In-House Legal Counsel (Commercial Contracting & Legal Operations) at Seqera

Seqera is a global, remote-friendly company empowering scientists and organizations to solve humanity’s biggest challenges through data-driven science. As the company behind Nextflow and the Seqera Platform, they enable global enterprises, biotech innovators, academic institutions, and public sector organizations to scale complex data workflows with confidence.

Seqera is hiring a full-time in-house lawyer to take on the day-to-day legal work, primarily focused on contracts, and build the systems that keep it running as the company grows.

About the Role

The legal function at Seqera is currently split between a fractional Head of Legal and external firms, but the volume of work has outgrown this setup. The ideal candidate will report to the fractional Head of Legal, escalating complex matters while owning their own workload from day one. As the legal function grows, so will the scope of this role.

Seqera is seeking a hands-on qualified lawyer with 3 to 6 years of post-qualification experience who can draft and negotiate a SaaS agreement independently and is eager to expand into privacy, employment, IP, and corporate law.

The role involves close collaboration with Sales, Finance, Product, Engineering, IT & Compliance, and People, ensuring the company moves swiftly while staying legally protected.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Contracting

• Draft, review, and negotiate customer agreements, MSAs, DPAs, SaaS terms, NDAs, partner, and vendor contracts. This is the primary focus of the role.
• Manage deals from first draft to signature in collaboration with Sales and Revenue, escalating complex issues as needed.
• Develop and maintain contract templates, fallback positions, and playbooks to streamline deal cycles.
• Provide pragmatic, business-oriented advice on contract interpretation and risk management.
• Review procurement, vendor, and advisor contracts as required.

Legal Operations

• Set up and manage contract lifecycle management, including a centralized repository, clear naming conventions, version control, and tracking of renewals and expirations.
• Automate routine tasks such as self-serve NDAs, approval routing, and standard clause libraries.
• Generate reports on contract volumes, cycle times, and open matters.

Corporate and Compliance Support

• Assist with entity management, corporate filings, and board documentation.
• Support equity, compensation, and cap table processes in collaboration with Finance and People.
• Help maintain internal policies and compliance frameworks.
• Ensure audit readiness and regulatory compliance across jurisdictions.
• Provide legal input into customer security and procurement reviews.

Data Privacy and IP

• Support data privacy and data protection work (including GDPR and global frameworks) alongside IT & Compliance and external Data Protection Officers (DPOs).
• Collaborate with Security and Engineering on compliance initiatives.
• Maintain records of processing, DPAs, and the sub-processor list.
• Handle day-to-day IP and licensing questions, including open-source licensing, and escalate novel issues promptly.

Cross-Functional Support

• Partner with Product and Engineering to ensure legal and regulatory alignment for new features.

About You

Experience & Background

• Requires 3-6 years of post-qualification experience in in-house tech/SaaS or private practice.
• Must be qualified to practice law in a relevant jurisdiction.
• Must have hands-on commercial contracting experience, ideally within SaaS, tech, or high-growth environments, with a track record of negotiating these agreements.
• Should have exposure to at least one area beyond contracting (privacy, corporate, IP, or compliance) and a willingness to expand into other areas.
• Must have a working knowledge of GDPR.
• Experience in a startup, scale-up, or international business environment with venture capital experience is highly preferred.

Skills and Approach

• Commercially minded with a strong ability to balance risk and opportunity.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and making pragmatic decisions quickly.
• Hands-on and execution-focused, with a willingness to build systems from scratch.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Highly organized with a process-oriented mindset.
• Fast and responsive, understanding the impact of delays in legal processes.
• Comfortable asking for help on matters outside your expertise and quick to escalate.

Mindset

• Builder mentality: enjoys creating structure where none exists.
• Business partner first, not just a gatekeeper.
• Autonomous and proactive, with strong ownership.
• Practical, solutions-driven, and low ego.

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting global, distributed teams.
• Familiarity with legal tech, CLMs, and AI-enabled workflows.
• Exposure to life sciences, biotech, or data-driven platforms.

Company Culture

Seqera is an equal-opportunity employer and welcomes all candidates to apply. They strive to create a genuinely fun, inclusive, and challenging environment that allows for personal growth while making a significant impact on human health and beyond.

Seqera offers a robust remote work setup, with continuous improvements to both in-office and work-from-home environments to ensure everyone has the best setup for success and personal development.

Why Join Seqera?

By fostering a collaborative and innovative culture, Seqera ensures its ability to drive meaningful change and make better decisions toward its mission. The company provides a genuinely fun, inclusive, and challenging environment that encourages growth and impact.

Benefits

• Time off: 23 days for vacations per year, 3 additional days given by Seqera in December, and national/public holidays according to your location.
• Equity
• Private health insurance
• Private life insurance
• Home office allowance (valued over 1,000 USD)
• Subscription to Oliva, a Mental Health App
• Learning and development budget per year (1,000 USD)