Position Summary
DDN is seeking a Senior Counsel, APAC to be based in Singapore and support the company's commercial contracting activity across Asia Pacific, with a particular focus on Greater China.
Reporting to the VP, Head of Commercial Contracting, this individual will draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, partner closely with regional Sales and channel teams, and help implement the playbooks, templates, and processes being built out globally.
This role requires fluency in written and spoken Chinese (Mandarin and/or Cantonese) to support negotiations, localize templates, and communicate effectively with customers, partners, and colleagues across Greater China.
Key Responsibilities
• Serve as primary commercial counsel for customers and partners across Asia Pacific, with particular focus on Greater China, negotiating directly in Mandarin or Cantonese where needed.
• Translate, localize, and adapt global contracting playbooks, templates, and clause libraries for use in Chinese-language and other regional agreements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including SaaS/subscription terms, enterprise license agreements, channel and reseller agreements, OEM agreements, NDAs, and data/AI-related terms.
• Partner closely with Sales, Sales Operations, Finance, Revenue Recognition, and Product/Engineering leadership to align contracting processes with DDN’s evolving go-to-market and pricing models.
• Apply DDN's contracting policies, risk thresholds, and delegation-of-authority framework, escalating novel or high-risk issues to senior management, as appropriate.
• Advise internal stakeholders on local legal, regulatory, and cultural considerations affecting commercial contracting in China and other Asia Pacific markets.
• Support general legal matters arising in the region, including real estate and office leases, vendor and procurement agreements, and other day-to-day legal needs of DDN’s local entities.
• Advise on local employment and HR matters in the region, including employment agreements, contractor and secondment arrangements, and changes to terms of employment, working with HR and local counsel where jurisdiction-specific advice is required.
• Coordinate with outside counsel and global Legal colleagues on regional corporate and compliance matters, escalating novel or high-risk issues as appropriate.
• Help drive contract cycle time, accuracy, and consistency across the region, contributing to metrics and reporting shared with executive leadership.
• Act as a regional change agent, driving adoption of new tools, templates, and ways of working as the global contracting function is rebuilt.
Qualifications
• 6+ years of experience in commercial contracting, contract management, sales operations, or commercial legal roles, with significant experience at a global enterprise software, SaaS, or technology company.
• Fluency in written and spoken Chinese (Mandarin required; Cantonese a plus) and fluency in written and spoken English.
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements with customers and partners in China or other Greater China markets.
• Familiarity with local legal, regulatory, and business-practice considerations affecting commercial contracting in China and the broader Asia Pacific region.
• Strong knowledge of SaaS, subscription, usage-based, and enterprise licensing commercial and legal structures.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills, with the ability to work independently on moderate-to-high complexity agreements.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills and the ability to partner effectively with Sales, Finance, and global Legal colleagues across time zones.
• Admitted to practice law in Singapore or another relevant jurisdiction (e.g. a Greater China jurisdiction, England & Wales, Australia, or a U.S. state), or holds an equivalent recognized legal qualification.
• Bachelor's degree required; JD, LLB, LLM, or equivalent legal degree required.