AVP Legal – Commercial

Overview

An experienced in-house commercial lawyer will provide legal support for commercial transactions and enterprise contracting, acting as a trusted advisor to procurement, vendor management, business, technology, operations, finance and risk teams.

What you'll do

• Draft, review, negotiate and advise on a broad range of commercial agreements, structuring contracts to manage legal, regulatory, financial, tax, operational and reputational risks.
• Develop practical legal solutions that support business objectives while ensuring compliance with company policies.
• Create and update contract templates, playbooks and negotiation guidelines.
• Draft, review and negotiate procurement-related agreements, including Master Services Agreements, Statements of Work, Professional Services Agreements, Outsourcing Agreements, Technology Services Agreements, Software Licensing Agreements, SaaS and Cloud Services Agreements, Consulting Agreements, Facilities and Infrastructure Contracts and Data Processing Agreements.
• Advise procurement teams on contractual risk, indemnities, liability provisions and supplier management.
• Support the implementation of third-party due diligence processes for vendors, consultants, distributors, agents and strategic partners, and evaluate associated compliance risks.
• Support contract compliance provisions and risk mitigation requirements, and monitor ongoing compliance performance of high-risk third parties.
• Lead legal negotiations with customers, suppliers, service providers, technology vendors and strategic partners, and develop negotiation strategies with internal stakeholders.
• Advise on key contractual provisions, including limitation of liability, indemnities, warranties, service levels, intellectual property rights, confidentiality, data protection, termination rights and business continuity requirements.
• Support and enhance contract lifecycle management processes and systems, driving standardization and automation.
• Manage contract approval workflows and governance requirements, and track contractual obligations, renewals, amendments and critical milestones.
• Develop contracting metrics and reporting for legal and business leadership.
• Provide legal support for strategic business initiatives and commercial transactions, and review legal risks related to new products, services and partnerships.
• Advise stakeholders on contract interpretation, dispute avoidance and contractual compliance.
• Draft, review and maintain intra-group service agreements among global affiliates and group companies, supporting cross-border shared services and transfer-pricing-related contractual frameworks.
• Coordinate with finance, tax, compliance and business stakeholders on intercompany contracting requirements.
• Support the setup and management of the India Legal Center of Excellence supporting the U.S. parent and global legal function, including transition and centralization of legal services, governance and performance metrics, building a high-performing legal team, and managing relationships with external law firms and legal service providers.
• Partner with procurement, technology, information security, privacy, compliance, finance, tax, risk and business teams, provide practical legal advice to senior leaders, conduct training on contracting best practices, and support audits and regulatory reviews.

What you'll need

• Law degree (LL.B. or equivalent) from a recognized university.
• Qualified to practice law in India.
• Minimum 10 years of legal experience, including substantial experience in commercial contracting.
• Strong experience negotiating complex procurement, technology, outsourcing and commercial agreements.
• Experience supporting multinational organizations and global business teams.
• Excellent drafting, analytical and negotiation skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication abilities.
• Strong interest in developing AI proficiency, including the ability to learn and adopt emerging AI tools and technologies in support of objectives.

Nice to have

• Significant in-house legal experience.
• Experience in the BFSI sector, financial services, technology, fintech or global capability centers.
• Experience supporting U.S., UK or global contracting activities.
• Familiarity with privacy regulations, information security requirements and third-party risk management frameworks.
• Experience implementing or managing contract lifecycle management platforms.
• Working knowledge of intellectual property, data privacy, tax and regulatory compliance considerations impacting commercial transactions.
• Proven track record of establishing or managing legal shared services, GCCs or Legal CoEs in a multinational environment.

Details

• Location: Hyderabad, India.
• Employment type: Full-time.
• Reports to: Head of Legal – India.