Overview
This role involves leading the in-house legal function, covering corporate governance, intellectual property, risk management, and employment matters. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you will own legal work that supports the organization’s foundation—how it governs itself, protects what it owns, manages risk, and supports its people.
This is a hands-on role within a payments-enabled fundraising platform operating in a regulated space, with a legal function built internally rather than primarily routed to outside firms. The role includes one direct report (Commercial & Product Counsel) and focuses on building a lean team that enables fast execution while managing risk.
Responsibilities
- Corporate and board governance: Own board governance activities including board minutes and resolutions, entity management, equity matters, annual filings, and regulatory reporting. Serve as the primary legal advisor to executive leadership and the Board on governance best practices and fiduciary obligations.
- Intellectual property: Manage and protect the intellectual property portfolio, including trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Lead IP strategy, advise teams on IP considerations in product development and marketing, and enforce IP rights against infringement.
- Insurance and risk transfer: Own the insurance program, including D&O, cyber liability, E&O, and general liability coverage. Manage annual renewals, conduct coverage adequacy reviews, coordinate claims, and advise leadership on risk-transfer strategy.
- AI governance: Lead the internal AI governance framework in partnership with PDE, People leadership, and the Commercial & Product Counsel. Develop and maintain policies for responsible AI use, monitor regulatory developments in AI law, and ensure adoption of AI tools is legally sound and ethically grounded.
- Employment law advisory: Act as primary legal advisor to the People team on employment law matters including hiring practices, compensation and benefits, employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, separations, and policy development. Draft and review employment agreements, offer letters, separation documentation, and related materials.
- Legislative and regulatory monitoring: Monitor and advise on legislative and regulatory developments affecting the business, including nonprofit law, charitable solicitation regulations, and state-level fundraising platform requirements (e.g., CA AB 488). Partner with the Sr. IT Compliance Manager on regulatory filings, licensing, and compliance matters.
- Enterprise legal risk: Assess and mitigate enterprise legal risk across key business decisions, M&A activity, and strategic initiatives. Engage outside counsel selectively when specialized expertise genuinely requires it, and manage scope and budget. Lead or support special projects involving dispute resolution, corporate transactions, and other legal priorities.
- Team leadership and legal operations: Manage and develop the Commercial & Product Counsel by setting priorities, coaching, and overseeing work. Lead development and maintenance of scalable legal processes, policies, playbooks, and templates across the legal function. Use AI-enabled tools to improve research, workflow efficiency, and knowledge management.
- In-house legal execution: Bring legal work in-house by taking ownership of matters currently routed to outside firms. Set clear thresholds for engaging external counsel, manage outside counsel scope and spend, and build templates, playbooks, and internal knowledge to keep routine matters internal.
Requirements
- J.D. from an accredited law school
- Active bar membership in good standing in your state of residence and/or California, New York, or Texas
- 8–12 years of legal experience, with a meaningful combination of top-tier law firm training and in-house experience at a technology or fintech company
- Demonstrated expertise in corporate governance, intellectual property management, and employment law
- Strong executive presence; proven ability to advise senior leadership and boards with clarity, confidence, and sound judgment
- Experience managing commercial insurance programs and advising on enterprise risk
- Demonstrated experience navigating complex, differing state-by-state regulations and translating them into practical business guidance and compliance processes
- Fluency with AI tools in a professional context; uses AI to improve productivity and has informed opinions about responsible deployment
- Excellent written and verbal communication; can translate complex legal issues into plain language for non-legal stakeholders
- Ability to operate independently with high autonomy in a fast-paced, high-growth environment
Compensation & Benefits
- Compensation range: $245K - $275K
- Remote work: Work remotely from one of our 10 hubs: Austin, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Nashville.
- Health insurance: Medical, Dental, and Vision covered 100% for employees, plus HSA and FSA accounts.
- Dependent care coverage: 50% of Medical, Dental, and Vision premiums covered for all eligible dependents.
- Mental health: Access to a TalkSpace membership through the health insurance plans.
- 401(k): 3% 401(k) match for all eligible employees.
- Time off: Flexible PTO policy with uncapped vacation days and company-recognized holidays.
- Wellness Week: Company closes for one week each summer.
- Parental leave: 12 weeks of paid leave for all parents, plus comprehensive leave planning management through Aidora.
- Family care support: Company-paid UrbanSitter membership plus care credits for childcare, senior care, pet care, and household support.
- Home office stipend: Company-sponsored expenses including high-quality laptops, monitors, and modern technology.
- Coworking stipend: Monthly stipend for coworking spaces or cafés.
- Charitable giving: Employees may donate up to $50/month to any verified nonprofit.
- Professional development: Learning and development reimbursement opportunities.
Location
Remote work from one of the following hubs: Austin, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Nashville.