General Counsel, Sei Foundation

Overview

A foundation is seeking a General Counsel to serve as its senior legal leader and strategic partner to the Board of Directors and leadership team. This is a hands-on, startup-style role involving governance, corporate, commercial, and cross-border legal matters. The General Counsel will build and lead the legal function end-to-end, supporting decision-making and institutional growth in a dynamic, internationally oriented environment.

Responsibilities

Legal Leadership & Strategic Counsel

• Serve as the principal legal adviser on governance, corporate, commercial, strategic, and operational matters.
• Partner with the Board and senior stakeholders to assess legal risks and support key decisions.
• Provide practical, solution-oriented advice balancing legal rigor with organizational needs and execution.
• Navigate novel or ambiguous issues without impeding progress.

Governance, Corporate & Commercial Matters

• Lead legal support for governance including board processes, resolutions, approvals, and delegated authorities.
• Advise on entity structuring, affiliated-entity relationships, organizational decision-making, and internal legal frameworks.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements and third-party service provider documentation.
• Develop scalable legal processes, templates, and internal workflows.

International & Cross-Border Matters

• Lead and coordinate legal work across multiple jurisdictions including the United States, Cayman Islands, Singapore, Korea, and the UK.
• Support cross-border structuring, jurisdiction-specific analysis, and coordination across related entities and affiliated activities.
• Collaborate with external and fractional counsel to ensure clarity of ownership, execution efficiency, and consistent advice.
• Advise leadership on international operating complexity, legal exposure, and jurisdictional tradeoffs.

Outside Counsel & Execution Management

• Manage outside counsel across specialist areas and jurisdictions focusing on efficiency and practical outcomes.
• Determine which matters to handle internally versus externally to deploy legal resources effectively.
• Translate external legal advice into clear internal recommendations and actionable steps.
• Maintain momentum across multiple concurrent matters by setting priorities and aligning stakeholders.

Institution Building

• Build and shape a practical, trusted, and appropriately scaled legal function for a lean, fast-moving foundation.
• Identify emerging legal risks early and design internal processes to mitigate them.
• Contribute to institution-building where legal judgment intersects with strategy, operations, governance, and organizational design.
• Exhibit ownership, accountability, and a builder mentality.

Required Qualifications

• J.D. and active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction; international bar membership considered.
• Significant legal experience in-house and/or at a leading law firm, with exposure to high-growth organizations, complex transactions, or cross-border matters.
• Proven ability to operate independently as a senior legal lead managing multiple complex workstreams.
• Strong judgment with the ability to translate legal analysis into clear, practical, governance- and business-oriented recommendations.
• Experience working across international jurisdictions and coordinating with local, offshore, or specialized external counsel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of working effectively with directors, founders, executives, and external advisers.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities and imperfect information.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as General Counsel, Associate General Counsel, or senior in-house legal lead at a startup, foundation, protocol ecosystem, or growth-stage organization.
• Experience with international structuring or legal matters involving jurisdictions such as Cayman, Singapore, or Korea.
• Familiarity with technology, digital assets, fintech, or globally oriented operating environments.
• Experience supporting foundations, funds, or other non-traditional entity structures.
• Demonstrated success building legal processes or legal infrastructure in early-stage or rapidly evolving settings.
• Strong track record of working effectively with external advisers while maintaining internal ownership of key decisions and workstreams.

Compensation & Benefits

Details on compensation and benefits are not provided in the job description.

Location

The role involves coordination across multiple international jurisdictions including the United States, Cayman Islands, Singapore, Korea, and the UK. Specific location or remote work details are not specified.