Vendor Risk Manager Jobs in Austin, TX (NOW HIRING)

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EPE is seeking a solutions–oriented, strategic legal executive to serve as Vice President of Legal. This is a senior leadership role with broad corporate scope, responsible for building and leading EPE’s legal function as the company scales — spanning commercial contracting, intellectual property protection, software and product counseling, corporate governance, employment law, regulatory compliance, M&A, data privacy, cybersecurity, ethics and investigations, and enterprise risk management. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, the VP of Legal will serve as a trusted business partner and primary legal advisor across all lines of business, driving a culture of compliance, sound judgment, operational rigor, and proactive risk mitigation while enabling growth.

This position is based at EPE’s corporate headquarters in Austin, Texas, with a hybrid in‑office expectation.

Commercial & Transactional Legal

• Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of key commercial agreements, including client, partner, subcontractor, software, and vendor contracts.
• Build and improve practical contract templates, clause libraries, playbooks, and approval workflows that support speed, consistency, and sound risk management.
• Work closely with Sales, Business Development, Proposals, Delivery, and Finance to support deals from pursuit through execution.
• Create clear contracting guardrails and escalation paths that protect the business while enabling efficient decision‑making and growth.

Intellectual Property & Software

• Lead EPE’s intellectual property strategy, including protecting and managing proprietary tools, software, data, methodologies, and brand assets.
• Draft and negotiate agreements related to software, licensing, data rights, and intellectual property ownership across commercial and workforce arrangements.
• Partner with engineering and technology teams to support the development, protection, and commercialization of software, platforms, analytics, and other innovations.
• Establish practical governance for software, product, and data commercialization, including customer use rights, licensing models, and third‑party technology considerations.
• Oversee IP‑related contract protections and coordinate trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters with outside counsel as needed.

Corporate Governance & Compliance

• Develop, implement, and maintain legal policies, procedures, risk assessments, code of conduct standards, and compliance frameworks across the organization.
• Advise executive leadership and the Board on corporate governance matters, entity structure, delegated authorities, and fiduciary obligations; support board and committee materials, resolutions, and corporate records as needed.
• Oversee domestic and international entity management, including formation, maintenance, registrations, and coordination of annual filings and other corporate formalities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations, including those governing the energy, software, and engineering consulting sectors.
• Oversee and advise on compliance programs in areas such as anti‑corruption, conflicts of interest, gifts and entertainment, trade controls, sanctions, and records management.

Data Privacy & Cybersecurity

• Review, draft, and negotiate Data Protection Agreements, cybersecurity provisions, AI and data‑use terms, and privacy‑related contract language.
• Advise on compliance with applicable data privacy frameworks (e.g., CCPA, GDPR, HIPAA where applicable) and evolving cybersecurity standards, including cross‑border data transfer considerations.
• Partner with IT, Security, and Operations to assess and mitigate data‑related legal risk, including vendor risk, security questionnaires, and customer audit requests.
• Support incident response, breach assessment, notification decision‑making, and related remediation in coordination with internal stakeholders and outside experts as needed.

Employment & People Matters

• Advise HR and People leaders on key employment matters, including hiring, executive agreements, employee relations, investigations, disciplinary actions, and terminations.
• Support workforce‑related legal issues, including incentive plans, worker classification, and confidentiality or restrictive covenant matters.
• Guide global workforce expansion efforts, including international contractor arrangements, mobility matters, and cross‑border employment compliance.
• Partner on employee policies, handbooks, training, and workplace conduct initiatives to help build a compliant and scalable people infrastructure.

Mergers, Acquisitions & Corporate Development

• Serve as a key legal resource in M&A transactions, including diligence, deal structuring, negotiation, closing, and post‑close integration planning.
• Build repeatable diligence, risk issue‑spotting, and integration playbooks to support a disciplined, scalable corporate development engine.

