Avalara

Commercial Counsel

Avalara$136K — $248K *
Legal & Accounting
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • J.D. from accredited law school and active U.S. license.
  • 6+ years supporting complex commercial transactions at a SaaS or tech company.
  • Proven ability to manage negotiations independently with enterprise clients.
  • Experience providing practical legal advice tailored to various audiences.
  • Collaborative mindset with strong relationship-building skills.
  • Familiarity with AI-enabled tools to improve legal functions.

Responsibilities

  • Lead the drafting, negotiation, and closing of enterprise SaaS agreements and strategic deals.
  • Collaborate with Sales, Product, and Finance to structure transactions and resolve legal issues.
  • Provide pragmatic guidance to balance legal risks and operational realities.
  • Contribute to developing standard agreements and resources for scalable contracting.
  • Improve legal operations for consistency and efficiency in commercial contracting.
  • Engage in cross-border transactions concerning data protection and AI.
  • Build trusted relationships across teams to enhance execution of commercial strategies.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health benefits including private medical, life, and disability insurance.
  • Paid time off and paid parental leave.
  • Eligibility for performance-based bonuses.
  • Emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion with employee resource groups and senior leadership support.
Full Job Description
What You'll Do

As our Commercial Counsel, you will be an important legal partner to Avalara's North America enterprise sales and business development teams, supporting many of our largest commercial transactions. You'll work with colleagues across the Commercial Legal team to share expertise, develop contracting positions, and help promote Avalara's global commercial goals.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys navigating complexity, building relationships, and keeping our goals in focus while providing clear, practical legal advice to propel our mission forward. You will report to the Managing Counsel, Commercial. This is a hybrid position based in Seattle, WA.

#LI-Remote

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

  • Lead complex commercial transactions: Draft, negotiate, and close enterprise SaaS subscription agreements, partner and reseller deals, and other strategic commercial arrangements.
  • Partner: Work with Sales, Product, Finance, and other team members to structure transactions, resolve legal issues, and support our goals with practical, business-focused solutions.
  • Deliver practical guidance: Balance legal risk, operational realities, and priorities to provide clear, relevant advice that helps move deals forward.
  • Help shape Avalara's contracting framework: Contribute to the development of standard customer and partner agreements, product terms, playbooks, and other resources that support scalable commercial contracting.
  • Contribute to improvements in legal operations: Help refine processes and resources that increase efficiency, consistency, and scalability in commercial contracting.
  • Support strategic growth: Participate in cross-border transactions and complex negotiations involving data protection, information security, and AI-related issues.
  • Build trusted relationships: Collaborate across the organization and with legal colleagues supporting other regions and departments to promote execution of Avalara's commercial contracting approach.

What You'll Need to be Successful

  • J.D. from an accredited law school and active license to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
  • 6+ years of experience, including substantial time supporting complex commercial transactions at a SaaS or technology company.
  • Experience independently managing negotiations with enterprise customers, strategic partners, and other counterparties.
  • You have experience providing practical, legal advice.
  • You have experience tailoring legal guidance to a variety of audiences.
  • You have a collaborative approach
  • You can use AI-enabled tools and new ways of working to improve efficiency, strengthen decision-making, and enhance team effectiveness.

Pay Range Details

The base pay range(s) below are provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be
different in other locations.

Colorado $136,400-$225,000 (annually)
Washington $136,400-$248,600 (annually)
California $136,400-$272,500(annually)
NYC $165,100-$272,500 (annually)

The pay range above is the general base pay range for a successful candidate in the state listed. The
successful candidate's actual salary/wage may be based on various factors, such as geographic
location, candidate experience and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.
This role is eligible for an annual bonus based on individual and company performance, depending on
the terms of the applicable plan and the employee's role

Avalara is an AI-first Company

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products. Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.
  • You'll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.
  • You'll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.
  • You'll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

How We'll Take Care of You

Total Rewards

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.

Health & Wellness
Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.

Inclusive culture and diversity
Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.

About Avalara

Avalara is a software company that provides cloud-based tax compliance solutions. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Avalara's software helps businesses manage sales tax, VAT, and other tax requirements. The company has over 20,000 customers and operates in over 100 countries. Avalara went public in 2018 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AVLR.
Learn more about Avalara
Size
4,465 employees
Market Cap
$8.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$49.1 million
Founded
2004
5 Year Trend
+33.1%
Revenue
$500.5 million
NASDAQ

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