Senior Legal Counsel - Strategic Partnerships

About Us

Always open. Our code, our culture, our opportunities. Leading open innovation without limits. We are SUSE.

SUSE is a global leader in innovative, reliable and secure enterprise open source solutions, including SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE), Rancher and NeuVector. More than 60% of the Fortune 500 rely on SUSE to power their mission-critical workloads, enabling them to innovate everywhere – from the data center to the cloud, to the edge and beyond. SUSE puts the “open” back in open source, collaborating with partners and communities to give customers the agility to tackle innovation challenges today and the freedom to evolve their strategy and solutions tomorrow.  

We are open in our roots and open in our approach, striving to be the most trusted open innovator in the World. Openness extends beyond our technology. Our vibrant community thrives on diversity and connectivity without borders.

Job Description

SUSE Legal is seeking to engage a Senior Counsel - Strategic Partnerships to join our growing team. SUSE Legal is building a best-in-class legal team, partnering effectively with the business and further positioning for growth as SUSE continues its journey as a mature and successful key player in the infrastructure management space. In this role, you will work as part of a team of lawyers and contract negotiators around the globe to provide efficient and high-quality legal support to SUSE sales, product and engineering teams as well as to C-suite leadership.

As Senior Counsel - Strategic Partnerships, you will play a pivotal role in shaping our strategic technology initiatives. You will be responsible for negotiating, drafting, and managing global, complex collaboration agreements and partnerships to foster innovation and drive business growth. You will create legal frameworks that support our strategic objectives while mitigating risks. Reporting directly to the Divisional General Counsel for Global Strategy & Innovation (GC GSI) (who in turn reports to the Chief Legal Officer), your role will include the following:

• Legal Advice and Strategy

  • Provide strategic legal advice on high-value and complex strategic partner contracts including co-development projects, bespoke support services agreements, software licensing agreements, distribution agreements and strategic alliances (“Strategic Contracts”)

  • Analyze and assess legal and business risks associated with Strategic Contracts and recommend  mitigation strategies

  • Review existing Strategic Contracts and advise on an improvement and renegotiation strategy

• Negotiation and Drafting

  • Lead negotiations on new Strategic Contracts

  • Work with the business and key stakeholders to manage the overall requirements development, negotiation and post-contract process

  • Draft, review, and finalize key documents

• Product Counsel

  • Engage with and support other attorneys on questions related to the development and commercialization of SUSE products and services

  • Work with GC GSI to design and implement new legal contracts, frameworks, guidance and training for new (or amended) go to market strategies and SUSE products

• Collaboration with Stakeholders

  • Work closely with internal stakeholders, including sales, engineering, product, and compliance teams, to ensure alignment on business objectives with regard to each Strategic Contract and new ‘go to market’ strategy

  • Work closely with the business to assist in the ongoing contract and relationship management with strategic partners to support business objectives and drive revenue growth

• Compliance and Risk Management

  • Keep abreast of latest regulatory developments impacting strategic technology partnerships, including customer and supplier businesses

  • Identify and mitigate potential legal risks associated with technology collaborations

  • Assist in managing and resolving disputes related to strategic partner contracts

• Industry Knowledge and Trends

  • Keep abreast of industry trends, legal developments, and best practices related to technology partnerships and collaborations including AI, cyber and data protection

  • Report to the business, GC GSI and legal team on the implications of such regulatory developments for strategic partnerships

  • Provide insights and recommendations to enhance the organization’s strategic initiatives

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school (or equivalent from a non-US institution).

• Admission to the bar in any US state

• Minimum of 10 years’ post-qualification experience, at least 3 of which were in-house

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience negotiating global and complex technology contracts including outsourcing agreements, development agreements, systems integrations agreements, ecosystem cooperation agreements/SLAs

• Experience advising on commercial constructs in technology deals including service level regimes, fixed and T&M pricing mechanisms, joint collaboration/ecosystem governance, revenue sharing agreements and minimum commitments

• Experience in ongoing contract management including change control and dispute resolution

• Strong knowledge of contract, intellectual property, data and cyber laws, as they customarily relate to technology contrats

• Excellent negotiation, drafting and legal analysis skills.

• Proven ability to manage complex legal projects and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.

• Strong influencing skills

• A demonstrated passion for problem-solving and thinking outside-the-box to get the best business outcomes

• Strong understanding of go-to-market strategies and the legal considerations involved.

• Strong business acumen and the ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice

Job

What We Offer 

We empower you to be bold, driving your career to create the future you want. We celebrate and reward your achievements.  

SUSE is a dynamic environment that is evolving rapidly, thus requiring agility, strong entrepreneurship and an open mind. 

This is a compelling opportunity for the right person to join us as we continue to scale and prosper.   

If you’re a big thinker, obsessed by execution and thrive in a dynamic environment in which you can tangibly create a lasting legacy, then please apply now!  

We give you the freedom to be yourself. You will work in a global community of unique individuals – like you – with different backgrounds, talents, skills and perspectives. A truly open community where everyone is welcome, has a voice and is encouraged to reach their full potential regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other characteristics.   

Sounds like the right fit for you? Click Apply to submit your resume. A recruiter will contact you if your skills match our current or any future positions. In the meantime, stay updated on the latest SUSE news and job vacancies by joining our Talent Community. 

SUSE Values 

• We are passionate about customers 

• We are respectful and inclusive  

• We are empowered and accountable   

• We are trustworthy and act with integrity  

• We are collaborative  

• We are SUSE!