Licensing Executive

About Mistral At Mistral AI, we believe in the power of AI to simplify tasks, save time, and enhance learning and creativity. Our technology is designed to integrate seamlessly into daily working life. We democratize AI through high-performance, optimized, open-source and cutting-edge models, products and solutions. Our comprehensive AI platform is designed to meet enterprise as well as personal needs. Our offerings include Le Chat, AI Studio, Mistral Code and Mistral Compute — a suite that brings frontier intelligence to end-users. We are a dynamic, collaborative team passionate about AI and its potential to transform society. Our diverse workforce thrives in competitive environments and is committed to driving innovation. Our teams are distributed between France, USA, UK, Germany and Singapore. We are creative, low-ego and team-spirited. Join us to be part of a pioneering company shaping the future of AI. Together, we can make a meaningful impact. See more about our culture on https://mistral.ai/careers.  About the Role We are seeking an experienced Licensing Executive to join our legal team to lead the sourcing, licensing, and partnership for high-value content (e.g., books, journals, research papers, academic datasets, and multimedia) for AI training, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and distribution partnerships. In this role, you will drive the acquisition of premium content, negotiate complex multi-pronged agreements, and build long-term relationships with publishers, universities, research institutions, and data providers. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure access to quality and relevant data and content sources that are aligned with Mistral AI’s interests, and enable innovative use of data and content. This role is ideal for a results-driven negotiator and strategic thinker with a passion for AI, academic content, and ethical data practices, and a proven track record of closing high-stakes deals in the publishing, technology, or research sectors.  Key Responsibilities Strategic Sourcing & Pipeline Development • Build and manage a robust pipeline of high-quality content (e.g., STEM, academic, robotics, multimedia). • Qualify and vet data & content providers to ensure compliance with legal (copyright, data provenance) and business (relevance, cost, scalability) requirements. • Provide regular reports and analytics on procurement activities, investments, and performance to support data-driven decision-making. Licensing & Partnership Management • Serve as a key point of contact for external partners (e.g., publishers, universities, and research institutions) to understand their goals and interests, addressing their needs and priorities. • Develop multi-pronged relationships (e.g., revenue-sharing, co-development) to create long-term collaboration. • Develop new programs that promote fair compensation and sustainability for content creators, owners and curators. Cross-Functional Collaboration • Collaborate with internal stakeholders (e.g., Science, Product, and Go To Market teams) to understand their needs and ensure procurement activities support their objectives.  • Evaluate "make vs. buy" options for content sourcing in collaboration with the Human Data team, balancing data development with external access/licensing opportunities   Required Qualifications and Skills  • Proven track record of negotiating and closing complex deals ($10M+), including revenue-sharing, licensing, or co-development agreements. • Deep understanding of AI training data ecosystems and ability to translate this into business terms. • Legal acumen: Understanding of legal concepts involved in data acquisition and content licensing.  • Strong STEM background (e.g., degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field) and a passion for academic content and research. • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills (experience negotiating with C-level stakeholders), with the ability to build trust and influence partners at all levels. • Business acumen with experience in market analysis and financial modeling (e.g., DCF analysis) • Fluency in English and French; additional languages (e.g., German) are a plus. • Knowledge of global copyright laws. • Experience working in a fast-paced, global environment, with distributed teams.  Nice-to-Have Skills  • Existing network in the publishing, academic, or research communities (e.g., relationships with major publishers, universities, or data providers). • Experience with AI training data, including familiarity with pretraining, RAG, or synthetic data generation. • Direct experience working for a tech company sourcing data/content for LLMs • Technical literacy in data formats (e.g., JSON, XML), APIs, or content management systems.  Benefits 💰 Competitive cash salary and equity 🥕 Daily lunch vouchers 🥎 Monthly contribution to a Gympass subscription 🚴 Monthly contribution to a mobility pass 🧑‍⚕️ Full health insurance for you and your family 🍼 Generous parental leave policy 🌎 Visa sponsorship