Disputes & Outside Counsel Management

• Manage disputes, claims, and pre‑litigation matters with a practical, business‑focused approach that prioritizes early risk assessment and efficient resolution.
• Partner with Finance and Operations on insurance, claims, certificates, and other risk‑transfer matters tied to client, vendor, and project obligations.
• Engage and oversee outside counsel and specialized advisors to deliver cost‑effective support aligned with company priorities.

Leadership & Internal Training

• Build and lead a high‑performing legal function, using the right mix of internal talent, outside counsel, and legal technology as the team grows.
• Establish scalable legal operations, including matter intake, prioritization, knowledge management, budgeting, KPIs, and service.
• Partner with Learning and Development to create practical training and guidance that equips business teams to navigate contracting, compliance, ethics, and data‑related matters with clarity and confidence.

Bring your passion, here's what’s needed:

• J.D. from an accredited law school; active admission to at least one state bar (Texas preferred or willingness to obtain).
• Minimum of 10–15 years of legal practice, with significant in‑house experience or a combination of law firm and in‑house roles, including substantial responsibility for leading complex commercial and corporate matters.
• Experience advising and supporting a global company, including cross‑border regulatory requirements, international entity structuring, multi‑jurisdictional employment and labor law compliance, and country‑specific contracting obligations.
• Demonstrated breadth across commercial contracting, corporate law, employment, compliance, data privacy, and dispute management.
• Strong experience in professional services, consulting, software, SaaS, technology‑enabled services, or engineering industry contracting.
• Experience with intellectual property strategy, software licensing, data rights, and open‑source or product counseling issues.
• Working knowledge of data privacy and cybersecurity legal frameworks and experience negotiating related contract provisions and supporting incident response.
• Proven experience supporting or leading M&A diligence, transaction execution, and post‑close integration legal workstreams.
• Experience building scalable legal processes, template systems, approval workflows, and legal operations capabilities, including CLM or similar tools.
• Strong judgment in balancing legal risk with commercial objectives in a fast‑paced, high‑growth environment.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and advise at the C‑suite and Board level.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is a collaborative, commercially minded legal leader who thrives at the intersection of law, technology, and business. You are as comfortable advising on a complex acquisition, software commercialization issue, or sensitive employment matter as you are rolling up your sleeves to redline a client agreement or build a scalable contracting workflow. You build trust quickly, communicate with clarity, and bring a practical, solutions‑oriented mindset to every challenge. You understand that the legal function exists to enable the business while protecting its long‑term enterprise value — and you lead accordingly.

Critical Success Indicators

• Build a trusted, business‑embedded legal function that improves speed, consistency, and decision quality across EPE.
• Reduce contracting friction through stronger templates, playbooks, workflows, and CLM‑enabled visibility.
• Protect and strengthen EPE’s intellectual property, software, data rights, and commercialization model as the company expands.
• Implement scalable compliance, governance, privacy, and risk management practices suitable for a high‑growth global business.
• Support disciplined M&A execution and integration while serving as a practical advisor to executive leadership and the Board.

How we support you:

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits including medical, dental, and vision with 100% premium coverage for you.
• Generous PTO and paid holidays.
• MyShare Employee Ownership Program.
• Work with industry leaders.
• 401K, up to a 4% match (100% vested from day 1).

Location: This position will be located on site in our corporate offices in Austin, Texas.

Travel: Occasional travel may be needed (10% or less).

EPE is an equal opportunity/AA/Disability/Veteran employer. The EEO is the Law poster, and its supplement are available using the following links: EEOC is the Law Poster.

Third‑Party Recruiting Notification: EPE does not accept unsolicited resumes from third‑party recruiters. Any unsolicited third‑party resumes forwarded by recruiters to EPE via our career page or to any of our managers or employees will be considered public information, may be treated as a direct application from the person identified in the resume, and will not be eligible for placement fee payment to the agency. EPE will not pay a fee to a third‑party recruiter or agency without a previously signed third‑party agreement and has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of the Talent Acquisition team.