Commercial Counsel, Networking & Datacenter Operations (AI)

TL;DR

Commercial Counsel, Networking & Datacenter Operations (AI): Leading legal execution for connective infrastructure and steady-state operations with an accent on telecom regulatory compliance and high-scale infrastructure contracting. Focus on negotiating IRU agreements, managing O&M contracts, and ensuring operational resilience for frontier AI systems.

Location: Must be based in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington, DC (Hybrid: 3+ days per week in office)

Salary: $320,000 - $385,000 USD

Company

hirify.global is a public benefit corporation focused on creating reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems that are safe and beneficial for society.

What you will do

• Negotiate dark fiber, IRU agreements, wavelength services, IP transit, peering, and subsea-cable capacity.
• Support telecom regulatory interfaces, including FCC Section 214 authorizations and submarine-cable landing licenses.
• Structure and negotiate O&M, integrated-facilities-management, and disaster recovery contracting.
• Manage asset disposition, decommissioning, and data-hall fit-out terms.
• Build and maintain a network and O&M contract template library and SLA-credit playbooks.
• Collaborate with production-site leads to provide legal and risk management expertise for AI-specific infrastructure.

Requirements

• JD and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Fluency in availability and SLA constructs, route diversity, and colo lease interactions.
• Experience with telecom regulatory concepts and operational hand-offs from construction to commissioning.
• Ability to translate complex network and operations concepts into clear risk assessments.
• Must be able to work from San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C., or New York offices at least 3 days a week.

Nice to have

• 10–12 years of relevant legal experience in telecom, network transactions, or datacenter operations.
• In-house experience at cloud service providers, carriers, or datacenter operators.
• Experience with first-party backbone or production-site programs at large tech companies.
• Familiarity with insurance and risk-transfer structures for large-scale operating infrastructure.
• Experience with international vendor contracting for non-US sites.

Culture & Benefits

• Competitive compensation and optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave.
• Flexible working hours and collaborative office spaces.
• Visa sponsorship availability for eligible candidates.