Product and Commercial Counsel

About Us:

Forage is building the modern payments stack that powers inclusive commerce. Our technology enables grocers delivery platforms and point-of-sale systems to seamlessly accept EBT payments both online and in-store. Beyond infrastructure were helping SNAP EBT shoppers stretch their grocery budgets every week making healthy food more affordable and accessible to the 42 million Americans on food assistance.

Backed by leading fintech investors Forage is a fast-growing startup with a clear vision and real-world impact feeding tens of thousands of families daily. Our team is made up of kind driven individuals who take ownership move quickly and collaborate closely. We value humility curiosity and a shared commitment to making a difference.

Were not just building payments infrastructure were helping feed tens of thousands of families each day and transforming grocery access for millions more.Watch our story and see why we do what we do.

You could work anywhere so why Forage

• Build tech that matters.Play a direct role in putting food on the tables of millions of families and help make grocery access more equitable through better payments infrastructure.
• Join a rocket ship with purpose.Weve grown revenue 100x in two years with the capital traction and runway to keep going all while staying mission-first.
• Work with exceptional people.Collaborate daily with Foragers from companies like Stripe Instacart Google Affirm Uber and beyond a tight-knit team with deep experience and low ego.
• Disrupt a massive market.Help modernize a $100B system and shape the future of inclusive commerce as we scale toward a $1B business.
• Accelerate your career.Thrive in a talent-dense environment backed by top investors in fintech (like Nyca PayPal Ventures and more) where ownership and growth are the norm.

Why this role matters:

Every partnership that helps a SNAP family buy groceries every merchant integration vendor contract and product launch begins with a contract includes built in growth opportunity and impact and ends with trust.

At Forage those contracts arent just paperwork. Theyre how we make impact real. When a creative well-structured partnership comes together it expands opportunity for families merchants and entire communities. But should a negotiation drag or a deal be misframed it delays access to food for millions of Americans.

Forage is a mission-driven fintech building the payments infrastructure that powers inclusive commerce. We enable grocers delivery platforms and point-of-sale systems to accept SNAP EBT payments online and in-store and were expanding into new benefit domains such as HSA/FSA and other public-purpose financial rails.

To support this growth were building a lean high-impact Legal Policy & Partnerships (LPP) team currently two people:

• Klay Fennell the Head of Legal Policy & Partnerships whose primary focus is government regulatory and external affairs.
• You the Commercial Counsel who will own Forages commercial contracting and operational legal work ensuring our partnerships move quickly strategically and in alignment with our mission.

This is not an ordinary legal role - you are a driver of growth and impact. Youll have an opportunity to help design and execute the legal and commercial foundation of a company whose work directly affects how America feeds its families.

What youll do:

• Structure draft and negotiate commercial agreements that drive Forages growth merchant and platform partnerships SaaS and licensing deals vendor and technology contracts NDAs and payment-processing arrangements.
• Collaborate across every function Business Development Product Engineering Technical Operations Merchant Operations and Leadership to remove friction accelerate deals and balance opportunity with protection.
• Design scalable lightweight systems templates playbooks and workflows that enable speed and consistency without bureaucracy.
• Exercise judgment over perfection: focus on progress clarity and outcomes that matter most to the business and its mission.
• Support compliance and policy alignment in partnership with the Head of LPP ensuring all contracts anticipate evolving SNAP EBT payments and fintech regulations.
• Represent Forage externally with counterparties outside counsel and industry collaborators reinforcing Forages reputation for professionalism agility and trust.

You will report to the Head of Legal Policy & Partnerships. While that role largely focuses on Forages external and regulatory strategy you will serve as the legal and commercial engine that keeps our operations strong compliant and moving at startup speed.

Who you are:

• J.D. from an accredited U.S. law school; active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (California or New York preferred).
• 610 years of experience in commercial technology or fintech law ideally blending law-firm rigor with startup or in-house agility.
• A dealmaker and builder fluent in both legal and business reasoning able to translate complexity into actionable agreements that accelerate growth.
• Hands-on practical and calm under pressure; you bring solutions not roadblocks.
• Collaborative and low-ego respected for clarity empathy and sound judgment.
• Disciplined about focus you know how to prioritize what matters and avoid scope creep.
• Bonus for experience in payments regulated fintech or public-private partnerships.

Our culture:

• At Forage culture is a muscle built through can-do energy growth mindset and measurable impact every single day.
• We stay laser-focused on what matters most: empowering families enabling merchants and building technology that works.
• We move fast stay humble and protect what drives results clarity respect and shared purpose.
• We are builders not bureaucrats.
• We deliver big outcomes with a small focused team by keeping our eyes on mission and avoiding distractions.

If youre the kind of lawyer who sees contracts as engines of progress and impact not red tape youll feel at home here.

What youll love about Forage:

• Mission & Impact: Your legal work will directly affect how millions of Americans access affordable healthy food.
• Ownership & Visibility: Build and shape a core function from the ground up with company-wide influence.
• Culture: Kind curious and low-ego people who value focus accountability and collaboration.

Our Offer:

Your base salary would fall within the bands below. Please keep in mind that the equity portion of your offer isnotincluded in these numbers and represents a significant part of your total compensation.

• Compensation: $180k-210k USD base equity benefits
• Meaningful work that makes a positive impact on our society.
• 100% of Medical Dental and Vision premium coverage for yourself and dependents.
• Enjoy regular team lunches at ourSan Francisco office fostering collaboration and connection over great food.
• A fun and caring environment that prioritizes transparency growth and ownership.
• A talented diverse high-achieving and humble team with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.

Our salary ranges are determined by role level and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries at our headquarters in San Francisco California. Individual pay is determined by work location job-related skills experience and relevant education or training.

We aim to review every application within 4 business days of submission and provide feedback on each of your interviews within 2 business days of completion. If you dont hear from us please reach out to your recruiter or directly to get an update on your candidacy.

Please note: We are not engaging with third-party recruiters or agencies for this role. We kindly ask that you refrain from contacting us regarding recruitment services. Fees will not be paid for unsolicited resumes sent to Forage.

Please note: Forage is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have work authorization that does not require visa sponsorship now or in the future.