Sr Counsel, Commercial Transactions

Job Description

About BuzzFeed, Inc.

BuzzFeed, Inc. (Ticker: BZFD) is home to the best of the internet. Across food, news, pop culture and commerce, our brands drive conversation and inspire what audiences watch, read, buy, and obsess over next. Born on the internet in 2006, BuzzFeed, Inc. is committed to making it better: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring our audience to live better lives. We'll continue to recruit the best founders and creators to join us in this mission, with more additions like Complex Networks and HuffPost to come.

Business Area: Administrative
Job Category: Legal
Salary: 160,000-178,000 USD
Union Status: Non Union

The Role

This role will provide a full range of attorney functions relating to the negotiation, drafting, and execution of commercial agreements, and the related advice and counsel provided to internal clients, including agreements that concern intellectual property rights, licensing, technology and the company's other commercial dealings with third parties. It reports directly to the Senior Vice President. You know, and can evaluate, all matters in a way that balances needs and mitigates risk while achieving the business end-goal. You will be a trusted and knowledgeable point of contact for business leaders, and will maintain alignment between BuzzFeed's commercial objectives and its legal policies as reflected in the library of forms that have been developed, and you will update those forms and create new ones as necessary. You will be based in the New York Metropolitan area, and will work in our New York office on a regularly recurring schedule.

You Will
• Advise internal clients on deals to exploit the company's intellectual property, including through licensing and partnerships
• Review, negotiate and draft a broad range of commercial agreements relating to intellectual property monetization, operations and global brand strategy, licensing, procurement/vendor agreements (for Finance, IT/Tech, HR, Sales, Facilities and other operational functions), real estate leases and renewals, affiliate marketplace agreements, advertising/marketing agreements, partnership agreements and sponsorship agreements
• Collaborate with departmental colleagues and internal business partners on BuzzFeed's global intellectual property strategy
• Work with cross-functional teams (including Sales, Content, Experiential/Events and Business Development) to support the execution of BuzzFeed's tentpole live events and key partnerships
• Partner with other members of the legal and business affairs department to support BuzzFeed's general corporate legal activities, including providing support for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships, equity investments and other sophisticated transactions
• Be a key member of the legal and business affairs team

You Have
• 6+ years of legal experience (preferably with in-house experience) including:
• management of US and international IP transactions, complex commercial transactions, and the vendor contracting process for a multinational corporation
• copyright/trademark licensing, IP rights administration or entertainment law practice, including some or all of the following: merchandising, digital media, television, film
• Comprehensive knowledge of contract law and Intellectual Property rights.
• Experience drafting/reviewing a wide variety of contracts.
• Ability to contribute to global intellectual property strategy as needed with a focus on product and content licensing strategy.
• Hands-on involvement with due diligence, technology assessments, and analysis in potential strategic transactions (including M&A, licensing and financing), as well as utilization of outside counsel in the same is a significant plus.
• Past exposure to the strategic thinking that underpins the structures of complex commercial agreements.
• Understanding of and experience with product and content licensing, digital media and intellectual property law
• Experience managing a high-volume workload while operating autonomously within corporate parameters and deadlines.
• J.D. from an ABA accredited law school, and a valid license to practice law in New York State.
• Proficiency with standard office communication and work processing systems.
• English fluency is required.

You can expect:
• A supportive, inclusive atmosphere on a team that values your contributions
• Opportunities for personal and professional growth through work experience, offerings from our in-house Learning @ BuzzFeed team, our Employee Resource Groups, and more
• An attractive and equitable compensation package, including salary and stock options.
• A generous benefits program featuring paid time off, unlimited sick time, comprehensive medical benefits, a family leave policy, access to mental health platforms, retirement plans, gym and wellness discounts, and much more.

We want all employees to feel safe and comfortable when they engage in any in-person meetings, when visiting the office, or when working from an offsite production or meeting location. As part of this commitment to health and safety, BuzzFeed requires COVID-19 vaccines for current US employees, including all newly hired employees. Requests for accommodation per applicable law for health and/or religious reasons will be considered. Union employees are subject to what is outlined in their applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Note: BuzzFeed, Inc. offers remote/flexible work (unless specified to be required to be in-person) and open to hiring remote candidates who are residents in the following states: CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA, and WV. For non sales roles, we can also hire in AK, AR, AZ, ID, KS, MO, ND, SC, and VT.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gqpezz-3-144-17-45-42 in your application.