AI, empowers businesses to succeed by bringing data to life in new ways. Major market-leading companies rely on Couchbase for mission critical operational, analytical, mobile and AI workloads. Built to replace legacy infrastructure and fragmented data services, Couchbase empowers enterprises with a unified platform architected for performance, flexibility and global scale.
With Couchbase, organizations bring their data to life, launching game‑changing customer experiences, exploring the limitless potential of AI, and seamlessly extending applications from the cloud to the edge and beyond. Couchbase’s AI‑ready technology and enterprise partnership model eliminate complexity and reduce total cost of ownership, enabling teams to stay agile, innovative and secure.
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Legal Counsel
Please do not apply if you are not Raleigh-based and have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school with active admission to practice law in North Carolina (NC bar or eligible for NC in-house counsel license)
Role Overview
We are seeking a versatile and proactive Legal Counsel to join our legal team in Raleigh, NC (in office at least 3 days/week). This intermediate role is ideal for an attorney with 2–4 years of experience looking to blend high-volume commercial deal-making with broad corporate governance and specialized functional support.In this role, you will independently draft and negotiate core commercial agreements while partnering cross-functionally across corporate governance, privacy, regulatory compliance, and policy management. You will serve as a critical liaison between commercial execution and corporate strategy, streamlining processes and providing key legal counsel to internal business stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Commercial & Transactional Execution (Primary Focus)
- Independent Negotiation: Independently draft, review, and negotiate complex buy-side (vendor contracts, SOWs) and sell-side (customer sales agreements and orders) contracts, balancing legal risk with commercial goals.
- Template & Playbook Drafting: Create, own, and update standard commercial templates, playbooks, and fallback language to accelerate deal cycles.
- Process Optimization & Management: Streamline and operationalize the contracting lifecycle, managing contract repositories, reporting, and mapping to procurement and sales tools.
- Specialized & General Counsel Support
- Global Regulatory Compliance: Monitor international regulations and operationalize applicable regulatory requirements, including industry-specific rules relevant to the Company or its customers.
- Privacy & AI Governance: Interpret and manage domestic and international privacy regulations, support incident management, and provide legal advice in privacy-with a special focus on expanding legal considerations related to AI.
- Import/Export Controls: Operationalize import/export regulations and ensure compliance amid evolving rules driven by changes in foreign relations.
- Entity Maintenance: Assist with baseline corporate governance and entity management, including creation, dissolution, and routine annual maintenance across subsidiaries.
- Policy Management: Draft, review, and maintain functional compliance policies (HR, Finance, InfoSec, Privacy) on an annual or ad hoc basis for leadership review.
- Dispute Resolution: Support internal business teams in resolving standard vendor, commercial, and employee disputes efficiently.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Education & Bar: Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active admission to practice law (NC bar or eligible for NC in-house counsel license).
- Experience: 2–4 years of relevant legal experience, with a heavy emphasis on drafting and negotiating commercial contracts (in-house or law firm experience preferred).
Required skills:
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage end-to-end commercial contract negotiations.
- Familiarity with broader corporate functional areas, including employment law basics, IP oversight, and corporate governance.
- Strong legal drafting skills with an appetite for process improvement and template creation.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with sales, procurement, HR, and executive leadership.
- Self-sufficient but a team player.
At Couchbase, we believe innovation thrives when diverse perspectives are at the table. We actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds—including women, people of color, LGTBQIA+ professionals, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. If you see a role that excites you, but don’t meet every qualification, we still encourage you to apply.
Studies show underrepresented talent is less likely to apply unless they meet all the criteria. We encourage you to apply if you’re excited about the role and can bring strong contributions to our team.
If you require reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process, please let your recruiter know—we’re happy to support you.
We value diverse educational and career backgrounds. If your experience aligns with the role’s goals—even if it doesn’t follow a traditional path—we’d love to hear from you.
- Generous Time Off Program - Flexibility to care for you and your family
- Wellness Benefits - A variety of world class medical plans to choose from, along with dental, vision, life insurance, and employee assistance programs*
- Financial Planning - Retirement program* and Business Travel Insurance
- Career Growth - Be valued, Create value approach
- Fun Perks - An ergonomic and comfortable in-office / WFH setup. Food & Snacks for in-office employees.
- And much more!
News and Press Releases
Couchbase Capella
Couchbase Blog
Investors
Skills Required
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school
- Active admission to practice law in North Carolina or eligibility for NC in-house counsel license
- 2-4 years of relevant legal experience with emphasis on drafting and negotiating commercial contracts
- Ability to independently manage end-to-end commercial contract negotiations
- Experience creating and maintaining commercial contract templates, playbooks, and fallback language
- Familiarity with corporate governance, employment law basics, and IP oversight
- Knowledge of privacy law and AI governance and experience supporting privacy incident management
- Knowledge of import/export controls and international regulatory compliance
- Strong legal drafting skills and process improvement orientation
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; collaborates across sales, procurement, HR, and leadership
- Raleigh-based and in-office at least three days per week
What We Do
Unlike other NoSQL databases, Couchbase provides an enterprise-class, multicloud to edge database that offers the robust capabilities required for business-critical applications on a highly scalable and available platform. Couchbase is built on open standards, combining the best of NoSQL with the power and familiarity of SQL, to simplify the transition from mainframe and relational databases.
