General Counsel

Vapi

General Counsel overseeing Vapi's legal strategy and compliance in voice AI regulations. Building foundational legal structures and collaborating with leadership in a high-growth technology startup.

Posted 6/9/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorLead💰 $250,000 - $275,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

We are hiring our first General Counsel. This is a foundational hire: you will build Vapi's legal function from scratch and own legal strategy across the company.
You will be a strategic partner to the CEO, the leadership team, and the board, and a hands-on operator who writes contracts, ships policy, and stays close to the product.
Own Vapi's position on the TCPA and the FCC's AI-voice rulings, including consent capture, calling windows, DNC handling, and disclosure obligations for both inbound and outbound use cases.
Track and operationalize state AI laws and AI-voice statutes, including the Colorado AI Act, Texas SB 140, California Civil Code §3344, Illinois BIPA voiceprint provisions, and emerging proposals in NY, GA, PA, and others.
Lead Vapi's response to the EU AI Act, including risk classification of voice agents, transparency obligations, and documentation requirements for high-risk uses.
Own Vapi's global privacy program, including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and emerging state regimes.
Lead HIPAA compliance and BAA negotiation for our healthcare and insurance customers, in close partnership with Security and Engineering.
Partner with Security on SOC 2, ISO 27001, and customer audits, and own the legal aspects of incident response and breach notification.
Build Vapi's IP strategy, including patent program, trademark portfolio, open-source policy, and trade-secret protection across our model orchestration and voice infrastructure stack.
Sit on the leadership team. Help us decide which markets to enter, which customers to take, and which lines we won't cross.

Requirements

What you’ll need

J.D. from a top law school and active bar membership (California preferred)
8+ years of relevant experience, including a strong foundation at a top-tier law firm and meaningful in-house time at a high-growth technology company. Prior experience as a GC, Head of Legal, or senior in-house lead is a strong plus.
Deep commercial contracting chops with enterprise SaaS or infrastructure customers. You have negotiated large MSAs, DPAs, and BAAs across regulated industries.
Working fluency in one or more of: TCPA / telecom regulation, AI regulation (Colorado AI Act, EU AI Act), biometric privacy (BIPA), HIPAA, or content/IP issues specific to generative AI.
Comfort sitting next to engineers and PMs and reasoning about product behavior, not just paper. You can read an API spec, a system diagram, or a security architecture without flinching.
A bias to action. You write the first draft, ship the policy, and iterate. You do not gatekeep through the process.
Excellent judgment under uncertainty. Voice AI law is genuinely unsettled in places, and you are comfortable making calls and owning them.
Clear, plainspoken communication with executives, customers, and regulators alike.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive compensation: includes a strong base salary and meaningful equity ownership
Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision plans
Flexible time off: take-what-you-need vacation policy with an emphasis on rest and balance
Daily meals: catered lunches and dinners provided for in-office days
Lifestyle & wellness stipends: monthly allowances to support rent, transportation, food, fitness, and mental well-being
Professional development: annual learning stipends for courses, conferences, and upskilling
Team connection: regular offsites, team events, and opportunities to build in-person relationships

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

J.D.contract negotiationenterprise SaaSMSADPABAATCPAAI regulationbiometric privacyHIPAA

Soft Skills

strategic partnershipjudgment under uncertaintyclear communicationbias to actioncollaboration with engineershands-on operationpolicy writingiterative processleadershipdecision making

Certifications

active bar membership