Junior Commercial Counsel

Company:           Security Services Holdings, LLC d/b/a Protos Security

Job Title:             Junior Commercial Counsel

Reports to:         Director, Senior Commercial Counsel

FLSA Code:         Exempt; Full-time

Location:             Norwalk, CT - On-site/Hybrid

Security Services Holdings’ subsidiary, Protos Security (“Protos”), is the largest technology-enabled Security Officer Management company in the U.S. The company is headquartered in Norwalk, with additional offices in New York City, Katy, TX, Daleville, VA, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Norcross, GA as well as internationally in Canada and the United Kingdom. Protos is a game changer in the security and software industry, revolutionizing the way security is managed and delivered and making the world a safer place.  

Protos Security is looking for a Junior Commercial Counsel to join our dynamic, collegial, lean legal team onsite in our Norwalk headquarters. This role is a great opportunity for a motivated lawyer with a passion for contracts, excellent problem-solving and relationship building skills, and an ability to thrive in a fast-paced and cutting-edge environment. Primary responsibilities include reviewing, drafting, advising, and negotiating contracts ranging from very simple internal non-disclosure agreements to extremely complex, customer-facing sales contracts with Fortune 100 companies. In addition, a motivated attorney will have the opportunity to learn and grow in the role and be called upon to provide a variety of other general commercial legal services to the organization. The ideal candidate will be a proactive self-starter with strong attention to detail with a keen desire to learn and excellent communication skills to interface with the sales team, cross-functional teams, and external customers. 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Support multiple Sales and other internal teams in reviewing Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), Statements of Work (SOW), Master Services Agreements (MSA), related Amendments and Addenda, and preparing substantive responses to Requests for Proposals (RFP), often with tight deadlines in accordance with monthly sales cycles.
• Prepare, communicate and negotiate exceptions to contract terms within corporate guidelines.
• Be a perceptive problem-solver with a talent for spotting areas of concern and independently researching and troubleshooting solutions for review by senior counsel.
• Assist with ancillary information requests related to contractual and business matters.
• Review and negotiate Sales Contracts, Purchase Orders, Change Orders, Variations, etc. including those prepared by customers and vendors.
• Ensure contracts are in compliance with legal, regulatory and organization policies and risk tolerances.
• Evaluate necessary contracting processes to ensure protections of company liabilities while supporting the project teams’ management of customer and vendor relationships.
• Participate in evaluation of contractual payment terms with the accounting team to prepare for collection efforts including the drafting of legal letters and coordination with outside counsel.
• Assist as needed in the processing of incoming litigation in conjunction with support staff.
• Contribute to team-level operations through virtual engagement toward continuous improvement initiatives and process support.
• Communicate all questions and concerns to team members to ensure accurate work product and concurrence with department processes.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned.
• Opportunity to learn and grow into other areas based on individual interests and capacities.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctorate degree from a U.S. accredited law school and a minimum of 3-5 years of post-graduate professional experience.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, problem solving and communication skills with the ability to support sales departments.
• Strong reading comprehension and interpretive skills with a demonstrated ability to secure requisite business terms and legal protections across many different types of agreements.
• Knowledge of substantive areas of commercial law, U.S. legal system, litigated and transactional proceedings, dispute resolution, general legal principles, processes and terminology.
• Ability to apply legal concepts to real-world scenarios.
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to analyze and restate legal terms and concepts in plain language to non-lawyer business partners.
• Strong work ethic and ability to multi-task, prioritize, and follow-through on numerous projects at the same time.
• Willingness to assume responsibility and adaptability for the role, including problem-solving independently while displaying a sense of urgency to the business.
• Ability to prioritize workload based on value of business to Protos versus complexity of negotiation while working to month-end and quarter-end sales deadlines.
• Highly responsive with a service-oriented attitude and the ability to give succinct, commercially driven legal advice.
• Collaborate and develop strong working relationships with internal stakeholders and senior leaders, as well as hone deep knowledge of Protos’ business and risk/revenue balance.
• Ability to work in an organized, detailed manner under tight deadlines; prior experience supporting a heavy volume of commercial matters, working in a fast-paced environment, or start up atmosphere is a plus.
• Advanced knowledge in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Proficient in Contract Management Systems (CMS) with a track record in managing end-to-end contract lifecycles, including drafting, negotiating, approval, execution, and renewal process.
• Prior in-house experience advising on commercial and contractual issues preferred; familiarity with the utilization of contract templates and playbooks to ensure best practices and efficient contracting processes.
• Licensed to practice law in the U.S.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

• Must be able to lift and carry at least 10 lbs. at times.
• Must be able to sit or stand at a computer for long periods of time.
• Manual dexterity to use keyboard and input information.
• Must be able to understand the speech of another person and speak clearly.

Benefits:

At Protos Security, we believe that happy employees are productive employees. That's why we offer a range of perks to keep our team members engaged and motivated, including:

• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Health, Vision, Life, and Dental Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Flexible Spending Account / Health Savings Account.
• Retirement Plan 401(k) with Employer contribution.
• Excellent Paid Time Off package (24 days).
• A fun and collaborative work environment with excellent coffee.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status under applicable law.)