# Associate General Counsel at Canals

> Remote · United States · Junior · Other · open. Source: https://alderhq.app/jobs/ashby%3Acanals%3A94e87aec-bb59-4dd5-8fa2-6931481561bf (read 2026-11-12).

## Facts (observed)

- Company: [Canals](https://alderhq.app/companies/canals)
- Location text: New York
- Where it can be done from (inferred): Remote · United States (evidence: "Location: New York")
- Posted: 2026-10-22 (21 days ago)
- First seen by alder: 2026-11-04 · last verified: 2026-11-12
- Reposted: 0 times · edited: 0 times
- Apply on the employer's site: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/canals/94e87aec-bb59-4dd5-8fa2-6931481561bf

## Pay and sponsorship

- Posted pay: not posted
- Market band for similar posted roles (New York, n 576): p25 $55k, median $90k, p75 $125k

## Description (the employer's text)

### About Canals

Canals builds software for wholesale distributors, helping them operate more efficiently through automation and AI.

Our customers are the companies responsible for moving the materials that power the real economy; electrical supplies, plumbing products, roofing materials, HVAC equipment, and more. Every day, thousands of people rely on Canals to help process orders, manage purchasing, handle accounts payable, and streamline critical business workflows.

We're a profitable, rapidly growing company with a team of roughly 140 people distributed across North and South America. We care deeply about building great products, hiring exceptional people, and creating an environment where talented individuals can do the best work of their careers.

### The Opportunity

Our legal function is a competitive advantage—not a bottleneck—and we’re looking for someone who lives that philosophy. As our first AGC, you’ll be the second lawyer in the building. You’ll own our commercial contracts function end-to-end, handle a wide range of legal matters across the business, and build the processes and playbooks that let us scale without slowing down. You’ll advise every vertical within the business, translating legal risk and business opportunity into plain, approachable language. As the General Counsel's principal legal partner, you will receive broad exposure to commercial, corporate, employment, compliance, and strategic legal matters, creating an exceptional opportunity to develop the skills and judgment necessary to become a future General Counsel.

This is not a role for someone who needs clear swim lanes. You’ll draft complex enterprise agreements in the morning and help a non-lawyer understand a data processing addendum in the afternoon. You’ll be comfortable saying “good enough to sign” when that’s the right call, and “we need to push back here” when it isn’t. Perfection should rarely be the enemy of good enough, but your attention to detail must never waiver.

### What You’ll Own

Draft, negotiate, and close enterprise SaaS/AI agreements, including relevant addenda and schedules (think DPAs)

Build and maintain contract templates and a negotiation playbook that empowers the sales team to move deals faster

Triage inbound redlines efficiently and establish contract review SLAs

Own day-to-day privacy compliance and data governance strategy

Manage vendor and partner agreements, including software licenses and professional services contracts

Serve as the embedded legal partner for Sales & Marketing, Product, Engineering and Finance

Identify legal risks early in the product development cycle and advise on mitigation without killing velocity

Build and refine the legal ops infrastructure, including contract management tooling and intake processes

Help to identify when to use outside counsel, and manage those relationships

### Qualifications

JD from an accredited law school, and an active state bar membership in good standing

4-8 years of experience, including at least 2-3 years at an Am Law 100 law firm in the transactional/commercial practice area

Deep expertise in commercial contract drafting and negotiation—you’ve handled complex deals and know where the real risk lives

Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize competing demands, and make judgment calls without hand-holding

Clear, direct communicator—you write and speak in plain language

### Preferred

In-house experience at a high-growth tech company (Series A-C)

Familiarity with SaaS/AI business models, cloud infrastructure agreements, and API/platform contracts

Experience with federal, state and international data privacy frameworks and standard DPA negotiations

Experience building in-house data privacy compliance frameworks

Exposure to equity compensation, venture financing documentation, or M&A (even in a supporting role)

### What Makes Someone Thrive Here

Default to “here’s how we get this done” vs. "here's why we can’t”

Energized by ambiguity, not paralyzed by it—you can build the framework while also shipping the deal

Know when to go deep and when to go fast

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Data: alder (https://alderhq.app). Cite https://alderhq.app/jobs/ashby%3Acanals%3A94e87aec-bb59-4dd5-8fa2-6931481561bf and the date you read it. Observed facts come from the employer's own listing; location reach, level, family and skills are inferences.
