About Data Science & Engineering Experts, Inc. (DSE)
Data Science & Engineering Experts (“DSE”) is a senior-only boutique consultancy and Delaware C‑corp that prepares U.S. regulated financial institutions (banks, credit unions, insurers, broker‑dealers, RIAs, and fintechs) for AI governance, security, and regulatory compliance across NIST AI RMF, NIST CSF 2.0, ISO/IEC 42001, EU AI Act, SR 11‑7 model risk management, GLBA, NYDFS Part 500, SEC Reg S‑P, and CCPA/CPRA.
DSE delivers hands-on AI security red‑teaming and audit‑readiness engagements, is active in federal contracting, operates PrivateStack (a private multi‑model LLM SaaS platform), and authors open‑source IP that must be protected. Legal matters are currently managed by the CEO; this role will own and lead the legal function.
Role Summary
The Fractional General Counsel / Chief Legal Officer is DSE’s first dedicated legal and commercial partner. This is a founding‑caliber, part‑time executive role reporting directly to the CEO.
The attorney will own commercial contracting, corporate and regulatory governance, legal risk management, and strategic legal support for growth. The role is compensated through equity and success‑based cash fees tied to closed, paid client work, not through a traditional monthly retainer.
Mandate
- Revenue & Commercial Contracts – Negotiate, draft, and close client, partner, and federal contracts on strong but practical terms, with a focus on speed and revenue realization.
- Corporate & Regulatory Governance – Maintain Delaware C‑corp compliance, equity records, data‑privacy posture, and protection of DSE’s authored IP.
- Strategic Legal Advisory – Advise the CEO on partnership structures, federal teaming, pricing and terms, M&A readiness, and overall legal risk.
- Equity Stakeholder – Act as a business partner and stakeholder whose incentives are aligned with DSE’s commercial outcomes.
This is an operating role. The Fractional GC owns the legal function end to end, not just contract redlines.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Contracting & Revenue Enablement
- Draft, review, and negotiate MSAs, SOWs, NDAs, DPAs, SaaS terms, and vendor agreements that support a boutique, high‑velocity consulting and SaaS business.
- Actively support live deals: identify and remove legal bottlenecks, propose pragmatic risk trade‑offs, and help move opportunities from “stalled” to “signed and collected.”
- Structure and document partnership agreements, teaming agreements, and federal subcontracts, including appropriate FAR/DFARS‑aligned language for data rights and risk allocation.
- Develop and maintain a lean contract‑template library and negotiation playbook so the CEO can close standard deals with minimal escalation.
Negotiation
- Lead or support negotiations with regulated financial institutions, enterprise procurement, and federal/public‑sector counterparties.
- Negotiate and defend positions on liability caps, indemnities, IP ownership, open‑source and proprietary IP boundaries, privacy and data‑processing terms, and audit/regulatory‑cooperation clauses.
- Define standard fallback positions and advise when to hold, compromise, or walk from a term to secure the overall business outcome.
Corporate Governance
- Maintain DSE’s Delaware C‑corp in good standing, including state filings, registered‑agent coordination, and franchise‑tax compliance.
- Draft and maintain board resolutions, written consents, and corporate minutes.
- Oversee equity matters, including option grants, stock issuance, and cap‑table accuracy, in coordination with the CEO and any external advisors.
Regulatory, Privacy & IP
- Own DSE’s data‑privacy posture as a service provider to regulated financial institutions under GLBA, CCPA/CPRA, and relevant contractual obligations (including NYDFS Part 500 and SEC Reg S‑P representations where applicable).
- Develop and maintain AI‑governance‑related contract language aligned with DSE’s services and frameworks (NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, EU AI Act applicability, SR 11‑7 concepts) while avoiding certification‑style liability.
- Protect DSE’s authored open‑source and proprietary IP: review license terms, address license‑compatibility risks, maintain contributor or contributor‑license agreements, and document the boundary between open‑source and commercial use.
- Pursue and maintain trademark protection for DSE’s brands (for example, PrivateStack) as appropriate.
Risk Management & Strategic Advisory
- Advise on appropriate insurance coverage (professional liability/E&O, cyber, tech E&O, general commercial, D&O) as DSE grows.
- Serve as first point of contact on legal disputes, demand letters, or regulatory inquiries, and coordinate with external counsel when specialized litigation or regulatory expertise is required.
- Support partnership structuring, M&A readiness, and federal contracting strategy (including flow‑downs and teaming constructs) from a legal perspective.
Required Qualifications
- JD from an ABA‑accredited U.S. law school and active bar admission in good standing in at least one U.S. state.
- 8+ years of post‑bar experience, including meaningful time in‑house at a technology or professional‑services company and/or at a recognized firm in a transactional or technology‑transactions practice.
- Proven experience personally drafting and negotiating MSAs, SOWs, SaaS agreements, DPAs, and NDAs (beyond review‑only support).
- Experience working with or opposite regulated financial‑services institutions, with practical understanding of why GLBA, SOC 2, and third‑party‑risk programs matter in negotiations.
- Working familiarity with U.S. privacy law (at minimum GLBA and CCPA/CPRA) sufficient to own DPA negotiation and advise on DSE’s posture.
- Comfort operating as a solo legal function, setting priorities, and building lightweight but effective legal processes.
- Willingness and ability to work as an independent contractor (1099) on an equity‑plus‑success‑fee basis, without a guaranteed base salary or immediate fixed monthly retainer.
Preferred Qualifications
- Privacy certifications such as CIPP/US, CIPP/E, or CIPM.
- Experience with AI‑governance‑related legal work or contracts referencing frameworks like NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, or EU AI Act concepts.
- Experience with federal contracting (FAR/DFARS, teaming agreements, subcontract flow‑downs, data rights).
- Prior startup, boutique, or “fractional GC” experience building legal processes from a low baseline.
- Experience with SaaS licensing and open‑source IP, including dual‑licensing models or open‑source‑compliance programs.
- Experience with fintech, insurtech, broker‑dealer, or similar regulated‑client environments.
Job Types: Full-time, Contract
Pay: $175.00 - $325.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you currently hold an active license to practice law in at least one u.s. state, in good standing, with no current disciplinary proceedings?
- Have you personally led (as primary drafter/negotiator, not support) at least 10 complex commercial contract negotiations (msa + sow / saas + dpa) with enterprise or regulated‑industry counterparties in the last 5 years?
- Are you willing to work as an independent contractor (1099) with no guaranteed base salary, no monthly retainer, and compensation based on equity plus success fees tied to closed, paid deals?
Security clearance:
Work Location: Remote
