Head of Legal - Foundation AI Models & Generative AI

My client is a rapidly scaling, $100M Series C AI unicorn based in New York. As they build and deploy proprietary, large-scale deep learning models and agentic architectures globally, they are looking to bring on their inaugural General Counsel / Head of Legal. This executive will architect the legal department from the ground up, act as a critical sounding board for the C-suite, and structurally guide the business through the complex legal lifecycle of commercializing foundational-scale AI.

What You’ll Do:

• Establish and direct the company's core legal, risk, and compliance infrastructure, specifically tailored to the unique data ingestion, training, and deployment risks of deep learning models.
• Lead the strategy, drafting, and negotiation for high-value, multi-national commercial contracts and enterprise SaaS partnerships involving proprietary model usage.
• Work hand-in-hand with the founders and Board of Directors on corporate governance, future equity rounds, and long-term strategic risk management.
• Champion the company’s intellectual property strategy, ensuring robust protection of core proprietary network architectures and advancing new patent initiatives.
• Stay ahead of the curve on global AI legislation and data liability, translating highly technical, shifting regulations into actionable, business-friendly deployment strategies.

Requirements:

• JD or equivalent degree from a premier law school and active admission to the New York State Bar (or immediate eligibility to register as in-house counsel).
• 8+ years of post-qualification experience, combining rigorous foundational training at a top-tier law firm with a successful tenure scaling an internal legal team at a high-growth company.
• Deep, firsthand experience navigating the legal, copyright, and compliance complexities specifically tied to building, training, and commercializing massive deep learning architectures or foundational models.
• Proven ability to make high-judgment decisions regarding model liability and data provenance in ambiguous regulatory environments.
• A business-enabling mindset - a commercial partner who actively facilitates revenue generation and platform deployment, rather than strictly a risk mitigator.

Nice to Have:

• Previous experience as the first legal hire or foundational legal leader at a fast-moving startup focused on frontier AI or core machine learning infrastructure.
• A direct track record of legally managing the launch and ongoing scaling of a massive proprietary deep learning model or foundational system (Note: experience launching a SaaS tool powered by an AI model is also highly relevant, provided you can manage the due diligence).

Compensation includes a highly competitive base salary ($250,000 - $450,000+, depends on profile) alongside a lucrative executive equity grant in a deeply funded, high-valuation startup.

Location : This role requires an on-site presence at their NYC headquarters 5 days a week.