Legal Director

OverviewWe are seeking an exceptional Legal Director to lead TiDB’s legal function worldwide. You will oversee commercial, compliance, and product-embedded legal strategies that enable TiDB to scale across North America, EMEA, and APAC. This role requires hands-on leadership, deep SaaS/infra experience, and operational agility to support a fast-growing global company.Role is located in the West Coast time zone.ResponsibilitiesLead negotiations for complex global SaaS and infrastructure deals (> $1M).Manage simultaneous compliance requirements across U.S., EU, and APAC (GDPR, CCPA, China DSL, PIPL, etc.).Negotiate cloud hyperscaler agreements (AWS, Azure, GCP).Structure open-core monetization models across Cloud and On-Premise offerings.Apply hands-on commercial expertise across at least two of three regions: U.S., EMEA, and APAC.Accelerate GTM execution by enhancing customer trust, reducing sales contract cycles, and structuring scalable partner ecosystem contracts.Provide legal insights on competitive landscapes that influence business strategy.Partner with Product to co-design data product terms and conditions, and develop scalable open-source compliance engines.Lead distributed legal teams across multiple time zones; implement “follow-the-sun” legal operations.Scale legal output efficiently with limited headcount growth using tools like CLM automation.Resolve complex multi-jurisdictional incidents and risks with speed and precision.Demonstrate a growth mindset by upskilling the legal team on emerging technologies and new business models.Narrate cross-cultural dynamics across the U.S. and Asia; adapt leadership style for Sales, Product, and Engineering teams.Exhibit proactive ownership—crafting and executing a global legal roadmap that aligns with business scaling needs.Maintain strong professional standing with Bar admission and participation in relevant legal associations.Qualifications12+ years of progressive legal experience, with at least 5 years in leadership roles within SaaS, infrastructure, or high-tech companies.Proven track record negotiating high-value SaaS/infra contracts, cloud hyperscaler agreements, and structuring open-core models.Deep knowledge of global compliance frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, China DSL, PIPL) and experience managing cross-border compliance simultaneously.Experience managing distributed global legal teams and implementing operational systems to scale efficiency.Strong commercial acumen with experience embedded in GTM and Product functions.Crisis management expertise, handling multi-jurisdictional risks and incidents.Exceptional communication and cross-cultural collaboration skills.Active Bar pensation and BenefitsThe annual anticipated base salary range for U.S. candidates for this role is USD $195,000 to $275,000. Four zones are applied with different levels of the pay range. More details of the Geo Differential Pay Policy will be discussed during the HR conversation. The actual individual base pay will depend on factors such as role complexity, location, job level, experience and skills. This role is eligible to participate in TiDB/'s Bonus and Equity Plan, as well as our Sales Compensation Plan if it is a sales role. We share base salary ranges on all US job postings for transparency. Other benefits include health insurance, flexible vacation time, paid holidays, and parental leave. Salaries for candidates outside the U.S. will vary based on local compensation structures.Seniority levelDirectorEmployment typeFull-timeJob functionLegalSoftware DevelopmentNote: This description keeps the original job information while removing extraneous boilerplate and irrelevant links. This position requires candidates to be located in the West Coast time zone. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17