Head of Legal Operations

Cricut•South Jordan, UT

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Cricut is a fast-growing technology company, and our Global Legal Operations team plays a critical role in enabling the business to move quickly, thoughtfully, and compliantly. As the company expands into new products, markets, and operational complexity, our teams rely on integrated, practical contract and procurement guidance embedded into everyday decision-making. We are seeking a Head of Legal Operations to serve as the operational leader and connector between Legal and the broader business. This role supports a broad range of responsibilities requiring strong judgment, organization, collaboration, and integrity. You will oversee contract workflows, procurement and vendor processes, legal spend coordination, and legal systems, while leading and developing a high-performing Legal Operations team. This role reports to the VP, Associate General Counsel and manages a team of Legal Ops Specialists, Legal Ops Analysts, and Contract Managers across both in-office and international (remote) locations. The Head of Legal Operations serves as the strategic and operational leader of Cricut’s Legal Operations function, translating legal and business strategy into scalable execution. Reporting to our VP, Legal – Associate General Counsel, this role drives high-level initiative and day-to-day execution with direct accountability for building and developing a global Legal Operations team responsible for contract management, vendor management, procurement operations, and privacy operations across the company. The Legal Operations team is responsible for the day-to-day execution of Cricut’s global contract management, procurement requisition process, privacy operation, and vendor management/due diligence activities. The team provides frontline, company-wide global operational support to ensure vendors, contracts, and risk are managed accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with established processes and systems as well as applicable law. This role requires a leader who excels as both a people manager and a high-output individual contributor. In addition to providing strategic leadership, prioritization, and continuous improvement oversight, the Head of Legal Operations is expected to remain closely connected to day-to-day operations—serving as backup support for Contract Managers and personally handling high-stakes deals that require senior-level attention or complex cross-functional alignment. By maintaining deep, hands-on fluency with contract workflows, redlining, negotiation dynamics, and operational tools, this leader is better positioned to support the team, remove obstacles, design scalable processes, and drive meaningful enhancements—while enabling consistent, high-quality service delivery at scale.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in legal operations, contract management, or procurement in a technology-riven environment, including prior hands-on experience as a Contract Manager or legal paralegal with direct responsibility for redlining, drafting, and negotiating commercial agreements
Bachelor’s degree with a strong academic or professional record
Proven ability to operate as both a people leader managing multiple direct reports and a heavy individual contributor who can step in to execute complex contract work alongside the team
Deep understanding of commercial contracting, including SaaS/customer agreements, vendor agreements, NDAs, DPAs, and more
Demonstrated success designing and implementing workflows, playbooks, and scalable operational improvements
Experience administering CLM platforms and legal workflow tools (e.g., Ironclad, SAP CLM, Apptus/Conga, etc.) and electronic signature tools (e.g., DocuSign, Adobe Sign)
Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize, manage multiple workstreams, and execute in a fast-paced environment
Exceptional attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and superb judgment, with the ability to lead and operate independently
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to partner effectively with non-legal stakeholders
High proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel
Positive, can-do attitude with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
Genuine enthusiasm for problem-solving and enabling team success
Courteous, flexible, organized, reliable, and proactive with sound judgment
Committed to continuous improvement and personal growth; actively seeks and applies feedback
Open, honest, and professional in all communications
Demonstrates discretion and unquestionable integrity with confidential information
Brings a sense of humor and a willingness to pitch in—no task too big or too small

Nice To Haves

Experience in a high-growth or scaling organization
Familiarity with privacy and data protection concepts (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and emerging legal technologies, including AI-enabled and generative AI tools
Experience managing outside counsel spend and legal budgets
Experience partnering closely with Procurement functions

Responsibilities

Organize, maintain, and administer contract records within the company’s document repository and Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system, including accurate metadata application
Coordinate contract execution using the company’s approved electronic signature platform
Generate standard and ad hoc contract reports for contract sponsors, including recurring monthly tracking reports
Monitor contract milestones such as expirations, auto-renewals, and notice periods, and follow up with stakeholders as needed
Draft routine contract amendments using approved company templates and playbooks
Provide frontline CLM support to cross-functional business partners, including intake guidance, status updates, and basic troubleshooting
Initiate, submit, and track Purchase Order (PO) requests within the company’s procurement system
Serve as a primary point of contact for routine PO status, balance, and process inquiries
Support vendor onboarding and due diligence activities in coordination with Legal, Finance, Procurement, Privacy, and Compliance teams
Provide additional procurement and vendor-related operational support aligned with evolving business and team needs
Align people, processes, technology, and legal service delivery models—including contract lifecycle management, project management, and procurement management—with departmental priorities and enterprise goals
Act as the operational leader for Legal Operations initiatives, translating strategy into operating plans, milestones, success metrics, and governance frameworks
Support long-term capacity planning through analysis of workload trends, contract demand, and vendor utilization, adjusting resourcing models as needed
In partnership with the General Counsel, lead the Legal Department’s global budgeting, forecasting, and accrual processes, working closely with FP&A and Accounting
Establish systems, controls, and financial governance to track legal spend, outside counsel costs, accruals, and budget-to-actuals with accuracy and transparency
Identify cost-savings and optimization opportunities through spend analysis, vendor strategy, alternative fee arrangements, and workload planning
Provide regular financial updates and forward-looking insights to Legal leadership to support data-driven decision-making
Lead and maintain a data-driven Legal Operations function, defining KPIs that measure efficiency, effectiveness, risk, value, contract performance, and outcomes
Drive weekly, monthly, and quarterly reporting on key metrics such as contract turnaround times, renewal pipelines, and outside counsel spend
Develop executive-ready dashboards, reports, and presentations
Design and manage a comprehensive outside counsel and vendor program, including benchmarking, fee structures, performance reviews, billing guideline enforcement, and governance
Negotiate and oversee alternative fee arrangements, rate structures, and engagement models aligned with departmental goals, risk tolerance, and financial discipline
Maintain visibility into outside counsel performance and spend trends to inform sourcing decisions and resource allocation
Ensure alignment across Legal, Finance, Procurement, and Compliance on vendor onboarding, engagement, billing, and oversight processes
Develop and own the Legal Department’s technology roadmap aligned with strategic priorities, future-state vision, and contract, matter, and compliance needs
Oversee the evaluation, implementation, integration, and adoption of legal technologies—including CLM, matter management, spend management, and AI-enabled tools
Serve as executive sponsor and operational lead for legal technology initiatives, coordinating with IT, vendors, and internal stakeholders
Establish standards, playbooks, and governance to support scalability, reporting, operational visibility, and consistent contract lifecycle management
Lead change management and training efforts to drive adoption of new technologies and workflows while ensuring compliance and data security
Stay current on legal operations best practices and emerging technologies, proactively recommending innovations that improve efficiency and service delivery
Oversee Legal Operations infrastructure, including project tracking systems, intake workflows, task management, and recurring process calendars
Establish and maintain policies, procedures, SOPs, and training materials related to contracting, procurement workflows, legal operations, and compliance