Nexxen seeks a Director, Commercial Counsel based in Chicago to lead complex commercial contract negotiations supporting the demand business. The role partners with Sales, Finance, and Business Development to close deals quickly while managing legal risk. Responsibilities include negotiating MSAs, SOWs, IOs, data licensing, SaaS agreements, advising on deal financials and compliance with revenue recognition and SOX controls, ensuring contracts comply with data privacy laws (CCPA, GDPR), maintaining contract templates and playbooks, and mentoring legal team members. Requires J.D. and active bar membership, 10+ years commercial legal experience preferably in adtech or related fields, strong financial literacy, knowledge of adtech ecosystem and data privacy regulations, excellent communication, and leadership skills. Salary range $190,000 - $220,000. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, disability insurance, 401(k), EAP, parental leave, unlimited vacation, and company-paid holidays. Hybrid work model.
What you'll do
Lead end-to-end complex commercial contract negotiations supporting the demand business including strategic enterprise deals with ad agencies, brands, and ad tech partners
Similar jobs
More roles worth a look
Related opportunities based on specialty and working model so candidates can keep momentum.
Partner closely with Sales to understand deal economics and structure revenue provisions, fee arrangements, and performance clauses
Review and advise on deal financials ensuring contract terms align with revenue recognition, SOX controls, and audit readiness
Act as trusted advisor to Sales, Business Development, Product, Engineering, and Account Management teams
Operate with quarterly urgency to accelerate legal review without compromising risk management
Serve as internal subject-matter expert on adtech platforms, programmatic ecosystem, ad agency and brand commercial relationships, and industry-standard deal structures
Advise on data licensing agreements, data use rights, and audience data monetization arrangements
Ensure all commercial contracts comply with data privacy regulations including CCPA, GDPR, and emerging state-level privacy laws
Collaborate with Finance on revenue recognition, audit readiness, SOX compliance related to contracts
Maintain and improve contract templates, playbooks, and fallback positions to enable faster deal execution
Identify and flag legal and business risks proactively and present solutions
Mentor and support other counsel and contracts specialists, provide quality control and handle escalations
Requirements
J.D. from an accredited law school and active bar membership (Illinois preferred or willingness to waive in)
10+ years of commercial legal experience in a nationally or internationally recognized law firm and/or in-house legal department
Experience in adtech, martech, advertising agency, media, or data company preferred
Expertise in complex commercial contract negotiation including MSAs, SOWs, IOs, data licensing agreements, SaaS agreements, and agency-of-record arrangements
Strong financial literacy including understanding of P&L, SOX compliance, and impact of deal terms on margin structures
Familiarity with SOX compliance requirements related to commercial contracting and revenue recognition
Hands-on knowledge of the adtech ecosystem including DSPs, SSPs, DMPs, CDPs, programmatic buying, and audience segmentation
Working knowledge of global data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA) and ability to negotiate privacy-compliant data licensing terms
Ability to operate in a fast-paced, quota-driven environment where legal enables business
Exceptional communication skills to explain complex legal concepts to non-legal audiences
Demonstrated people leadership skills including mentoring and quality control
