Commercial Legal Director at Dave

Job description

Dave vs. Goliath. We’re Dave. Dave is a financial app on a mission to build products that level the financial playing field. It is redefining the financial landscape by leveraging technology to create an affordable, transparent, and user-centric access to liquidity for millions of Americans. As a leading innovator in the U.S. financial services sector, Dave’s digital financial platform offers products designed to meet the credit needs of those underserved by traditional financial institutions. Dave’s offerings include its flagship ExtraCash product, providing members up to $500 within minutes. The company is on track to launch several new product offerings in 2026, including a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) option. Dave is focused on serving Americans who are financially vulnerable or living paycheck to paycheck. Dave is leading the charge in creating a new era of credit products that prioritizes speed, affordability, and accessibility, making it the go-to financial partner for those who need it most. As Commercial Legal Director, you'll be a trusted legal advisor across Dave, bringing deep expertise in technology transactions, AI, and commercial contracting to some of our most important business decisions. You'll own complex negotiations, establish scalable contracting standards, and help teams navigate novel legal questions with sound judgment and practical solutions. This is an opportunity to influence how we operate across product, engineering, finance, marketing, and other functions while balancing business priorities, legal risk, and long-term impact. What You'll Own Lead complex commercial transactions: Own strategy, negotiation, and execution for high-impact agreements, including SaaS, technology licensing, partnerships, marketing, services, agency, and other commercial arrangements. Shape our legal frameworks: Develop and evolve negotiation standards, playbooks, templates, and contracting policies that support consistency, sound risk management, and business growth. Guide emerging technology decisions: Advise on complex legal issues involving AI, machine learning, intellectual property, data privacy, security, and evolving regulatory considerations. Build scalable legal operations: Improve contracting workflows, governance, and analytics using Ironclad and AI-enabled tools to make legal processes more effective, measurable, and sustainable. Advise across the business: Partner with leaders across engineering, product, marketing, finance, and people teams to evaluate risk, resolve complex challenges, and enable informed decisions. Advance legal strategy: Identify emerging legal and commercial risks, develop forward-looking solutions, and engage outside counsel when specialized expertise is needed. The Impact Your work will help Dave pursue new opportunities, strengthen commercial relationships, and navigate emerging technologies responsibly. By building thoughtful legal frameworks, you'll enable teams to move forward with clarity while protecting our members and supporting sustainable growth. What We're Looking For J.D. and 8+ years of relevant law firm and/or in-house legal experience, with substantial ownership of complex technology transactions and commercial matters. Demonstrated expertise negotiating sophisticated SaaS, licensing, partnership, and technology agreements. Deep understanding of AI-related commercial legal issues, including enterprise risk, intellectual property, data privacy, and security. Experience establishing legal contracting standards, playbooks, and scalable operational frameworks. Hands-on experience with Ironclad or comparable contract lifecycle management platforms. Strong commercial judgment, with the ability to evaluate complex risks and communicate practical recommendations to senior stakeholders. Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. Bonus points for: Experience in fintech or financial services, AI/ML technologies, cloud services, and advertising or marketin