Director of Real Estate & Legal Affairs

This is a Full Time Job

About the Corporate Legal Team

The Netflix Corporate Legal team serves as the nucleus for the entire legal organization, focusing on collaboration across global teams and partnering with all aspects of the business. The team manages complex arrangements with external stakeholders and oversees areas such as corporate governance & compliance, corporate entertainment & finance, litigation, employment, real estate and legal operations.

The Real Estate & Legal Affairs (RELA) legal team, a subgroup of the Corporate Legal team with a global and enterprise-wide remit, focuses on the negotiation, drafting, and review of real estate development deals and agreements for the full cycle of lease acquisition and disposition transactions, including design and construction agreements, facilities agreements, and assisting with lease administration functions. RELA also includes Netflix's enterprise Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) function, which sets global EHS governance and standards, runs independent risk-based reviews, and supports environmental due diligence and design & construction oversight for real estate.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Real Estate & Legal Affairs attorney to join our internal Corporate Legal Team. This is an exciting and challenging role in a fast-paced environment with primary responsibility for handling real estate legal matters and providing counseling on a wide variety of property-related topics.

You will provide strategic advice, risk assessment, and legal oversight regarding global real estate acquisitions, development, leasing, construction, and facilities management across our business. This role requires a strong understanding of commercial real estate law within the U.S. and a familiarity with real estate regimes in key international regions (e.g., EMEA, APAC, LATAM). The Director will be a strategic partner to the business able to operate in a fast-moving technology/entertainment environment and will have deep subject-matter expertise and strong negotiation skills, complemented by business pragmatism and strong cross-functional partnership.

Location: This position will ideally be based in Los Angeles or New York and will report to the VP, Real Estate & Legal Affairs.

Key Responsibilities

Specifically, the Director will:
• Lead on providing real estate legal counseling to business units and legal teams across the company.
• Negotiate and draft complex commercial real estate agreements, including corporate office and studio leases, property acquisitions, and construction contracts.
• Advise on site development and land use matters, including zoning, entitlements, and environmental compliance for new and existing facilities.
• In collaboration with other teams, assess the legal and operational risks of global expansion, site selections, and new studio developments.
• Lead for real estate due diligence in the context of Corporate Development strategy, M&A, and board-level projects.
• Partner with the Portfolio Management, Real Estate, and other key stakeholder teams to manage the existing global portfolio, addressing landlord-tenant disputes, renewals, and compliance requirements.
• Manage external real estate counsel globally, ensuring high-quality work product and cost-effective representation.
• In partnership with Global Affairs, monitor global land use regulations and emerging real estate trends relevant to our business.

Qualifications
• Juris Doctorate (JD) Degree from an accredited law school.
• Bar Admission: Licensed to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 15+ years of deep experience and exposure to commercial real estate matters, including complex leasing, large-scale acquisitions, and construction law.
• Preferably a combination of top-tier law firm and in-house experience.
• Experience with redevelopment projects and land use (e.g., zoning, permits, and governmental entitlements) is a significant plus.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. real estate laws and exposure to international property regimes and regulatory systems.
• Ability to align legal strategy with the company's broader business objectives.
• Exceptional ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly and concisely to both legal and non-legal audiences.
• Exceptional ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple stakeholders under tight deadlines.
• Exceptional negotiation skills.