Head of Legal

Description

ConvertKit is a powerful marketing platform built for creators, by creators. We help creators grow and monetize their audience with ease. For coaches, YouTubers, authors, podcasters, and other creatives, there isn't a better marketing hub to rely on to grow audiences, automate email marketing, and sell digital products - all within one platform. More importantly, there isn't a team more committed to helping creators earn a living.

We're on a mission to help creators earn $1 billion using our creator marketing platform. We have always been 100% independent and 100% remote. We are proud to have built a product that our customers love, and we look for people who have enthusiasm and belief in our mission, vision, and values to join our team.

The ConvertKit culture is one where emotional intelligence is valued, radical candor is encouraged, and where everyone works together to uphold a set of shared team principles.

The Role

ConvertKit is looking for an experienced Head of Legal to lead and collaborate with executives on our legal strategy. As we launch new features, adapt to evolving data laws, and support our growing team, we need a Head of Legal who can set us up for success both in the immediate and long-term future of Kit. This is our first internal legal hire, and we're seeking someone who is passionate about integrating business strategy with legal expertise.

This role will not only work closely with the executive team but also serve the broader organization by establishing decision-making principles, implementing scalable processes, and enhancing our compliance efforts. Our objectives include managing risk, setting clear guidelines for the team to operate within, communicating legal requirements and business responsibilities, and creating deliverables that align with these initiatives.

We seek an attorney who takes a non-traditional approach to problem-solving. We need someone who excels in a fast-paced environment, can proactively identify potential challenges and risks throughout the organization, and recommend creative solutions. As a nimble and ambitious team, we're looking for a partner who can suggest solutions that enable quick decision-making, helping us advance projects in hours and days, not weeks.

This position reports directly to our VP of Operations and serves as a key member of the operations team, working closely with the executive team. Although this is not a people management role, you will collaborate extensively with cross-functional teams, including Product, Engineering, Growth, and Operations. A strong understanding of data strategy, FTC compliance, and employment law is essential for this role.

Responsibilities

Frequent:

• Forge a strategic partnership with the executive team to help set strategy, propose tests, and initiate projects to gather insights before committing significant resources to any initiative.
• Propose multiple approaches to advance ideas, considering varying levels of risk. This includes utilizing industry best practices and creative solutions to achieve our goals within constraints, while keeping in mind both short- and long-term business outcomes.
• Cultivate strong relationships with leaders from various cross-functional teams.
• Stay current with data, FTC, and other relevant regulatory laws.
• Proactively identify legal aspects in our business strategy and partner with product and engineering leaders for feature development or establishing new business units while accounting for current and future risks.
• Develop efficient workflows to manage the legal workload throughout ConvertKit.
• Broaden the impact of the legal function within ConvertKit by creating educational and self-service resources. These resources will empower the team to adhere to legal processes independently, reducing the need for constant oversight.
• Provide guidance on intellectual property matters, including trademark and copyright protection, licensing agreements, and handling infringement issues.
• Provide advice on employment-related matters, such as severance packages, personnel issues, employee handbooks, and other employment concerns.
• Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and review of contract templates—including those for employment, custom sales agreements, confidentiality, termination, and NDAs—to ensure compliance with legal requirements and safeguard the company's interests.
• Streamline our sales processes by refining terms of service, master services agreements, and commercial playbooks. This will enable the sales team to expedite customer deal signings and reduce delays.
• Continuously refine and implement data privacy and security policies and procedures to protect sensitive information and minimize risks.
• Maintain accurate record-keeping systems and ensure documentation is organized and accessible for legal purposes.
• Oversee compliance efforts and liaise with regulatory agencies to ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations.
  
  

Infrequent:

• Advise on insurance policies and risk management strategies to minimize exposure to legal liabilities and help reduce costs.
• Lead emergency response and crisis management efforts to address unforeseen legal challenges effectively.
• Facilitate legal due diligence and support the acquisition process, including drafting and negotiating acquisition agreements and conducting legal assessments. We've made two acquisitions thus far.
• Manage litigation matters, including resolving disputes before they escalate to litigation, and coordinate with external counsel when necessary. We have not faced any litigation to date.
  
  

Success in this role looks like:

• Rapid risk assessments and presenting multiple strategic options when partnering with the executive team.
• Risk managed effectively, reducing legal liabilities and ensuring adequate insurance, while still allowing the company to move quickly.
• Clear expectations set and scalable processes implemented for working with the broader team.
• Contracts managed efficiently, with swift turnaround times.
• Intellectual property safeguarded proactively, minimizing infringement risks.
• Compliance programs implemented effectively, meeting regulatory standards.
• Litigation resolved efficiently, preserving company reputation.
• Data privacy protocols established securely, preventing breaches.
• Organized record-keeping systems enabling easy documentation retrieval.
• Confidentiality agreements negotiated successfully, safeguarding information.
• Timely response to emergencies, minimizing business disruption.
• Expert guidance provided on employment matters, ensuring compliance with labor laws.
• Acquisitions executed smoothly, ensuring legal compliance and integration.
  
  

Requirements/Desired Skills

The right candidate should have:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with the state bar association.
• 8+ years of experience practicing law, with a focus on data privacy and FTC compliance, corporate, employment, or contracts law.
• Strong knowledge of contract law, intellectual property law, compliance regulations, and litigation procedures.
• Demonstrated experience in managing legal risks and providing strategic counsel to business stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in legal research and analysis.
• Experience with employment law, acquisitions, and crisis management preferred but not required.
  
  

Benefits Section

ConvertKit has standardized salaries based on position, no matter where you live. For this role, we're hiring at our level 4 or 5 at $242,000 and $262,500 respectively. Level is determined based on experience and our interview process. Other benefits include:

• Benefits:
• Profit Sharing
• ConvertKit equity
• Twenty (20) days of paid time off during each year of employment
• Paid paid vacation: An after-tax bonus of $1,000 for taking five consecutive days of vacation where you're fully unplugged from work
• Ten paid holidays a year
• Annual, team-wide winter break from Christmas to New Year's
• Monthly medical benefits up to $1,850 a month toward premiums. Dental and vision premiums covered 100%
• Two weeks of paid sick time each year, including mental health + well being days
• Twelve (12) weeks paid parental leave and flexible scheduling in your child's first year
• Childcare benefit up to $3,000 annually
• Up to six weeks of paid bereavement leave, medical leave, and disaster after six months of employment, two weeks of each paid leave in your first six months
• Gender affirming benefits
• $4,000 equipment allowance for your first two years, $3,000 budget every following two years
• Individual learning + development budget ($3,500/year)
• Four-week, paid sabbatical after five years with the team
  

How to Apply

We usually receive a large number of applications, and our goal is to follow up with you within two weeks. You'll hear from us either way. Here's what you can expect from the rest of our hiring process:

• A phone screen with our recruiter
• Work sample
• A technical interview with the team
• A culture contribution interview
• Hiring Manager Wrap-up
  
  

We'll keep you informed through every step. To get started, complete this application, including a cover letter and answers to the questions on the next page. We read every single application, and your cover letter and responses help put your experience into context.

ConvertKit is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity in all of its forms, and we hire the best person we can for each role, no matter your personal background. Research tells us that applicants who are female or non-binary, as well as applicants who are people of color, are less likely to apply for roles they do not feel 100% qualified for. If you think you meet more than 50% of our requirements but fewer than 100% of them, please apply. We're imperfect communicators, so think of our job postings as the starting point for discussion rather than proof that you shouldn't apply.

ConvertKit does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.