Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
This General Counsel opening stands out in the SaaS-adjacent ecosystem because it sits at the intersection of software-style commercial contracting and the added complexity of a robotics and industrial product business. As the first in-house legal hire, the role is positioned to shape how the company standardises terms, manages risk, and supports revenue and partner motions as the commercial footprint broadens.
For a legal professional building a long-term career in SaaS and technology businesses, the scope maps closely to the problems that recur across subscription and platform companies: scaling contracting throughput, setting negotiation guardrails, and translating privacy and AI-use obligations into workable deal language. The remit also touches cross-functional domains that become increasingly important in later-stage SaaS roles, including international expansion mechanics, outside counsel management, and support for strategic transactions.
This role is best suited to someone who prefers ownership over specialisation and is comfortable acting as the default legal decision-maker across varied issue areas. It will fit a practitioner who enjoys building repeatable processes, partnering closely with sales and procurement, and balancing principled risk management with commercial pragmatism in a hybrid, on-site cadence.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
About Standard Bots
Standard Bots is building the next generation of industrial robots — hardware that's powerful, affordable, and designed to scale. As we grow, so does our commercial footprint: enterprise customers, defense partners, resellers, suppliers, strategic investments, and international expansion. Every one of those relationships runs on a contract, and we need someone at the center of it all. This role is central to that.
Note: This role is hybrid, with three days per week on-site at our Glen Cove, NY or Manhattan office.
The Role
We're looking for a General Counsel to be our first in-house legal hire. You'll own the full contract lifecycle across sales, partnerships, and procurement, build the playbooks and processes that help deals close faster, and serve as the trusted first call for anything legal at Standard Bots — from employment matters to entity structuring as we expand internationally.
Most of your time will be spent on commercial contracts, but you'll also spot issues across privacy, product liability, employment, and corporate matters — and know when and how to engage outside counsel efficiently.
What You'll Do
Own drafting, review, and negotiation of customer agreements, NDAs, supply agreements, reseller agreements, and supplier documents — negotiating directly with counterparties from Fortune 500 enterprises and defense primes to universities and startups
Standardize our terms & conditions and build a contract clause playbook: standard positions, acceptable fallbacks, and escalation triggers for our most-negotiated terms
Structure liability, indemnification, insurance, and warranty terms appropriate for an industrial hardware company, with awareness of robotics safety standards (e.g., OSHA, ANSI/RIA R15.06)
Negotiate data processing agreements, privacy terms, and AI-use provisions; support defense customer compliance requirements (DFARS, CMMC, NIST SP 800-171)
Support international expansion — subsidiary formation, cross-border contracting, and coordination of local counsel in new markets
Handle employment matters, including agreement templates, multi-state restrictive covenant issues, and management of any employment disputes or litigation alongside outside counsel
Support strategic transactions (LOIs, investments, partnerships), including diligence and IP-related deal terms
Serve as the single point of contact for legal questions across the company, and manage outside counsel scope and spend
What We're Looking For
J.D. and admission to practice in New York (with experience addressing legal matters in other states as well)
6–10 years of experience with a substantial focus on commercial contracts and technology transactions, ideally combining law firm training and in-house experience
Experience with hardware, industrial technology, robotics, or manufacturing companies — you understand physical products, supply chains, and product liability
Proven ability to negotiate directly with sophisticated counterparties, including large enterprise legal teams
Comfort as a department of one: strong judgment on risk, pragmatism to keep deals moving, and a business-first mindset
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain legal risk plainly to non-lawyers
Reliable availability to work on-site in Manhattan or Glen Cove three days per week
Nice to Have
Government contracting experience (DFARS flowdowns, CMMC, NIST SP 800-171)
Employment law or employment litigation management experience
International experience — entity formation, cross-border agreements, or expansion into new markets
Data privacy expertise (DPA negotiation, GDPR/state privacy laws)
Corporate/M&A or venture transaction experience
Experience building a legal function from scratch at a high-growth startup
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this role is $205,800 to $265,000, based on experience. We are open to a variety of seniority levels for this role and will build compensation packages that are commensurate with seniority and skill level. Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at Standard Bots. All Full-Time Employees are eligible for Employee Stock Options. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees.
