Product Counsel
Tekion · Foster City
About Tekion:
Positively disrupting an industry that has not seen any innovation in over 50 years, Tekion has challenged the paradigm with the first and fastest cloud-native automotive platform that includes the revolutionary Automotive Retail Cloud (ARC) for retailers, Automotive Enterprise Cloud (AEC) for manufacturers and other large automotive enterprises and Automotive Partner Cloud (APC) for technology and industry partners. Tekion connects the entire spectrum of the automotive retail ecosystem through one seamless platform. The transformative platform uses cutting-edge technology, big data, machine learning, and AI to seamlessly bring together OEMs, retailers/dealers and consumers. With its highly configurable integration and greater customer engagement capabilities, Tekion is enabling the best automotive retail experiences ever. Tekion employs close to 3,000 people across North America, Asia and Europe.
Job Introduction:
Tekion is seeking a Product Counsel to serve as the dedicated legal partner to our Product and Engineering teams. Reporting directly to the Deputy General Counsel, VP Legal, you will advise across the full product development lifecycle — from initial design and feature scoping through launch and ongoing iteration — while helping build and scale Tekion’s product legal function.
This is an individual contributor role for an attorney who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, works seamlessly with cross-border teams across the U.S., India, and other global hubs, and delivers clear, actionable legal advice that enables product teams to ship. We are looking for someone with strong judgment who focuses on material risks and develops scalable, creative solutions rather than exhaustively chasing low-risk issues. You know when to say "yes," "yes, if," or "no," and you have the practical instincts to know when to escalate and dive deeper.
You do not need a narrow subject-matter specialty. We are looking for a reliable, collaborative partner who listens carefully, asks the right follow-up questions, gives sound legal counsel in plain language, and is genuinely interested in understanding how individual features connect to the broader Tekion platform ecosystem.
Key Roles & Responsibilities:
Product Legal Partnership: Embed directly with Product and Engineering from early feature scoping and system design through launch and post-release iteration.
Pragmatic Risk Management: Triage legal issues quickly to prioritize material risks, formulate practical solutions, and exercise sound judgment on when to approve, mitigate, or escalate to legal leadership.
Product-Embedded Solutions: Collaborate with technical teams to architect creative, legally compliant features and workflows that can be built directly into the product.
Platform & Technical Fluency: Develop a deep working knowledge of Tekion’s platform architecture, data flows, and integrations to ensure advice is grounded in how the software actually works.
Function Building & Scale: Create and operationalize the scaffolding for a growing product legal function, including intake channels, review playbooks, checklists, and self-service guidance for product teams.
Cross-Border Execution: Coordinate daily with distributed engineering and product organizations across the U.S., India, and global hubs across multiple time zones.
Regulatory Translation: Monitor and translate evolving global technology regulations into actionable engineering, operational, and product requirements.
Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with colleagues across Commercial Legal, Information Security, and Compliance to maintain consistent legal terms and risk posture across the business.
Basic Qualifications (Required):
Credentials: J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school (or foreign equivalent) and an active bar license in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
Experience: 8–10 years of legal practice, including substantial experience advising technology companies and software/cloud platforms.
Pace & Environment: Demonstrated success operating effectively in high-growth, fast-paced, cross-border technology environments.
Risk Calibration: Exceptional legal and business judgment with a high tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to focus on high-impact risks rather than edge cases, and sharp escalation instincts.
Consultative Communication: Strong active-listening and inquiry skills, with the ability to explain complex legal issues in plain language and earn trust with engineers, product managers, and executives.
Systems Thinking: Genuine intellectual curiosity and appetite to understand complex software ecosystems, system architectures, and interdependent platform features.
Builder Mindset: Proactive drive to create scalable legal infrastructure, processes, and playbooks from scratch.
Nice-to-have:
Prior in-house product counseling experience (strongly preferred).
Experience advising on privacy and data protection frameworks.
Experience with AI/ML technologies, model deployment, or data governance.
Familiarity with intellectual property strategy, software licensing, or open-source compliance.
Experience advising on digital advertising, marketing technology, or adtech workflows.
In-house legal experience at an enterprise B2B SaaS or cloud platform company.
Perks & Benefits
Competitive compensation and generous stock options
100% employer-paid top-of-the-line medical, dental and vision coverage
Great benefits including unlimited PTO, parental leave and free snacks and beverages
The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds from Silicon Valley’s most dominant and successful companies
Be part of an early stage, hyper-growth start-up with the opportunity to grow and prosper
Work on the latest and coolest technologies – everything is home-grown and built ground-up
A dynamic work environment with a strong sense of community and collaboration
The open and transparent culture that encourages innovation, rewards performance and discourages hierarchy
Exciting opportunities for career growth and development
Current Tekion Employees: Please apply via the Internal Job Board in Ashby.
Note: Tekion recently transitioned to a new recruiting tool and we appreciate your patience and feedback as we adjust to our new system!
Tekion is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, victim of violence or having a family member who is a victim of violence, the intersectionality of two or more protected categories, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
Important: Tekion will only contact candidates from an @tekion.com email address or through our applicant tracking system (no-reply@ashbyhq.com). We may also work with authorized recruiting partners from time to time. Tekion and its recruiting partners will never ask you to pay fees or send money for applications, interviews, training, or onboarding. If you receive a message that seems suspicious, please do not respond or share personal or financial information.