General Counsel

Samba TV tracks streaming and broadcast video across the world with our proprietary data and technology. We are on a mission to fundamentally transform the viewing experience for everyone. Our data enables media companies to connect with audiences for new shows and movies, and enables advertisers to engage viewers and measure reach across all their devices. We have an amazing story with a unique perspective on culture formed by a global footprint of data and AI-driven insights
As our General Counsel we expect this individual to uphold our Company values for Determination, Intellectual Honesty, Curiosity, Humility and Results, and to go beyond with strong academic credentials, deep technology-industry experience and sophisticated understanding of legal and policy matters – as it relates to corporate governance, data privacy, intellectual property, employment laws, licensing agreements, fundraising, and M&A.
Reporting to the CEO, it will be within the scope of this position to help deliberate and provide guidance across a spectrum of legal disciplines, providing first class legal support to the Samba TV Board of Directors, executive team and operating units. The successful candidate will have ownership and responsibility for commercial contracts, data privacy compliance, M&A, IPOs, patent, trademark, copyright, technology licensing, and open source, as well as for litigation and disputes, HR and employment matters, taxes, and international expansions.
The General Counsel is also responsible for governance, managing Board Meetings and approvals, compliance, government relations, managing relationships with external law firms, managing a legal budget, driving operational excellence as it relates to processing legal approvals and significant business decisions, establishing effective communication within the legal team and across departments, and participating as a member of the executive leadership team. Additionally, our GC works hard, travels extensively, across US and international business units to resolve complex business issues. The General Counsel is tasked with establishing the legal budget, with an emphasis on frugality, providing professional development, and acting as an advisor to team members.
The critical competencies for success include being an experienced leader with a strong business background, experience with privacy laws, government relations and negotiating with regulators at the state, national or international level, aligning the legal team with business objectives, and creating a positive working environment. The General Counsel should also possess team-building and decision-making skills, work collaboratively with internal and external attorneys, and be open to learning from others. The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, handle ambiguity, and provide effective legal support quickly and cost-effectively is crucial. 

About You:

• Possess a JD from a reputable US law school 
• Admitted to practice law in the United States and eligible to practice law in-house
• 10+ years as a practicing lawyer both within a top-tier law firm and as in-house counsel
• Technology industry experience, ideally at the growth stage (pre-IPO)
• Dispute resolution and litigation experience
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Outstanding organizational and project management skills
• An intuition to anticipate the needs of the business, knowing when it makes to be rigorous or light in review process 
• Demonstrated ability to balance business needs with risk mitigation, with a bias to speed and risk tolerance – at our stage, we play more offense than defense 
• Demonstrated expertise in corporate and business development activities
• Track record of proactively and building and maintaining productive relationships with business and corporate functional leaders at all levels 
• An individual of unquestioned ethics and integrity, and a reputation of building business and shareholder value – please flag any history of disputes
• Strong business acumen – know how financial models work
• Good negotiator – instinct to find win-win solutions 
• Extensive experience negotiating with opposing counsel and working with internal stakeholders to close deals and further the company’s interests
• Foundational technical knowledge, ideally with exposure to internet advertising and data flows
• Working of knowledge of data privacy laws, regulations, and issues (GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, privacy-by-design)

Other Requirements:

• Experience in start-ups, high-growth organizations 
• Experience working with Boards of Directors, and a strong understanding of corporate governance frameworks
• A reputation for being a thoughtful coach and consigliere to business leaders within the organization  
• A strong orientation toward making