Senior Counsel, Commercial

Company: Zipline
Location: South San Francisco
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You and The Role The Zipline Legal Team is searching for an experienced, technically-sound, and process-oriented Senior Counsel who will smoothly and repeatedly close material revenue contracts alongside our Sales Team, and a range of other contracts. In this role, you will be a senior lawyer on sales and business development agreements, working especially closely with the Sales, Operations, and Finance Teams on scoping, drafting, negotiating, and closing agreements across a number of core business verticals. You’ll pair your surgical legal drafting and deft negotiation skills with your tireless project management skills to capture and execute strategic commercial agreements that the business is proud of. You’ll be a core member of a strong, friendly, passionate, in-house legal function and will report to Zipline’s Deputy General Counsel–Head of Commercial. What You'll Do Develop a deep understanding of Zipline’s product and service offerings, business and sales strategy, mission and values. Draft, structure, review, negotiate, advise, and close material customer agreements and strategic partnerships across all of Zipline’s Sales Teams and business verticals, including food, retail, and healthcare. Independently manage the entire customer contracting process for deals that you support–from initial scoping to final execution, working cross-functionally with almost every business unit at Zipline, including the Sales, Finance, Information Security, Privacy, Aviation, and Operations Teams. Contribute to improving Zipline’s deal templates and forms, taking into consideration the business’s goals and any factors unique to the customers that the applicable agreement is targeting. Help build and socialize thoughtful, repeatable, and rigorous deal processes that bring predictability and calm to your clients on the Sales Team and streamline and simplify deals. Think outside the box when a strategic transaction calls for it, bringing simple and elegant contractual solutions to potentially convoluted and chaotic situations. Build genuine relationships with each member of the Sales and Operations Teams so that you are in sync when closing contracts. When called upon, creatively and efficiently address novel questions and commercial needs that arise across Zipline’s global business. What You'll Bring 6 years of relevant legal experience at a top-tier law firm and/or in-house. JD Degree is required. Member in good standing of at least one state bar. A deep understanding of and familiarity with commercial and revenue contracts, including outbound service agreements, in direct support of sales and go-to-market initiatives. Clear, cogent, and pragmatic contract drafting skills that you are a passionate and prideful nerd about. You thrive in high-pressure and time-sensitive situations, and love the feeling of undramatically and quickly closing critical revenue contracts for and with the business. Effective, tactful, friendly, and high-integrity negotiation skills, both verbally and in writing. Strong communication and project management skills that you deploy when leading the charge to close a deal. Strong time management skills that enable you to set aggressive but realistic deadlines that you meet (and usually beat), even with competing priorities. Empathy for your internal customers and stakeholders as well as the customers that you’re negotiating against. Confidence to make independent judgment calls with conviction–and the instincts to recognize when issues require escalation or input from others. You don’t overthink issues, rabbit-hole on theoretical risk, or over-negotiate against yourself. Must be eligible to work in the United States. What Else You Need to Know The starting cash range for this role is $170,000-$210,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!

Keywords: Zipline, Hayward , Senior Counsel, Commercial, Legal , South San Francisco, California