AGC, Commercial Counsel
ZūmZūm is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas.
\nWe are seeking an experienced commercial attorney to serve as a key member of the legal team. Reporting to our General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, JoAnn Covington, this role will lead the company’s commercial contracting function, managing the full lifecycle of customer and vendor agreements across all service lines. The successful candidate will also play a central role in optimizing the company’s contract management system and processes as the company continues to scale.
This position is ideal for a pragmatic, business-oriented attorney who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can balance legal rigor with operational agility.
This is a hybrid position based out of our headquarters in Redwood City, CA. You will be required to be onsite 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday). We will only consider candidates already located in the Bay Area.Customer RFPs & Contracts
- Review customer RFPs and advise internal stakeholders on key legal and business risks, including identification of areas requiring exceptions to mitigate exposure.
- Draft, review, and negotiate customer agreements across all service lines, including home-to-school, charter, and technology-only engagements.
- Provide strategic guidance on proposal submissions, partnering with the business development and operations teams to align legal positions with commercial objectives.
- Respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, ensuring protection of confidential and proprietary information from public disclosure.
Commercial and Government Contracts
- Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of vendor and commercial agreements, including service agreements, technology and software licenses, and NDAs
- Assist with a variety of a financing transactions and related compliance, including vehicle leases and purchases, and corporate banking transactions.
- Maintain and periodically update the company’s standard contract templates to reflect current best practices, regulatory changes, and evolving business needs.
- Review and advise on grant award contracts, confirming the company’s ability to comply with funding conditions, reporting obligations, and related requirements.
- Advise internal teams on dispute resolution strategies for customer and vendor matters, balancing legal risk with operational priorities and relationship considerations.
Intellectual Property Oversight
- Partner with the technology organization to develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive intellectual property strategy, including oversight of the company's patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright portfolio to protect proprietary technology, software, and brand assets.
- Work with outside counsel to oversee the filing, prosecution, and maintenance of patent and trademark applications domestically and internationally, ensuring timely renewals and cost-effective portfolio management.
- Draft, review, and negotiate IP-related provisions in commercial agreements, including technology licensing agreements, vendor contracts, data sharing arrangements, and partnership agreements to protect the company's intellectual property interests.
- Manage IP due diligence in connection with corporate transactions, advise on IP ownership and invention assignment matters
- Work with the technology team on open-source license review and guidelines for open source software use.
- Employee & Contractor IP Training — establishing policies around invention assignment and confidentiality, particularly important as you scale engineering teams
- Partner with the Head of Legal Operations to refine and optimize the company’s contract lifecycle management (CLM) system, troubleshooting issues and improving workflows for drafting, review, approval, and tracking.
- Identify and resolve process gaps within the CLM system to improve efficiency across customer, vendor, and grant contract management.
- Train internal stakeholders on CLM system usage and best practices to enhance cross-departmental collaboration and reduce legal bottlenecks.
- Develop and implement workflows, including AI-based tools, to improve consistency and efficiency in service delivery, and compliance with contractual and regulatory obligations.
- Develop (and collaborate with other legal and cross functional team members on the development of) Zum policies and training materials on contract management, regulatory matters, and intellectual property protection.
Required
- Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an accredited law school and active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar. California bar membership a plus.
- 10+ years of relevant legal experience, with a significant focus on commercial contracts, preferably including a mix of law firm and in-house experience.
- Deep expertise in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements (customer, vendor, technology, and real estate).
- Proven ability to manage outside counsel relationships effectively and within budget.
- Excellent judgment and ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey legal concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders.
Preferred
- Experience in the transportation, logistics, edtech, or government contracting sectors.
- Familiarity with FOIA compliance, grant-funded contracts, and public-sector procurement processes.
- Hands-on experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms, including workflow optimization and stakeholder training.
- Background in data privacy compliance, particularly in the education or student data context (e.g., FERPA, COPPA, state student privacy laws).
- Experience creating and managing IP portfolios and related prosecution work.
Zūm Services, Inc. and all its subsidiaries provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.