Overview
This role is responsible for legal support for fintech and compliance activities, working closely with Product, Engineering, and Finance on initiatives involving payments and the handling of money. You will help translate regulation into clear product requirements, support launches across new markets, and help maintain a fintech compliance program for products that are live.
Responsibilities
Product (payments, payroll, and payouts)
- Partner with Product and Engineering from discovery through launch on payments, payroll, and payout features.
- Assess how money flows should be structured, including whether flows trigger licensing requirements (money transmission, e-money, or payment services) and how to meet or design around them.
- Translate regulatory requirements into clear, practical product requirements.
- Draft and maintain product terms, payment terms, disclosures, and in-product legal text.
- Draft, review, and help negotiate agreements with partner banks, payment providers, and FX partners.
- Conduct legal reviews for launches in new markets and for new payment features.
- Provide balanced risk guidance and propose compliant alternatives rather than simply blocking work.
Fintech Compliance
- Support the development and day-to-day operation of the compliance framework for payment activities, including AML/CTF, KYC/KYB, and sanctions screening.
- Help assess licensing and registration needs across markets, including obligations under partner bank and financial institution arrangements.
- Draft and maintain policies, controls, transaction monitoring, and regulatory reporting.
- Support engagement with regulators, auditors, financial institutions, and banks’ compliance teams.
- Track regulatory change affecting payments, data protection, and AI, and assess impacts on products.
- Train internal teams on compliance obligations and help foster an environment where risk is raised early.
Requirements
- A law degree and qualification to practise in at least one jurisdiction.
- 3–5 years of legal experience in payments or fintech, either in-house or at a law firm with a strong payments practice.
- Hands-on experience advising product teams, including at least one product or market launch supported from design to go-live.
- Solid knowledge of payments regulation (e.g., PSD2/EMD in the EU and UK, US money transmission rules) and AML/CTF requirements.
- Experience working with banks or payment providers and negotiating related agreements.
- Ability to explain complex rules in plain language and provide clear, practical advice.
- Strong judgment on risk and comfort making decisions with incomplete information in a fast-moving environment.
- Fluent English, written and spoken.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in payroll, EOR, HR tech, or global workforce platforms.
- Experience with license applications or regulator engagement.
- Knowledge of data protection (GDPR) and AI regulation as they apply to financial and HR products.
- Experience building a compliance function from an early stage.
Compensation & Benefits
- Competitive compensation.
- 100% remote work.
Location