Role Overview

Join Datadog as Lead Counsel - Public Sector and become the legal architect behind our explosive growth in U.S. government cloud monitoring. This high-impact remote position in California serves as the trusted advisor for complex SaaS negotiations with federal agencies and SLED customers. You'll bridge cutting-edge observability technology with stringent government compliance requirements, shaping Datadog's public sector strategy while gaining exposure to AI/ML, cybersecurity, and cloud-native innovations.

Datadog's unified platform powers digital transformation for enterprises worldwide, providing real-time observability across infrastructure, applications, logs, and security. As Lead Counsel, you'll ensure our SaaS solutions meet FAR/DFARS standards while driving commercial success in the world's largest market.

Key Responsibilities at Datadog

• Lead Complex Negotiations: Independently close high-value SaaS agreements with federal agencies, SLED organizations, and strategic partners, exercising expert judgment on risk tradeoffs.
• Compliance Expertise: Provide strategic counsel on FAR/DFARS, cybersecurity requirements (CMMC, NIST), data sovereignty, and supply chain regulations critical to government procurement.
• Deal Strategy Partner: Collaborate with public sector GTM teams to craft winning negotiation strategies balancing legal compliance, government requirements, and aggressive business objectives.
• Product Legal Collaboration: Work with Security and Product Legal teams to ensure Datadog's observability platform meets FedRAMP, IL4/IL5, and state-specific compliance standards.
• Process Innovation: Build scalable templates, playbooks, and training programs to accelerate public sector sales velocity and contract execution.
• Risk Management: Serve as escalation authority for novel legal issues, maintaining deal momentum while protecting Datadog's interests.
• Thought Leadership: Influence company-wide policies and contribute to industry standards in cloud observability compliance.
• Team Mentorship: Coach junior legal team members on government contracting best practices and negotiation tactics.
• Registration Management: Maintain SAM.gov registrations, CAGE codes, and state-specific vendor qualifications.

Qualifications & Requirements

The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of specialized government contracting experience with a proven track record negotiating SaaS agreements in federal/SLED environments. You understand how to creatively structure cloud contracts while respecting immutable government requirements.

• JD from accredited U.S. law school with active bar admission
• Deep FAR/DFARS expertise and familiarity with cybersecurity compliance frameworks
• Demonstrated success negotiating BAAs, DPAs, and complex SaaS agreements under deadline pressure
• Experience advising on CMMC, NIST 800-53, FedRAMP, and state procurement regulations
• Technical aptitude to collaborate with engineering teams on compliance-by-design
• Executive presence and emotional intelligence for cross-functional stakeholder management
• Active U.S. security clearance preferred (ability to obtain required)

Datadog celebrates diverse backgrounds. If you have passion for technology and government compliance, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every qualification.

Salary & Benefits

Datadog offers competitive total compensation for Lead Counsel - Public Sector roles including base salary, performance bonuses, and significant equity upside. California remote positions include comprehensive benefits tailored for high-performing legal professionals.

• Equity Package: New hire RSUs + ESPP participation
• Health Coverage: Medical, dental, vision for employee + family
• Wellness Benefits: Gym memberships, mental health support, fitness reimbursements
• Professional Growth: Learning stipends, conference attendance, career coaching
• Financial Planning: 401(k) matching, financial wellness programs
• Work/Life Balance: Unlimited PTO, flexible hours, remote work stipend

Why Join Datadog?

Datadog isn't just another monitoring platform—we're redefining cloud observability for the AI era. Our customers include 80% of the Fortune 500, and our public sector practice is experiencing explosive growth. As Lead Counsel, you'll:

• Work on mission-critical government contracts powering national security and digital transformation
• Partner with world-class engineers building AI-powered observability at scale
• Gain exposure to emerging technologies like LLM observability, zero-trust security, and sovereign cloud
• Join a high-trust, low-bureaucracy culture where senior leaders have direct access
• Shape Datadog's 10-year public sector strategy from day one

Our inclusive culture supports professional growth through mentorship programs, internal mobility, and transparent career pathing. Datadog's legal team collaborates as true business partners, not roadblocks.

How to Apply

Ready to bring your government contracting expertise to the world's leading observability platform? Apply now to join Datadog's public sector legal team. Submit your resume and a brief note about your most challenging government SaaS negotiation. We review applications on a rolling basis and respond to qualified candidates within 48 hours.

Datadog is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity. We celebrate unique perspectives and believe diverse teams build better products for complex government environments.