Apply on Employer Site

Retool · 1 month ago

VP, Legal

San Francisco

Full-time

Hybrid

Director/Executive

Retool is seeking a VP, Legal (Head of Legal) to join their executive leadership team. This role involves owning the legal strategy, compliance framework, and risk management function while partnering with various departments to ensure a strong legal foundation for the business.

Enterprise SoftwareProductivity ToolsSoftwareSoftware Engineering

Growth Opportunities

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the company’s legal strategy: manage corporate governance, board relationships, equity and debt transactions, intellectual property, and major commercial agreements

Oversee legal operations: lead internal legal team and external counsel, ensure contract management systems are robust, etc

Build and scale compliance and risk frameworks: exportable policies for privacy/data protection (e.g., GDPR, CCPA), export controls, export licensing, employment law, regulatory matters, AI governance/policy, and global operations

Partner with product and engineering: craft clear legal guardrails around product development, data usage, AI/ML initiatives, vendor relationships, third-party integrations and licensing

Serve as a key advisor on business growth initiatives: support fundraising, M&A, joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and overseas expansion

Interface with investors, the board of directors, and senior leadership: ensure accurate disclosures, assist with investor relations, and present legal viewpoints in high-level forums

Build, mentor and lead a high-performing legal team: hire business-facing legal professionals, define career paths, set performance metrics, and instill best practices

Maintain a strong control and ethical environment: ensure company compliance with applicable laws and regulations, monitor evolving legal/regulatory landscape, conduct investigations when necessary, and foster a culture of integrity

Qualification

Legal strategy developmentCompliance framework buildingRisk managementCorporate governanceCommercial agreementsRegulatory mattersM&A experienceBusiness-first mindsetCommunicationTeam leadershipNegotiation skills

Required

You are a seasoned legal executive with experience, including significant in-house leadership exposure and oversight of commercial, corporate, and regulatory matters

You've operated in high-growth, scaling companies (ideally in tech/SaaS) and understand what changes when you move from 500 to 1000+ people

You are both strategic and operational: you can shape multi-year legal strategy *and* you can roll up your sleeves to negotiate the details of a complex contract or lead a compliance investigation

You are an excellent communicator: you distill complex legal concepts into clear, actionable insights for business partners with diverse backgrounds

You thrive in ambiguity: you can prioritize, set direction and deliver as the business inevitably changes

You have a business-first mindset: you view legal as a strategic enabler, not a barrier

Preferred

experience with SaaS/tech companies, global operations, fundraising (equity, debt), M&A, and managing regulatory risk (privacy, cybersecurity, data, export controls)