About this role.
DuckDuckGo is seeking a US-based, remote VP of Legal to serve as the senior legal leader and strategic advisor to the CEO, executive team, and board. The role leads the legal function while remaining hands-on with high-stakes regulatory, competition, privacy, commercial, governance, and transaction matters. The successful candidate will guide global privacy compliance, advise on US and EU policy, and partner with Product, Engineering, and Security on AI, advertising, and data-practice issues. Candidates need 15+ years of legal experience, substantial in-house consumer technology experience, US bar membership, and demonstrated executive legal leadership. This is a full-time role with a stated annual compensation of $320,000 USD plus stock options.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I start by defining the legal exposure, business objective, and realistic options in plain language. I then present a recommendation that explains the trade-offs, ownership, timeline, and residual risk, allowing executives to make a timely and well-informed decision.
I establish a cross-functional response team, preserve relevant information, engage the right outside counsel, and create a disciplined decision-making and communications structure. Throughout the matter, I provide leadership with concise updates that connect legal developments to operational, reputational, and strategic implications.
I would embed legal early in product planning through clear intake channels, reusable playbooks, and risk-tiering principles. This allows routine issues to move quickly while ensuring that higher-risk matters, especially involving data, AI, advertising, and platform regulation, receive focused senior review.
My approach is to ensure decision-makers receive clear analysis of fiduciary duties, transaction risks, process requirements, and key negotiation points. I coordinate internal stakeholders and external advisors while maintaining strong documentation, appropriate confidentiality, and a practical focus on the company’s strategic goals.
I set clear priorities and decision rights, define measurable operating goals, and create regular mechanisms for coaching and knowledge sharing. I also match work to team members' strengths and development goals, use outside counsel strategically, and promote concise, commercially oriented communication across the function.
Who We Are
Hi, we’re DuckDuckGo, the online protection company and remote-first team of 300+ on a mission to raise the standard of trust online. Founded in 2008 and profitable since 2014, annual revenue now exceeds $100m USD and millions use our browser on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android, our search engine, and the DuckDuckGo subscription. Our culture of trust, inclusivity, and empowered project management underpins everything we do, where each team member takes full ownership of their projects, from scoping and execution to postmortem. If you’re seeking end-to-end ownership of your work — you’ve come to the right place!
Your Team and Role
As VP, Legal, you’ll serve as DuckDuckGo’s senior legal leader and strategic advisor to the executive team, overseeing all legal matters across our growing product portfolio, complex regulatory environment, and key commercial relationships.
This role combines executive legal leadership with hands-on individual contribution. You’ll manage and develop our legal team while personally owning DuckDuckGo’s most significant legal matters including high-stakes regulatory and competition proceedings and complex commercial agreements. You’ll also work closely with our policy team, providing legal counsel on regulatory and legislative strategy.
You’re an attorney who thinks like a business partner: someone who translates legal complexity into clear strategic guidance, enables fast product development without compromising trust, and builds a legal function that scales. This role is designed to grow as the company scales.
What You’ll Do
Serve as the primary legal advisor to the CEO, executive team, and board on strategy, risk, regulatory developments, and sensitive legal matters.
Direct global privacy compliance, ensuring DuckDuckGo products and practices stay ahead of GDPR, US state privacy laws, and emerging data protection requirements.
Direct company legal strategy and outside counsel in complex regulatory and competition proceedings that directly shape DuckDuckGo’s business.
Manage and develop the legal team, set priorities, build the legal operating model, and develop team members.
Work closely with the policy team, acting as a key stakeholder and providing legal counsel as necessary on highest priority US and EU policy matters.
Partner with Product, Engineering, and Security on legal implications of AI features, new product launches, advertising formats, and data practices.
Evolve legal operations infrastructure: intake workflows, outside counsel management, budget ownership, and playbooks across key practice areas.
Advise on employment matters, IP strategy, and corporate transactions as DuckDuckGo grows.
Own corporate governance and support strategic transactions, including M&A and financing rounds.
And work on related projects.
About You
15+ years of legal experience, including 10+ years in-house at a consumer-facing technology company.
7+ years of progressive experience in legal leadership roles, including 2+ years in positions of comparable seniority (VP, Deputy General Counsel, etc.).
JD and active bar membership in at least one US jurisdiction.
Familiarity with corporate governance and strategic transactions, including M&A, financing rounds, or board advisory work, sufficient to own these matters as the company grows.
Deep expertise in at least two of DuckDuckGo’s highest-stakes legal domains: privacy/data protection, technology platform regulation, or antitrust/competition law.
Demonstrated ability to advise executives on complex legal risk and manage significant litigation and regulatory proceedings.
Track record managing legal teams and outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions.
Strong commercial instincts and a business enabler known for sound judgment, not reflexive caution.
Located in the US.
Compensation
$320,000 USD annually and stock options. Compensation is transparent across the organization, and all team members within the same professional level and global region receive the same compensation.
Eligibility for company-sponsored health benefits is limited to team members based in the United States. This program does not extend to team members located in other countries, such as Canada or the UK.
Our Team Member Support Guide explains how we prioritize your wellbeing including paid parental leave, office setup, and co-working allowances.
Hiring Process
Hiring works best when it’s a two-way street. Learn how we help you get to know DuckDuckGo, envision your future role here, and find out more about how we hire.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
DuckDuckGo provides equal work opportunities to all team members and applicants, and it prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, caste, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by our policies or federal, state, or local laws.
We want to ensure that our hiring process is accessible. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process because of a medical condition or disability, please send an email to careers@duckduckgo.com to let us know the nature of your request.
Please note that:
You’ll be required to attend meetings on camera via video conferencing
Expect to travel at least two times a year: once for our all-hands meetup and again for a team retreat (each around 4-5 days). While extenuating circumstances may impact attendance, everyone is strongly encouraged to attend.
While we offer a flexible work arrangement with no core hours, expect an average full-time commitment of 40 hours per week.
A successful candidate must pass a background check as a condition of joining the team.
By applying for this role, you confirm that all information submitted is accurate and complete. You further acknowledge that providing false or fraudulent information during the application process is cause for denial of an offer, revocation of any existing offer, or other adverse action, up to and including termination after the start of your commencement of work.
Disclosure Statement: Use of AI in Hiring Process
As part of our commitment to enhancing our recruitment process, we utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technology to assist in reviewing and summarizing job applications and test projects, including those tools integrated into our recruitment vendor platforms. We use AI to flag potentially fraudulent applications, analyze and summarize applicants’ experience, interviews, and project performance, and help streamline our selection process.
Key Principles:
Data Privacy: All information provided in your application will be handled in accordance with our Recruiting Privacy Policy. We ensure that your personal information is protected and used solely for recruitment purposes.
Human Oversight and Accountability: The AI technology is designed to support our hiring team by providing insights and summaries of applications and evaluations of test projects against scoring rubrics. All final evaluations and hiring decisions, however, will be made by our hiring team, who will consider the AI’s input alongside other factors.
Transparency: We believe in transparency regarding our hiring practices. If you have any questions about how AI is used in our recruitment process, please feel free to reach out to us.
By submitting your application, you acknowledge and consent to the use of AI technology in our review process. If you would like to request an alternative selection process, please contact us as at careers@duckduckgo.com. Thank you for your interest in joining DuckDuckGo!
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