Description
VAST Data is the AI data platform company built for the era of deep learning. We are breaking the decades-long tradeoff between storage performance and capacity, providing the world's largest enterprises with a unified data platform that is faster, more scalable, and more affordable than anything that has come before. As we continue to scale globally and prepare for our next chapter, we are looking for a strategic, high-velocity legal leader to build our corporate function from the ground up.
The Role
As the VP Corporate Counsel, you will be the "legal architect" for VAST’s corporate infrastructure. Reporting directly to the CLO, you will own the corporate roadmap— strategic capital transactions, IPO readiness, equity administration and cap table management, international expansion, governance structuring, etc. You are a legal athlete: equally comfortable debating tax nexus with the Finance team, drafting Board resolutions for the CEO, or navigating the complexities of international HR as we enter new markets.
What You’ll Do
1. Build the Corporate Engine & IPO Readiness
- Design and implement a best-in-class corporate governance framework to transition VAST from a late-stage private company to a public-market-ready enterprise.
- Manage legal workstreams that identify and manage risk and prepare us for future diligence events.
- Own the Board of Directors and Committee process: collaborate with the CLO and CEO on agendas, draft minutes, and manage board prep.
2. Strategic Transactions & Capital Markets
- Act as the lead legal counsel for all M&A, joint ventures, and strategic investments.
- Manage the full deal lifecycle: from NDAs and due diligence to definitive agreement negotiation and post-closing.
- Support the CFO/CLO on capital markets activities, including future financing rounds, secondary offerings, and debt facilities.
3. Global Expansion & Subsidiary Governance
- Partner with Finance and Tax to lead VAST’s international expansion, including entity formation, intercompany agreements, and local regulatory compliance across EMEA, APJ, and beyond.
- Manage the corporate governance and annual compliance for all global subsidiaries and affiliates.
4. Generalist Leadership: Tax, HR & Equity
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the People (HR) team on executive compensation, global equity incentive plans (including tax implications), and sensitive employment matters.
- Partner with Finance on tax structuring, insurance programs, and corporate audits.
- Build and scale "Legal Ops" processes, templates, and playbooks to drive efficiency.
Requirements
- Pedigree & Experience: J.D. with 6+ years of combined experience at a Tier 1 law firm (Capital Markets/M&A) and in-house at a high-growth, late-stage technology company.
- The "Scale" Factor: Proven experience navigating the transition from private to public; you have ideally been "at the table" for an IPO or a major multi-billion dollar exit.
- Technical Breadth: Deep expertise in corporate law, SEC reporting, and equity plan management. You understand the nuances of the "disaggregated" software/hardware business model.
- Global Mindset: Experience managing multinational corporate structures and the "Permanent Establishment" risks associated with rapid international scaling.
- Judgment & Velocity: Exceptional ability to provide "business-first" legal advice.
- Ownership: You are a builder. You are excited by the prospect of creating a function from scratch rather than just maintaining a pre-existing one.
Why VAST?
- The opportunity to report directly to a CLO at one of the fastest-growing companies in tech.
- A "seat at the table" for the strategic transactions and governance decisions that will define the company's future.
- A culture of "radical simplicity" and high-intensity innovation.
Originally posted on Himalayas