Commercial Counsel

About Distyl AI

Distyl is an applied AI technology company partnering with the world’s most ambitious institutions to rearchitect critical operations for the frontier of AI. Our customers include the largest companies in telecom, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, consumer goods, and global social organizations.

We research and deploy technologies that power AI-native operations — both for our partners and for Distyl itself. Our work spans research into self-constructing systems, the development of the most reliable execution of AI systems, and products that transform mission-critical workflows. As a result, Distyl's technologies affect some of the world's largest operations — from hundreds of millions of consumer interactions to tens of millions of supply chain transactions and millions of patient journeys.

Distyl is backed by leading investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Coatue, DST Global, and the board-members of 20+ F500s. The results reflect this approach: a 100% production deployment success rate for our customers and one of the few enterprise AI companies to run a profitable business.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking a founding operator who will own the legal dimension of how Distyl partners with customers, vendors, and strategic partners. This role exists to structure deals, unlock revenue, and safeguard the business—not just execute transactional work.

This Counsel will be a trusted partner to the business, embedded with commercial, product, and operations teams, and will drive end-to-end legal outcomes that directly influence Distyl’s growth trajectory. Over the next 6–12 months, this person will establish repeatable legal processes for commercial contracts, lead risk-based negotiations on key deals, and help shape Distyl’s commercial contracting playbook.

Success in this role requires an operator mentality—someone comfortable with ambiguity, energized by solving unstructured problems, and capable of balancing speed with thoughtful risk management. You will have high autonomy, own key legal systems and strategies, and influence both internal processes and external legal outcomes. The individual who thrives here is a builder and strategist—capable of crafting scalable solutions and driving them through to real business impact.

Key Responsibilities

This role is defined by ownership of high-impact legal outcomes that directly enable revenue, strategic partnerships, and operational efficiency

• Own and drive Distyl’s commercial contracting framework (enterprise and partner agreements), ensuring repeatability, consistency, and legal defensibility at scale

• Lead contract negotiations end-to-end with strategic customers and partners, including drafting terms that balance business objectives with risk tolerance

• Design and implement scalable systems (templates, playbooks, workflows) that reduce cycle times and elevate legal quality across teams

• Partner closely with cross-functional stakeholders (Sales, Product, Finance) to align legal strategy with business objectives and to unblock deals

• Assess and manage legal risk in commercial and regulatory contexts, advising business partners with clarity and practical solutions

• Continuously improve internal standards, tooling, and best practices to support Distyl’s rapid growth while maintaining legal resilience
  

What Success Looks Like in This Role

In the First 3 Months

• You’ve established trust with GTM, Product, and Finance partners through proactive guidance

• You’ve audited current contracting practices and identified major friction points

• You’ve implemented baseline templates and playbooks for repeatable use

By 6 Months

• You’re independently leading negotiations on key commercial deals and reducing legal cycle times

• Sales and Business Dev teams consistently seek your input early in deal strategy

• You’ve delivered clear process improvements that measurably reduce risk or speed execution

By 12 Months

• You own Distyl’s commercial contracting motion end-to-end with minimal supervision

• Contracting is predictable and scalable via standards and automation where possible

• Business partners describe you as a strategic enabler who resolves legal challenges before they become blockers

Who You Are

Required

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar admission

• 10+ years of experience in commercial contracts and corporate legal work (5+ in-house)

• Proven track record leading end-to-end negotiations on complex commercial agreements

• Exceptional communicator (written and verbal) with the ability to translate legal risk into pragmatic business guidance

• Strong attention to detail and comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-ambiguity environment

• Demonstrated ability to build systems and processes that scale with the business

Preferred

• In-house experience at a high-growth technology company

• Experience with SaaS, enterprise, platform, or partner contracts

• Familiarity with legal tech tools, contract lifecycle management, or automation systems

• Prior exposure to product legal issues (e.g., data privacy, IP, compliance frameworks)
  

What We Offer

• The base salary range for this role is $180K – $250K, depending on experience, location, and level. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for [if sales, add commission], meaningful equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package

• 100% covered medical, dental, and vision for employees and dependents

• 401(k) with additional perks (e.g., commuter benefits, in‑office lunch)

• Access to state‑of‑the‑art models, generous usage of modern AI tools, and real‑world business problems

• Ownership of high‑impact projects across top enterprises

• A mission‑driven, fast‑moving culture that prizes curiosity, pragmatism, and excellence

Distyl has offices in San Francisco and New York. This role follows a hybrid collaboration model with 3+ days per week (Tuesday–Thursday) in‑office.

Salary

• $180,000 - $250,000/k