Staff Product & Commercial Counsel

Responsibilities:

• Primary function will be to serve as embedded product counsel to Docker's Product Managers and Engineering teams, providing pragmatic, business-oriented advice on new products, features, pricing and packaging changes, Early Access and beta programs, and end-of-life decisions.

• Advise on open source software matters, including license analysis and compatibility (Apache, MIT, BSD, GPL, LGPL, AGPL, and source-available licenses), inbound and outbound OSS usage, contribution and CLA policies, and compliance obligations across Docker's products and distribution channels.

• Secondary function as needed, draft and maintain Docker's product-facing legal terms, including service-specific terms, subscription and licensing agreements, Early Access and beta terms, fair use and acceptable use policies, and documentation supporting new monetization models.

• Structure and negotiate commercial provisions in customer and partner agreements relating to product licensing, cloud services, hybrid on-premise and SaaS deployments, IP ownership, indemnification, warranties, and support commitments, in partnership with Sales and Deal Desk.

• Counsel on AI-enabled product features, including training data provenance, output ownership, third-party model licensing, and evolving AI regulatory requirements.

• Collaborate with GRC on the intersection of product design and regulatory obligations, including software supply chain security expectations and emerging regimes such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act.

• Support IP strategy, including trademark usage guidelines, brand protection in product and marketing contexts, and coordination with outside counsel on IP matters.

• Monitor and analyze legal and regulatory developments affecting developer tools, open source, cloud services, and AI, advising the organization on necessary updates and adjustments.

• Help build scalable playbooks, templates, and self-service resources that allow Product and GTM teams to move quickly within well-defined guardrails.

Qualifications:

• J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.

• 6+ years of relevant legal experience, with a meaningful portion in-house at a software, cloud, or developer tools company; a combination of law firm and in-house experience is ideal.

• Deep familiarity with open source software licensing, including copyleft and permissive license regimes, license compatibility analysis, and OSS program governance.

• Hands-on experience drafting and negotiating SaaS, software licensing, and cloud services agreements, including enterprise customer negotiations of IP, indemnity, and liability provisions.

• Working technical fluency with developer software concepts such as virtual containers, registries, CI/CD, APIs, and software supply chain security; direct familiarity with Docker's products or comparable developer platforms is a strong plus.

• Understanding of AI and LLM legal issues, including model licensing, training data, and applicable regulatory frameworks such as the EU AI Act.

• AI-Native work capability.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable guidance for Product Managers and Engineers.

• Sound, risk-calibrated judgment and a bias toward practical solutions that enable the business.

• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment and to manage competing priorities independently.

• Ability to collaborate with diverse teams and build strong working relationships.

What to expect

First 30 days

• Meet with the Head of Legal to understand Docker's product, licensing, and IP vision.

• Read Docker's product terms, subscription agreements, and OSS policies.

• Read Docker's Legal, Products, and security-related Notion pages.

• Become familiar with Docker's product portfolio, licensing models, and distribution channels.

• Forge relationships with Docker's Product Management, Engineering, GRC, Deal Desk, and Sales teams.

• Begin reviewing product feature launches and customer requests for product-related commercial terms.

First 90 days

• Take ownership of the legal review process for new product and feature launches.

• Establish a formalized intake and review cadence with Product Management for roadmap items with legal implications.

• Deliver a fact and data driven assessment of Docker's product terms and OSS compliance posture with a 6 month and 12 month improvement roadmap.

• Lead the negotiation of product and licensing provisions in active customer and partner deals as assigned by the Head of Legal.

• Collaborate with Docker counsel on customer contractual requests relating to licensing, IP, and cloud services and provide feedback.

• Become familiar with Docker's Compliance program and controls.

First year

• You have maintained an appropriate meeting cadence with Docker's Product Management, Engineering, GRC, Deal Desk, and Sales teams.

• You have provided a monthly update report to the Head of Legal for eStaff updates.

• You have built and deployed playbooks and templates that streamline product legal review and commercial negotiations to meet the demands of domestic and international growth.

• You have built the brand of the product legal function as a trusted partner, industry leader, and facilitator of Docker's growth and customer satisfaction.