Commercial Counsel

Associate Principal Legal Counsel (Commercial)Location: Hybrid, ChicagoA major financial market utility is seeking an Associate Principal Legal Counsel to join its commercial legal team. This is an opportunity to work within a mission critical organization that plays a central role in the U.S. financial system while supporting a range of commercial, procurement, and technology related matters. The company continues to evolve positively, modernizing its internal processes and refining its legal and operational structures.You will work closely with the Director and Assistant General Counsel (Commercial) and partner with sourcing, security, and risk teams across the business. The role requires strong drafting skills, comfort operating in a fast moving environment, and the ability to provide practical guidance in situations where not every question has a clear answer.Key ResponsibilitiesReview, draft, and negotiate commercial agreements, including SaaS, software licensing, hardware, and technology related servicesSupport vendor procurement activity and manage confidentiality agreementsAssist with internal policies, procedures, and controls related to commercial legal operationsConduct legal research on commercial, operational, and technology mattersEvaluate AI or CLM assisted workflows while ensuring all final legal work is attorney drivenCollaborate with strategic sourcing, third party risk management, and security teamsSupport senior attorneys on projects, research, and broader advisory needsContribute to ongoing improvements in team processes and legal operationsCandidate ProfileJ.D. with active admission to the Illinois bar3 to 5 years of commercial legal experience in house or at a law firmStrong drafting skills with the ability to produce precise and detailed workExperience with vendor and customer contracts, SaaS agreements, NDAs, and policy administrationExperience with CLM systems, AI assisted tools, or workflow automation is helpfulCollaborative, grounded, and steady with a solutions oriented mindsetCross functional stakeholder experience is helpful but not requiredCompensationThe base salary range for the position is $145-$160K.