Location: Exton, PA or Philadelphia, PA (Hybrid)
Position Summary:The Product Counsel will help our product and technology leaders make the right decisions considering the intersecting complexities of these factors and balancing strong legal judgment with practical business acumen. In this role, you will help Bentley move faster and more confidently by bringing legal and regulatory thinking into product roadmap discussions.
The Product Counsel will report to the Senior Director, Insights & Business Partnership (IBP) within Bentley's Law and Corporate Advancement (LCA) organization. LCA is the steward of Bentley's integrity, trust, and license to operate and grow. It houses core legal and compliance functions that protect the company and what it has built, as well as functions that advance the company and clear the way for what it intends to build next, like sustainability and education, government relations, and infrastructure policy advancement.
IBP is the connective tissue between LCA and the rest of Bentley - facilitating two-way flow of knowledge and collaboration so the right teams have the right information at the right time to align, amplify, and accelerate Bentley's success. As the primary LCA business partner to Bentley's product and technology organizations, you will work closely with experts across LCA and the product and technology teams, playing a key role in helping Bentley innovate responsibly, strengthen account trust, and create durable competitive advantage.
Responsibilities:Roadmap partnership- Serve as a proactive, embedded advisor through the product lifecycle - from early strategy and prioritization discussions through launch - bringing business and legal judgment to bear on decisions while they're still forming, connecting and collaborating with the right SMEs in the LCA team at the right time.
- Develop strong relationships with Product and Technology leadership, cultivating a deep working knowledge of roadmap priorities, strategic bets, and key build decisions across Bentley's product portfolio.
- Build genuine partnerships with LCA experts grounded in mutual trust, ensuring you amplify their reach and impact into Product and Technology.
Two-way information flow- Translate product strategy, priorities, and roadmap decisions into clear, timely updates for relevant LCA teams to ensure SMEs across the business unit can anticipate what's coming, align, and act accordingly.
- Act as an early-warning and opportunity-spotting connector: collaborate closely with LCA experts and the IBP team to monitor emerging regulations, industry developments, and technology trends to identify roadmap implications and ensure it reaches Product early enough to inform build decisions - so Bentley can compete and win.
- Bring a solutions-oriented, business-savvy approach to legal and cross-functional questions - representing LCA advice to protect the company while earning a reputation as someone who helps Bentley innovate and compete.
Business enablement- Empower product and technology teams to move quickly and confidently by amalgamating and translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, scalable guidance.
- Partner with LCA and product teams to ensure product positioning, commitments, marketing claims, and contractual obligations remain aligned.
- Contribute to IBP's broader efforts to improve LCA's operating cadence, planning, and collaboration with the business, sharing insights from the product and technology relationship where relevant.
Teamwork and culture- Establish and maintain a clear, well-understood working model with LCA specialist teams so roles, handoffs, and decision rights stay well-defined as the relationship with Product and Technology deepens.
- Foster a culture of partnership, accountability, innovation, and sound judgment.
- Identify and leverage technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to expand impact and improve the delivery of legal and business guidance.
This is a full-time individual contributor role expected to work 40 hours per week.
Requires occasional domestic and international travel, estimated at up to 25%.
Required Qualifications:- J.D. and active bar membership in good standing or equivalent qualifications.
- 8-12 years of relevant legal experience, with significant in-house experience at a technology, SaaS, or engineering/infrastructure software company.
- Experience supporting global software products in one or more areas including privacy, data governance, intellectual property, AI governance, cybersecurity, product compliance, cloud services, SaaS platforms, APIs, or software licensing.
- Strong understanding of modern software development lifecycles.
- Demonstrated ability to build trust and influence with senior executives in a complex global organization, particularly in product and technology teams.
- Experience operating in highly matrixed organizations and influencing outcomes without direct authority.
- Strong systems thinking: comfort connecting dots across roadmap decisions, market/regulatory dynamics, and cross-functional strategy.
- Strong business judgment and ability to balance risk management with commercial objectives.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into practical business guidance.
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience in engineering, construction, or infrastructure-adjacent industries (AEC, industrial, utilities, or public infrastructure).
- Experience serving as Product Counsel, Technology Counsel, Privacy Counsel, Commercial Counsel, or a similar role within a software or technology company.
- Experience supporting AI-enabled products, developer platforms, digital twins, cloud services, or enterprise SaaS offerings.
- Familiarity with how regulatory or standards shifts (e.g., project delivery methodologies, safety or environmental standards) affect product strategy in infrastructure-related markets.
- Experience working within a US-headquartered publicly traded company environment.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future employer sponsorship.
What We Offer:- A great Team and culture - please see our colleague video.
- An exciting career as an integral part of a world-leading software company providing solutions for architecture, engineering, and construction - watch this short documentary about how we got our start.
- An attractive salary and benefits package.
- A commitment to inclusion, belonging and colleague wellbeing through global initiatives and resource groups.
- A company committed to making a real difference by advancing the world's infrastructure for better quality of life, where your contributions help build a more sustainable, connected, and resilient world. Discover our latest user success stories for an insight into our global impact.
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