The Team

As a Legal Counsel, Commercial at Upstart, you will join a commercial legal team that is a strategic partner to the business, sitting at the intersection of cutting‑edge technology, product, and go‑to‑market execution. We structure and negotiate high‑impact commercial deals with partners and vendors that don’t just protect the company, but unlock revenue, accelerate product adoption, and deepen critical partnerships. By working hand‑in‑hand with Sales, Procurement, Product, and Finance, we drive clarity on risk, craft creative solutions to get complex deals over the finish line, and help shape how Upstart shows up in the market with our counterparties. This role will primarily support commercial legal work, with the opportunity to flex into supporting our Lending Partnerships team for a meaningful portion of time. It’s a chance to operate at a critical cross‑section of Upstart’s business, driving both commercial execution and the partnerships that power our AI lending platform.

How you’ll make an impact

• Serve as commercial counsel for vendor and general commercial contracts across Upstart - from inception to execution - including SaaS, data, auto dealer software, and other third‑party agreements, and provide practical, risk‑aligned guidance that keeps deals moving;
• Build a deep understanding of Upstart’s products and vendor ecosystem, and collaborate closely with Procurement, Third‑Party Risk Management, Information Security, Product, Finance, and other internal clients to understand and support their goals;
• Review, draft, and negotiate a wide variety of commercial agreements (including master service agreements, software licenses, SOWs, data protection agreements, professional services agreements, and other procurement contracts), using playbooks and templates while spotting when bespoke structuring is required;
• Drive efficient deal flow by triaging and managing tickets through tools like Zip and Ironclad, escalating issues to the right stakeholders, and helping streamline intake, approvals, and closing processes; and
• Help build and continuously improve the commercial legal function at Upstart by creating scalable playbooks, templates, and training for Procurement and business teams.

What we’re looking for:

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. degree with solid academic credentials and an active state bar membership (NY or CA preferred);
• 5+ years of experience in a transactional practice at a law firm and/or in‑house, with a focus on technology and commercial contracts (SaaS, data, and other vendor agreements);
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and negotiating complex SaaS and other technology/data agreements, ideally in a regulated industry or when contracting with regulated financial institutions;
• Ability to act as a negotiator on fast‑moving, complex deals, combining strong analytical judgment with high EQ to build consensus with internal and external stakeholders on tricky issues under timing pressure;
• Comfort working with privacy, security, and data‑use terms (including DPAs and information security exhibits), and collaborating with subject‑matter experts to resolve issues efficiently;
• Not just an issue‑spotter but an issue‑solver, with a “can‑do” mindset, a habit of moving quickly, and ownership to drive matters from start to finish; and
• Holds an exceptionally high bar for their own work product and seeks to work with teammates who operate at a similarly high standard.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior in‑house experience on high‑impact legal teams at a fintech, financial services, or technology company; start‑up or high‑growth company experience is a plus
• Experience leading and closing complex commercial negotiations (for example, strategic SaaS, data, or infrastructure vendor deals)
• Genuine curiosity about how Upstart’s business works and a desire to jump in cross‑functionally to help teams solve problems, even when the work sits outside traditional legal lanes
• Over time, a desire to mentor and collaborate with other members of the legal team, and to help build efficient, scalable processes as we grow and evolve
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated ability to translate complex legal and risk concepts into clear, actionable guidance for non‑lawyers
• Eagerness to dive into new products, AI and data issues, and unfamiliar areas of law with a solutions‑oriented, low‑ego mindset
• Entrepreneurial drive who sees ambiguity as opportunity, and obstacles as chances to build new solutions

Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote

Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role; most teams meet once or twice per quarter for 2-4 consecutive days at a time.

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