Director Legal

About the Company

Founded in 2015, upGrad is Asia's largest integrated Learning, Skilling, Workforce Development, and Placement company. Its offerings include online and hybrid degrees, study abroad programs, certifications, bootcamps, and doctorates for working professionals. Through its B2B arm, upGrad also provides enterprise training, recruitment, and staffing services. With 10M+ learners across 100+ countries, 300+ global university partners, 2,500+ pathway connections, and 20,000+ recruitment partners, upGrad continues to empower careers worldwide. Learn more at www.upgrad.com.

About the Role

We are seeking a senior legal professional to lead our in-house legal function across multiple business verticals. This role will drive commercial contracting, regulatory compliance, intellectual property protection, and dispute management while acting as a strategic advisor to business teams. The ideal candidate combines strong legal expertise with a pragmatic, business-first mindset in a fast-paced, digital-first environment.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Legal Partnering: Act as a trusted advisor to business teams, providing practical legal solutions aligned with commercial objectives.
• Commercial Strategy & Execution: Lead complex contract structuring, negotiations, and closures across B2C, B2B, university partnerships, SaaS, and vendor arrangements.
• Risk & Compliance Leadership: Proactively identify legal and regulatory risks and implement mitigation frameworks across consumer, digital, and education laws.
• IP Strategy Oversight: Guide IP protection, licensing, and risk management for content, platforms, and branding initiatives.
• Real Estate Advisory: Support leasing and property strategy with legally sound structures and compliance guidance.
• Dispute & Pre-Litigation Management: Drive dispute resolution strategy, oversee legal notices, and manage external counsel engagements.
• Team Leadership: Manage and mentor the in-house legal team, setting consistent standards and acting as the escalation point for complex matters.
• Governance & Process Excellence: Strengthen legal policies, contract standards, and governance practices across functions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant legal experience in law firms and/or in-house roles
• Strong expertise in commercial contracts, negotiations, and regulatory compliance
• Sound knowledge of IP, consumer protection, and property laws
• Experience managing disputes and pre-litigation matters
• Background in education, technology, SaaS, or digital businesses preferred
• Strong stakeholder management with a pragmatic business mindset

Equal Opportunity Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.