Head of Legal

Job Description

Position: Head of Legal Location: Nashik Education: LLB/LLM from a reputed law school. Experience: 15+ years of experience handling IT contracts, SaaS/cloud service agreements, and dispute resolution. Role Overview: We are seeking a technically sound, action-oriented Legal Head to lead the legal and compliance function at ESDS. This role is focused on customer and vendor contracts, proactive legal risk mitigation, and initiating timely legal action when required. The candidate will not be expected to manage stock market or SEBI-related matters directly but should have a sound understanding of these aspects to coordinate with external advisors. Key Responsibilities: A. Contract Management Draft, review, and negotiate customer agreements, SLAs, MSAs, and data protection agreements (DPAs). Draft and vet vendor contracts, ensuring favorable terms and risk protection for ESDS. Prepare and review NDAs, MoUs, joint venture agreements, and strategic alliance contracts. Ensure all contracts adhere to applicable IT laws, GDPR, DPDP Act, and other regulatory norms. B. Risk Mitigation & Legal Strategy Proactively identify legal risks in ongoing operations and provide actionable solutions. Drive contractual safeguards for liabilities, indemnities, warranties, service credits, and termination clauses. Lead legal due diligence and compliance checks for new partnerships and mergers. Establish contract templates and playbooks for scalable legal operations. C. Litigation & Dispute Resolution Coordinate with external counsel for litigation management, arbitration, and pre-litigation disputes. Draft legal notices, respond to show-cause notices, and initiate legal action where appropriate. Maintain strong documentation to defend ESDS in customer or vendor disputes. D. Compliance & Governance Ensure compliance with Information Technology Act, contract law, labour laws, privacy, and cybersecurity regulations. Work closely with internal teams to align operations with legal requirements (IT, HR, finance, sales). Periodically train internal stakeholders on legal risks, IP protection, and regulatory obligations. Preferred Profile: Excellent drafting, negotiation, and interpersonal skills. Hands-on, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in a fast-paced tech environment. Exposure to government contracts, tender documentation, or public procurement frameworks is an added advantage. Should be ready to initiate legal action and not just be advisory. Nice to Have: Experience handling contracts involving international clients, data centers, or cross-border cloud hosting. Understanding of IPR, open-source licensing, and software licensing models. Experience coordinating with external law firms and legal consultants. Show more Show less