Counsel, Guest Product

Our Legal & Compliance teams are primarily concentrated in Boston, Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco. Candidates residing in these areas will be prioritized, as they will benefit from closer proximity to colleagues and greater access to company resources and events.

Toast is driven by building the all-in-one restaurant platform that helps restaurants operate their business, increase sales, engage guests, and keep employees happy. We are seeking an experienced and strategic Product Counsel to join our dynamic legal team. You will play an instrumental role in shaping the development of creative and compliant products. This position offers a unique opportunity to apply deep legal expertise to both existing flagship products and to navigate the legal landscape for entirely new, cutting-edge offerings, all within a fun, collaborative environment that values strategic insights, creative problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity.

As Product Counsel, you will be deeply embedded with product teams, partnering with core stakeholders across the business. You will operate with significant autonomy, acting as a key partner from the earliest stage of product development. You will cultivate a deep understanding of Toast’s existing and evolving products, strategies, and operational processes, leveraging this knowledge to proactively identify, advise on, and mitigate complex legal risks. 

About this roll* (Responsibilities):

• Strategic Legal Counsel: Provide comprehensive legal advice to a variety of stakeholders across product, engineering, and marketing teams throughout the entire product development lifecycle (from initial ideation and beta testing  through launch and beyond, including the review of marketing strategies and assets). Your focus will be on Toast’s Guest suite of products, which includes B2B and B2C offerings that enable consumers to engage with Toast’s restaurant customers.
• AI Expertise: Provide strategic legal guidance to product and engineering teams on the development, deployment, and ongoing operation of AI/ML systems and features.
• Playbook Development: Drive the development and continuous refinement of  robust, scalable playbooks and self-service tools to help product teams make informed decisions and move quickly.
• Complex Regulatory Navigation: Advise on complex legal issues, including multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance, advanced data privacy and protection (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, emerging global privacy frameworks), marketing/advertising, and consumer protection. Provide clear and actionable legal guidance that enables our teams to build and launch compliant products, often partnering with our in-house specialists on matters related to fintech/payments and data privacy. Familiarity with these areas and with consumer-facing technology is a plus.
• Expertise & Foresight: Maintain deep expertise in, and proactively anticipate changes to, laws and regulations relating to the Toast platform. Translate complex legal developments into clear, actionable guidance for our teams.
• Creative Problem-Solving: Think creatively and strategically to navigate novel and complex regulatory environments, for smooth, compliant, and intuitive user experience across all product offerings.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Cultivate strong, collaborative partnerships across multiple functions, exhibiting a deep understanding of Toast products' technical architecture and strategic objectives. 

Do you have the right ingredients*? (Requirements):

• A J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, or the equivalent in your jurisdiction, and meet all professional and legal requirements necessary to practice law in your jurisdiction.
• 5+ years of legal experience, whether in-house at a tech company or at a law firm counseling tech clients, covering regulatory compliance, data privacy, marketing, and consumer protection across multiple jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated expertise in researching, interpreting, and providing actionable advice on a variety of complex laws and regulatory frameworks; deep expertise across all jurisdictions is not required, but a proven ability to master new legal landscapes is.
• Proven ability to  manage multiple priorities and complex legal challenges independently.
• A highly solution-oriented, customer-service-driven, and growth mindset with a proactive approach to legal risk management.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to distill complex legal concepts into clear, concise, and impactful advice for diverse business audiences, including senior leadership.
• A highly collaborative team player with a track record of seamlessly