Senior Counsel, U.S. Public Sector

Celonis

Washington DC, District of Columbia

Full Time

Posted April 30, 2026

$194k - $230k

Not Specified

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Job Description

The Senior Counsel for the U.S. Public Sector at Celonis is responsible for providing legal support and strategic guidance for the company's government-focused SaaS sales, including contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation, to enable business growth within federal, state, and local government markets.

Key Responsibilities

Serve as the principal legal business partner to drive the expansion of Celonis U.S. Public Sector business.
Lead drafting, review, and negotiation of complex software licenses, SaaS agreements, and partner contracts for government clients.
Shape internal policies, develop contract templates, and deliver training to streamline the sales process.
Interpret and ensure compliance with federal and state government regulations and data protection standards.
Manage external legal advisors to ensure quality and cost-effectiveness of legal services.
Identify and propose mitigation strategies for legal, financial, and regulatory risks.
Stay current on public sector law and advise the organization on navigating regulatory changes.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required.
Native or bilingual fluency in English.
10 years of progressively responsible legal experience in government contracting, ideally with a mix of law firm training and in-house experience at a high-growth SaaS or cloud provider.
Deep understanding of the public cloud space, including practical experience with FedRAMP authorizations and SaaS-specific licensing models.
Demonstrated expertise in compliance with key regulatory requirements in the SaaS and public cloud space, including procurement, privacy, data protection, export, and technology issues.
Experience supporting quota-carrying, enterprise-level sales personnel.
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to clearly explain complex legal issues to non-legal audiences.
Ability to serve as the principal Legal business partner to GTM, Information Security, Engineering, Product, and Compliance teams to drive the expansion of Celonis U.S. Public Sector business.
Experience leading the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex software licenses, SaaS agreements, teaming arrangements, and partner reseller contracts for federal and SLED State, Local, and Education customers.
Experience shaping internal policies and processes, developing contract templates, and delivering training programs to reduce friction in the sales cycle.
Ability to interpret and ensure compliance with FAR, DFARS, agency-specific supplements, and evolving data protection privacy regulations such as FedRAMP and NIST SP 800-171.
Experience collaborating with and managing external legal advisors to ensure cost-effective and high-quality legal services aligned with company objectives and standards.
Proactive in identifying and proposing mitigation strategies for legal, financial, and regulatory risks with a solution-oriented, business-first mindset.
Stay current on developments in public sector law and policy, and proactively advise the organization on navigating the shifting regulatory landscape.
Ability to maintain strong relationships with demanding internal clients and provide creative solutions to complex challenges.
High emotional intelligence and business acumen to enable effective collaboration and negotiation across diverse teams and external partners.
Visa sponsorship is not offered for this role.
The role is based in Washington, D.C., with a full-time schedule, and the salary range is $194,000 to $230,000 USD, with total compensation including bonus, commission, equity, and benefits.