General Counsel

Zapier Zapier · Enterprise · NAMER · Executive

Zapier is seeking a General Counsel to lead its legal function, focusing on AI and product law, commercial transactions, data privacy, M&A, and corporate governance. This role requires extensive experience in high-growth tech companies, with a strong preference for SaaS, platform, developer tools, or AI experience. The General Counsel will be responsible for setting legal strategy, managing a distributed legal team, and navigating the evolving global AI regulatory landscape to enable business growth while managing risk.

What you'd actually do

  1. Participate in executive leadership decisions as a business partner, not just a legal advisor. Translate company strategy into clear legal priorities; proactively identify and manage company-wide risk.
  2. Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing distributed legal team. Build AI-powered, automated legal operations, including playbooks, workflows, intake systems, and metrics. Manage outside counsel relationships, budgets, and performance to maximize value and efficiency.
  3. Lead legal strategy for Zapier’s products, navigating the rapidly evolving global AI regulatory landscape (EU AI Act, U.S. state AI legislation, and emerging frameworks). Develop and maintain frameworks for risk assessment, transparency, and trust that keep Zapier ahead of regulatory requirements.
  4. Lead the commercial legal team responsible for enterprise customer agreements, strategic partnerships, vendor contracts, marketing and events agreements, and Zapier ecosystem terms. Partner closely with Sales, Partnerships, and Finance to accelerate deal velocity while managing risk effectively.
  5. Own Zapier’s global data privacy compliance strategy and execution, including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and emerging privacy regimes. Oversee regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions where Zapier operates, including international data transfer frameworks and cross-border requirements for AI-driven data processing.

Skills

Required

  • J.D. from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
  • 15+ years of legal experience, with significant time in-house at a high-growth technology company.
  • Deep expertise across multiple areas: AI and product law, commercial transactions, data privacy, M&A, and corporate governance.
  • Experience as a General Counsel, Deputy GC, or VP of Legal at a scaled tech company.
  • Experience building and leading legal teams in a fast-paced, async-heavy environment.
  • Experience advising boards, executive teams, and cross-functional partners on strategic, high-stakes decisions.
  • Experience communicating with clarity and directness, distilling complex legal issues into plain language.

Nice to have

  • SaaS, platform, developer tools, or AI experience strongly preferred.
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and energized by building something from scratch.
  • Default to enabling the business, not blocking it.
  • Genuine, empathetic, humble, and mission-driven team player.
  • Knows when to be hands-on, when to delegate, and when to call in outside experts.

What the JD emphasized

  • AI and product law
  • AI regulatory landscape
  • AI-driven data processing
  • track record advising on cutting-edge technology in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment
  • comfortable making judgment calls when there’s no precedent to follow