Senior Legal Counsel

About Us

Sophos is a worldwide leader and innovator of advanced cybersecurity solutions, including Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and incident response services and a broad portfolio of endpoint, network, email, and cloud security technologies that help organizations defeat cyberattacks. As one of the largest pure-play cybersecurity providers, Sophos defends more than 500,000 organizations and more than 100 million users globally from active adversaries, ransomware, phishing, malware, and more. Sophos’ services and products connect through its cloud-based Sophos Central management console and are powered by Sophos X-Ops, the company’s cross-domain threat intelligence unit. Sophos X-Ops intelligence optimizes the entire Sophos Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem, which includes a centralized data lake that leverages a rich set of open APIs available to customers, partners, developers, and other cybersecurity and information technology vendors. Sophos provides cybersecurity-as-a-service to organizations needing fully managed, turnkey security solutions. Customers can also manage their cybersecurity directly with Sophos’ security operations platform or use a hybrid approach by supplementing their in-house teams with Sophos’ services, including threat hunting and remediation. Sophos sells through reseller partners and managed service providers (MSPs) worldwide. Sophos is headquartered in Oxford, U.K. More information is available at www.sophos.com. 

Role Summary

As Senior Legal Counsel in the commercial legal team at Sophos you will provide expert legal guidance and strategic oversight on a wide range of commercial matters. This role demands a proactive leader with extensive management experience who can navigate complex legal landscapes, foster strong internal and external relationships, and ensure our business operations comply with all relevant laws and regulations.  

You will lead a small team of contracts managers to help drive Sophos’s sustainable growth by negotiating prudent positions for the company on channel, customer and supplier contracts, with an eye to the key risks and legal considerations.  Reporting to the head of the commercial legal team (Senior Director, Legal), you will take a risk-based approach, working with stakeholders throughout the business to understand the issues and deliver commercial, pragmatic legal advice on commercial projects. Fully Remote - East Coast preferred.

• Legal Expertise: Provide comprehensive legal support on commercial transactions in different jurisdictions, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating supplier, customer, and channel agreements and other legal documents.  Advise on legal risk on new and ongoing business projects, and new go-to-market offerings and advise on managing the associated risks
• Strategic Advice: Serve as a trusted advisor, offering strategic legal counsel on business initiatives and managing risk in a pragmatic way in relation to those initiatives
• Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a team of legal professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment to deliver proactive solutions for the business
• Dispute Resolution: Manage and resolve commercial disputes, working closely with the business and external counsel when necessary
• Policy and Training Development: Develop and implement company policies, training, and procedures to mitigate legal risks and enhance operational efficiency
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with various departments, including finance, HR, channel, sales, support, and operations, to provide holistic legal support and ensure alignment with business goals
  

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited US law school and licensed to practice law in the US
• A minimum of 8-10 years of commercial legal experience, with at least 3-5 years in an in-house counsel role, ideally in an IT environment
• Proven management experience, with a track record of leading and developing high-performing legal teams
• Expertise in contract law and commercial transactions
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills coupled with a risk-based, pragmatic approach
• A problem-solving, solutions-driven outlook and a growth mindset
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities effectively
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
  

• Experience dealing with public sector contracts and tender processes
• Data privacy experience 
  

In the United States, the base salary for this role ranges from $154,000 to $256,000. In addition to base salary, we offer additional compensation including bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefits package.  A candidate’s specific pay within this range will depend on a variety of factors, including job-related skills, training, location, experience, relevant education, certifications, and other business and organizational needs. 

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Ready to Join Us?

At Sophos, we believe in the power of diverse perspectives to fuel innovation. Research shows that candidates sometimes hesitate to apply if they don't check every box in a job description. We challenge that notion. Your unique experiences and skills might be exactly what we need to enhance our team. Don't let a checklist hold you back – we encourage you to apply.

What's Great About Sophos?

·   Sophos operates a remote-first working model, making remote work the primary option for most employees. However, some roles may necessitate a hybrid approach. Please refer to the location details in our job postings for further information.

·   Our people – we innovate and create, all of which are accompanied by a great sense of fun and team spirit

·   Employee-led diversity and inclusion networks that build community and provide education and advocacy

·   Annual charity and fundraising initiatives and volunteer days for employees to support local communities

·   Global employee sustainability initiatives to reduce our environmental footprint

·   Global fitness and trivia competitions to keep our bodies and minds sharp

·   Global wellbeing days for employees to relax and recharge 

·   Monthly wellbeing webinars and training to support employee health and wellbeing

Our Commitment To You

We’re proud of the diverse and inclusive environment we have at Sophos, and we’re committed to ensuring equality of opportunity.   We believe that diversity, combined with excellence, builds a better Sophos, so we encourage applicants who can contribute to the diversity of our team.  All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law regardless of gender, sex, gender reassignment, marital status, race, religion or belief, color, age, military veteran status, disability, pregnancy, maternity or sexual orientation.  We want to give you every opportunity to show us your best self, so if there are any adjustments we could make to the recruitment and selection process to support you, please let us know. 

Data Protection

If you choose to explore an opportunity, and subsequently share your CV or other personal details with Sophos, these details will be held by Sophos for 12 months in accordance with our Privacy Policy and used by our recruitment team to contact you regarding this or other relevant opportunities at Sophos.  If you would like Sophos to delete or update your details at any time, please follow the steps set out in the Privacy Policy describing your individual rights.  If you have any questions about Sophos’ data protection practices, please contact dataprotection@sophos.com.