Job Description

We’re seeking a proactive, business-minded Senior Product Counsel to lead our AI legal initiatives. You will report to Zendesk’s Director of Product Legal and have primary responsibility for creating and driving Zendesk’s AI legal compliance. To this end, you must be able to understand and distill complex and evolving AI laws such as the EU AI Act, and translate them into practical and actionable compliance activities. You must be adept at cross-functional collaboration and driving projects forward to meet deadlines. You will build strong relationships with key stakeholders including product development, engineering, and security, and become a trusted leader on all things AI. Our legal team is practical and business-minded, and it is crucial that our work not only mitigates risk but enables innovation.

At Zendesk, we value innovation and collaboration. Join us and be part of a team that shapes the future of AI! 

Key Responsibilities:

• Stay abreast of global AI laws and regulations, including the EU AI Act and US AI safety laws, and serve as a thought leader within the legal team

• Develop and execute an actionable compliance plan to ensure Zendesk meets legal requirements applicable to AI within our products

• Serve as the project manager for all AI legal compliance initiatives within Zendesk products, coordinating with cross-functional stakeholders in product development, engineering, security, and other departments to ensure forward progress towards applicable deadlines

• Support sales and marketing with AI trust customer enablement, including thinking about how AI compliance can be leveraged to support customer deals

• Communicate AI legal requirements to organizational stakeholders in a clear and digestible way

• Provide internal education and/or training on various AI requirements

• Liaise with relevant AI regulatory authorities as needed

• Serve as the go-to expert within the legal team on Zendesk’s innovative AI features and and products

• Support the broader product legal team on feature reviews, impact assessments, and other projects

• Collaborate with colleagues in the product legal team to improve internal knowledge management, processes, and efficiency

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of legal experience, with at least 3+ years in-house, preferably at a global technology company

• Licensed to practice law in Ireland 

• Understanding of the global regulatory environment, preferably with specific experience applying the EU AI Act and similar AI laws and/or privacy frameworks like GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA

• Experience using AI technology and understanding of related risks

• Experience advising product and engineering teams

• Ability to think strategically about the most impactful and practical ways to support company goals

• Proven track record of project execution with single-owner mentality and ability to progress projects to completion through uncertainty and obstacles

• Pragmatic mindset with a creative approach to problem-solving and comfortable operating in uncertainty

• A self-starter with a proactive and adaptable mindset

• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment while effectively adjusting strategies in response to shifting priorities, legal developments, and evolving risk tolerance

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively autonomously and with cross-functional teams 

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills

• Desire to roll up your sleeves and growth mindset: no task is too big or small with an interest in learning and growing

Hybrid: In this role, our hybrid experience is designed at the team level to give you a rich onsite experience packed with connection, collaboration, learning, and celebration - while also giving you flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. This role must attend our local office for part of the week. The specific in-office schedule is to be determined by the hiring manager.

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