About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You’ll Do

Are you a legal professional who thrives at the intersection of technology, strategy, and complex deal-making?

As a Strategic Procurement Counsel, you’ll play a critical role in shaping high-value, innovation-driven technology transactions. This unique position blends legal expertise with commercial strategy, giving you end-to-end ownership of sourcing, contracting, and execution. You’ll partner closely with cross-functional teams—including Innovation, Finance, Information Technology (IT), Security, and Privacy—to align business goals with risk-managed, high-impact supplier relationships.

This role offers strong visibility, meaningful influence, and clear opportunities for growth within the Procurement function for those eager to expand their impact.

• End-to-End Sourcing: Own the full sourcing lifecycle—from requirements development and vendor selection to negotiation, execution, renewal, and termination.
• Contract Drafting & Negotiation: Draft, review, and negotiate complex technology agreements, including Software as a Service (SaaS), Statements of Work (SOWs), licensing, and professional services contracts.
• Legal Risk Management: Advise on and negotiate key legal provisions such as data usage rights, artificial intelligence (AI) model training terms, limitations of liability, and contract covenants to protect the organization.
• Commercial Strategy Alignment: Structure and negotiate pricing models, payment terms, service levels, implementation plans, renewal frameworks, exit rights, and audit provisions aligned to business objectives and risk tolerance.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with stakeholders across Innovation, Finance, IT, Security, Privacy, and related business teams to ensure contracting strategy supports broader organizational goals.
• Market & Industry Insight: Stay current on legal operations technology trends and emerging AI developments, translating insights into practical guidance for sourcing strategies and contract negotiations.

What You’ll Bring

• Juris Doctor (JD) required, with a strong preference for candidates who have completed formal business coursework as part of their undergraduate or parallel studies; 5+ years of prior commercial contract review experience within a corporate legal or finance department.
• Legal & Commercial Expertise: Strong foundation in technology contracting paired with sound business judgment and the ability to balance risk with opportunity.
• Analytical & Project Skills: Excellent problem-solving, organizational, and project management abilities with high attention to detail.
• Communication & Relationship Building: Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with attorneys, internal stakeholders, and vendors while exercising professionalism and discretion.
• Adaptability & Growth Mindset: Capacity to learn quickly, apply feedback consistently, and succeed in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Technical Proficiency: Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (including advanced Word skills); familiarity with Adobe Acrobat Pro and DocuSign preferred.

If you’re excited to lead complex technology deals, partner with key stakeholders, and drive meaningful business impact as a Strategic Procurement Counsel, we’d love to hear from you!

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

• Chicago: $150,000 - $220,000
• New York: $150,000 - $242,000

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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