Lead In-House Legal Counsel

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and business-oriented Lead In‑House Legal Counsel to support a fast-growing advertising technology company operating at the intersection of digital advertising, data privacy, AI, and global monetization. This role will serve as a strategic legal partner across commercial, product, privacy, data governance, and regulatory matters, with a strong emphasis on adtech ecosystem compliance and IAB frameworks.

The ideal candidate has deep experience supporting adtech, martech, programmatic advertising, mobile advertising, DSP/SSP, attribution, or data platform businesses and is highly fluent in global privacy regulations, data processing structures, and digital advertising industry standards.

This position partners closely with Product, Engineering, Revenue Operations, Security, Privacy, Finance, and Executive Leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial & Revenue Support

• Lead negotiation, drafting, and review of complex commercial agreements, including:
• Publisher agreements
• Advertiser and agency agreements
• DSP/SSP/platform agreements
• Data licensing agreements
• Vendor and cloud services agreements
• Enterprise MSAs and DPAs
• Advise internal stakeholders on commercial risk, revenue impact, and scalable contracting strategies.
• Develop standardized contract templates, fallback positions, and negotiation playbooks.
• Partner with Sales and Business Development teams to accelerate deal cycles while appropriately managing legal and compliance risk.

Privacy, Data Governance & AdTech Compliance

• Serve as lead legal advisor for global privacy and data governance matters impacting advertising technology operations.
• Advise on compliance with:
• GDPR
• UK GDPR
• CCPA/CPRA
• VCDPA and other U.S. state privacy laws
• ePrivacy and cookie consent requirements
• COPPA and children’s advertising considerations
• Cross-border data transfer requirements
• Provide legal guidance on:
• Programmatic advertising
• Mobile advertising identifiers
• Attribution technologies
• Consent management frameworks
• AI and machine learning use cases involving advertising data
• Support implementation and governance of privacy-by-design and data minimization principles.
• Review and advise on data retention, data sharing, and data processing practices.
• Coordinate with Security and Engineering teams on incident response and data governance initiatives.
• Advise on and maintain internal GDPR compliance for HR and employment data, including employee and candidate privacy notices, RoPA entries, and data subject request handling. Oversee DPAs with HR system vendors (HRIS, payroll, recruitment tools), cross-border transfer mechanisms for employee data, and data processing considerations in performance management and AI-assisted HR tools.

IAB & Industry Standards

• Advise on compliance with relevant IAB and advertising ecosystem standards, including:
• IAB Europe Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF)
• IAB Global Privacy Platform (GPP)
• IAB Tech Lab specifications
• Programmatic advertising supply chain standards
• Monitor developments in digital advertising regulation and industry self-regulatory frameworks.
• Support internal implementation of evolving industry requirements related to consent signaling, transparency, identity frameworks, and data usage disclosures.
• Serve as internal subject matter expert on advertising ecosystem legal and compliance obligations.

Product & Regulatory Counseling

• Partner with Product and Engineering teams during product development and launches.
• Provide practical, risk-balanced legal advice regarding:
• New ad products
• AI-enabled advertising tools
• Measurement and analytics solutions
• Conduct legal risk assessments related to evolving privacy, consumer protection, and advertising regulations.
• Help develop internal governance processes for data usage, AI governance, and advertising compliance.

Corporate & Operational Support

• Support corporate governance, policy development, and internal compliance initiatives.
• Assist with dispute management, pre-litigation matters, and regulatory inquiries.
• Manage outside counsel efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Develop and deliver internal legal and privacy training programs.
• Help build scalable legal operations processes and contract management practices.
• Develop the company’s contract management workflow in Aline by transitioning all contract-related communication, review, negotiation, approval, and execution processes into a centralized platform environment.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• J.D. degree from an accredited law school and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• 8+ years of legal experience, including substantial in-house experience supporting technology or AdTech companies.
• Deep familiarity with digital advertising ecosystems, including:
• Programmatic advertising
• Mobile advertising
• Identity and attribution frameworks
• Data licensing and monetization
• Strong working knowledge of global privacy and data protection laws.
• Experience negotiating sophisticated commercial and technology agreements.
• Demonstrated experience advising on IAB frameworks and adtech industry standards.
• Ability to balance legal risk with business objectives in a fast-paced commercial environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience at an adtech, martech, mobile gaming, media, data platform, or AI-driven advertising company.
• Experience supporting international operations and cross-border data transfers.
• Familiarity with:
• AI governance
• Data security frameworks
• Consumer protection and advertising regulations
• Platform ecosystem issues (Google, Apple, Android, ATT, SDK integrations)
• Experience supporting M&A, strategic partnerships, or international commercial expansion.
• CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM, or similar privacy certifications preferred.