Director, Legal

The posting, as Submittable wrote it

At Submittable, we are transforming how organizations create social impact. Our platform empowers thousands of mission-driven organizations, from nonprofits to government entities, to make a difference in their communities and beyond. In 2024, our innovative software helped organizations worldwide run 30,000 programs , welcomed 1.2 million applicants , and facilitated the distribution of more than $10 billion in funding through our products on behalf of our clients.

We are on a mission to help organizations accelerate their impact, so we are proud to partner with organizations focused on Equity & Social Justice, Children & Education, Creative & Arts, Health & Wellness, Economic Justice & Opportunity, and Environment & Climate. At Submittable, technology and purpose converge, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful change.

About the Role

Submittable is hiring a Director, Legal to lead our legal function as we scale our SaaS business. You'll be a hands-on legal leader, responsible for day-to-day legal operations, the legal team, and the policies and processes that let Submittable grow with confidence. You'll manage the legal team and serve as a primary resource on privacy law, customer contract negotiation, and product and technology intellectual property matters, while also advising on the broader range of legal issues a growing SaaS company faces. This role reports to the CFO and works closely with teams across the organization and with the executive leadership team.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the day-to-day legal function, setting priorities and standards for how legal work gets done across the company.
• Build, manage, and mentor a legal team, including hiring, workload distribution, and professional development.
• Serve as a primary resource on data privacy and security law (e.g., GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other U.S. and international privacy regimes), including policy development and incident response.
• Negotiate customer contracts, including MSAs, order forms, DPAs, and enterprise procurement paperwork, balancing legal risk against deal velocity.
• Advise Product and Engineering on intellectual property matters, including IP ownership, licensing, open-source usage, and protection of proprietary technology.
• Partner with Sales and Revenue Operations to maintain contracting playbooks, standard terms, and approval thresholds that let deals move quickly without unnecessary escalation.
• Manage outside counsel relationships and legal spend across litigation, IP, and specialty areas.
• Advise company leadership on governance, risk, and compliance matters, escalating to the executive team as needed.
• Support employment law matters in partnership with People/HR, including policy review and workplace investigations as needed.
• Monitor the regulatory and legislative landscape relevant to SaaS, data privacy, artificial intelligence, and the sectors Submittable serves, and translate changes into practical guidance for the

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fostering a workplace that values inclusion and belonging as central pillars of our culture.

We embrace the strength of our diverse community by creating a safe space where employees feel empowered to share ideas, celebrate unique experiences, and learn from one another. By prioritizing inclusion, we aim to build an environment where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and make innovative contributions that enable our customers to tackle complex challenges and spread more good.

As a globally used platform, we are dedicated to hiring and supporting employees who represent a range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. This includes diversity in ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ability, culture, and socioeconomic background.

About Our Process

Our goal is a fair, efficient, and thorough evaluation process that benefits you and our team and respects your time. As you can imagine, we have received a high volume of applications. Your willingness to participate in I.D. Verification and answer a few questions early allows us to move through the process more quickly.

Let's Talk About AI

Guidelines for using AI in our Hiring Process: At Submittable, we believe that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a powerful tool for good. We are committed to leveraging AI technologies responsibly, ensuring their use is equitable, fair and safe. To ensure fairness and accurate skill assessment, we do not allow the use of AI tools (including note takers, transcription tools, or recordings) during take home tests or interviews. If you have questions or need accommodations, please let us know.

For additional information and guidance on using AI to prepare an interview at Submittable, please click here .

We believe our approach streamlines the hiring process and respects your time by ensuring that every conversation is substantive and focused on your unique qualifications. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to learning more about you.