Associate General Counsel - Data Licensing and Commercial Contracts

About the Role

Step into a high-impact, high-visibility in-house counsel role with a vibrant, growing company and a good work-life balance. A leading global financial services and data organization is seeking a senior commercial attorney to serve as a trusted business partner across its data services division, with a primary focus on commercial data licensing, technology and software licensing, and strategic agreements. This is a hands-on individual-contributor position with significant exposure to senior management and a direct path to managing one or more junior attorneys — an ideal next step for a commercially minded lawyer who wants ownership of sophisticated deals with the company's most important customers. The role is based in Midtown Manhattan and is in-office five days per week.

Reporting to a senior member of the legal department, this counsel will independently manage a broad portfolio of commercial transactions with the organization's largest clients—including data and software licenses, service agreements, market data and financial product licenses, redistribution arrangements, exchange agreements, and data vendor contracts—while partnering closely with business, sales, finance, and product teams to deliver pragmatic, commercially sound advice.

What You'll Do

• Own the end-to-end legal relationship with the organization's largest customers, structuring and negotiating deals that span data licenses, market data and financial product licenses, redistribution arrangements, and exchange agreements across global markets
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, with an emphasis on U.S.-based customer data license agreements and data-sourcing contracts
• Advise on and negotiate complex, strategic commercial transactions across the business
• Help shape how the legal team adopts AI—from contract review and workflow automation to template development—as part of a broader legal innovation initiative
• Provide timely, business-oriented legal advice to internal stakeholders across sales, product, finance, marketing, and data governance functions
• Identify legal and regulatory risk within proposed business strategies and offer practical, creative solutions
• Ensure all advice aligns with applicable regulatory requirements and internal policies, including global data protection and financial services regulations
• Assist in the preparation and review of external Requests for Information (RFIs) and Requests for Proposal (RFPs)
• Collaborate with commercial and product teams during client negotiations and issue resolution
• Drive improvements to legal workflows, templates, and processes, including through AI-enabled tools
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative legal department culture and mentor junior team members

Basic Requirements

• J.D. with active admission to the New York Bar and 5+ years of relevant legal experience
• Substantial in-house experience; prior work at a financial services, financial data, or financial technology company strongly preferred
• Demonstrated expertise in commercial licensing, contract drafting and negotiation, and legal advisory work
• Hands-on experience with market data, global exchanges, and financial services/markets, with the ability to operate across diverse product areas
• Deep familiarity with the global regulatory landscape impacting financial data services, including MiFID II, SEC, CFTC, GDPR, U.S. export control laws, OFAC requirements, IOSCO principles, and the EU Benchmarks Regulation (BMR)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to deliver clear, concise advice to senior management and business heads
• Proven negotiation skills and a track record of navigating complex, multi-party commercial arrangements
• A business-minded, solution-oriented approach and strong organizational skills, with the flexibility to accommodate international time zones as needed
• The ability to work independently, collaborate and learn new technologies and skills
• Outstanding professional references

Position Details

Type of role: Permanent, In-House Counsel

Schedule: Full-time

Location: New York, New York (In-Office, five days per week)

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $210,000 to $255,000. This position is also eligible for cash and equity incentive compensation that suggests $400,000 or more in annual compensation. Pay is based on multiple factors including but not limited to work experience, qualifications, credentials, and location.

Benefits

In addition to pay, a competitive benefits package is also provided, including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; a 401(k) plan; and generous leave policies.