Director, Product Legal

Job Summary

NetApp is seeking an experienced Director, Product Legal to join our Legal team and serve as a strategic legal partner to our Product organizations, including Enterprise Storage, Cloud Services, and Hybrid Storage Systems.. 
 
This senior Product Counsel position will support technical product, engineering, and business teams throughout the product development lifecycle, with a particular emphasis on enterprise products, on-premises offerings, cloud services and software offerings, complex inbound technology transactions, and product counseling. 
 
The ideal candidate brings extensive experience advising enterprise-focused technology organizations, understands the complexities of business-to-business (B2B) technology offerings, and can confidently navigate the legal, commercial, and technical considerations associated with cloud, SaaS, software, and hybrid infrastructure environments. 
 
This individual must be comfortable engaging directly with engineering and product leaders, providing practical legal guidance on sophisticated technology transactions, and independently managing complex legal matters, including inbound technology, open source, AI regulations. 
 
In addition to serving as a trusted legal advisor, this role will manage and develop a small team of legal professionals, foster collaboration, professional growth, and strong business partnerships.

Responsibilities

Product Counseling and Strategic Business Partnership

• This legal manager and advisor will partner with various Business Units, including on-premises, NetApp’s Cloud Services, and other product organizations, partnering closely with product management, engineering, and business leadership.  
• Provide strategic legal guidance throughout the product development lifecycle, including conception, design, development, launch, commercialization, ongoing support, and end-of-life.
• Advise complex legal and regulatory considerations affecting enterprise software, cloud services, SaaS, and hybrid cloud offerings.
• Develop a deep understanding of NetApp’s technology, products, and enterprise customer requirements to deliver practical, business-oriented legal solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to identify legal risks, resolve complex issues, and enable business objectives.

Technology Transactions and Enterprise Agreements

• Extensive experience in drafting, negotiating, and advising on complex inbound technology transactions, including software licensing, cloud services, technology acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint development agreements, OEM arrangements, and other technology-related agreements.
• Structure, draft, review, and negotiate sophisticated technology agreements supporting enterprise products and services.
• Advise contractual requirements associated with enterprise customers, including representations and warranties, licensing rights, intellectual property protections, compliance obligations, and other enterprise-specific considerations.
• Support the integration of third-party technologies, software, and services into NetApp’s product offerings.
• Partner with commercial legal, finance, product, and engineering teams to ensure technology agreements align with business objectives, product architecture, and customer commitments.

Cloud, Enterprise, Software, and Emerging Technologies

• Provide legal guidance on cloud computing, SaaS, enterprise software, and hybrid cloud/on-premises technology environments.
• Advise product and engineering teams on emerging technology developments, including open source, commercial terms, artificial intelligence use, and their potential legal, regulatory, and commercial implications.
• Support matters involving open-source software, intellectual property, data usage, privacy by design, technology licensing, and product compliance.
• Evaluate legal risks and opportunities associated with evolving technologies and business models.
• Translate complex technical and legal concepts into actionable guidance for business stakeholders.

Leadership and Talent Development

• Manage, lead,, mentor, and develop a small team of legal professionals, including direct reports and occasional external legal resources.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing environment focused on professional development, accountability, and business partnership.
• Provide coaching and development opportunities that help legal professionals expand their expertise and responsibilities.
• Balance hands-on legal responsibilities with effective people's leadership and team development.
• Support the continued evolution of efficient and scalable legal processes. 

Required Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active membership in good standing with at least one U.S. state bar.
• 10–12+ years of substantial, relevant legal experience supporting technology products, product counseling, and complex technology transactions, including significant experience with inbound technology agreements.
• Demonstrated experience advising enterprise-focused (B2B) technology organizations, particularly those delivering enterprise, cloud services, stand-alone software, SaaS, or hybrid cloud solutions in a global environment.
• Strong understanding of enterprise technology business models, including the contractual, licensing, compliance, and commercial considerations associated with selling products and services to large enterprise customers.
• Extensive experience in structuring, drafting, and negotiating complex inbound technology agreements.
• Proven ability to work directly with engineering, product management, and technical leadership teams, with sufficient technical fluency to independently advise on sophisticated product and technology matters.
• Prior people management experience, including demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and develop legal professionals.
• Experience independently managing complex legal matters and serving as a trusted advisor to senior business stakeholders.
• Strong commercial judgment, negotiation skills, and a practical, business-enabling approach to legal risk management.
• Familiarity with artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and their implications for enterprise technology products.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Combination of experience in a major law firm and an in-house legal department within a technology organization.
• Experience supporting cloud-first, software-first, or enterprise infrastructure technology companies.
• Experience working with hyperscalers, enterprise cloud providers, or organizations developing sophisticated cloud and software platforms.
• Background supporting enterprise product organizations through complex product launches, technology integrations, and evolving business models.
• Experience with both cloud-based and on-premises technology products and services.
• Demonstrated success in developing legal talent and building effective partnerships with highly technical teams.
• Experience navigating intellectual property, open-source licensing, data rights, and emerging technology issues within enterprise product environments. 

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will bring the technical credibility, legal expertise, and leadership experience necessary to make an immediate impact.

They will be able to:

• Independently navigate complex inbound technology transactions and product legal matters with minimal oversight.
• Establish credibility with engineering, product, and cloud services stakeholders from the outset.
• Understand and anticipate the unique legal and commercial requirements of enterprise technology customers.
• Provide strategic, commercially practical guidance that enables innovation while managing legal risk.
• Develop and mentor legal talent while remaining actively engaged in sophisticated legal work.
• Serve as a trusted partner to business leadership in a rapidly evolving technology environment. 

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is 227,800 - 308,000 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.