Senior Legal Counsel

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary legal business partner for YouLend’s US business.
• Lead negotiations on major US partnerships with global e-commerce platforms, payment service providers and other strategic partners.
• Draft, negotiate and manage complex commercial and partnership agreements.
• Work directly with product, tech, commercial, finance and operations teams to deliver pragmatic legal advice.
• Advise on scalable US product, payments and SME financing structures.
• Advise on new product launches and the continued evolution of YouLend’s US financing offering.
• Work on strategic US matters, including capital markets, restructurings, non-performing assets, group structuring and corporate governance.
• Advise on US regulatory matters relevant to the business, including state-level regulatory considerations and bank partnership structures.
• Manage external US counsel and supervise Legal team members.
• Help build scalable legal processes, templates and playbooks for the US business as it grows.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• US-qualified lawyer (NY, CA or ATL preferred)
• At least 6 years of post-qualification experience (corporate, M&A, financing, fintech or regulatory) at a top law firm.
• Strong commercial instinct and genuine interest in fintech, embedded finance and SME financing.
• Experience with complex transactions, commercial negotiations and cross-functional work.
• Able to operate in a fast-moving environment, balancing legal rigour with commercial pragmatism.
• Clear, direct communicator with strong drafting, negotiation and legal judgment.
• Comfortable advising senior stakeholders and translating complex legal issues into practical guidance.

• Fintech, financial services, payments, technology or other relevant in-house experience.
• US financial regulatory experience, especially in SME financing, embedded finance, payments or bank partnership structures.
• Cross-border transactional experience

Benefits

• Award-Winning Workplace: YouLend has been recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in 2024, 2025and 2026” by the Sunday Times for being a supportive, diverse, and rewarding workplace.
• Award-Winning Fintech: YouLend has been recognized as a “Top 250 Fintech Worldwide” company by CNBC.

• We have developed powerful solutions, won some significant partnerships, and are growing at a rapid pace.
• But the global opportunity is still massive, and YouLend is a raw organization where we are only just getting started.
  
  

• High-growth (>100% growth during 2022 and 2023), so clear outlook to compensation (bonus or share option appreciation) and career growth (through growth with the business).
• Well-capitalized with supportive private equity backing.
• Part of Banking Circle Group with a fully licensed Luxembourg bank, which can provide a balance sheet and support European expansion in otherwise complex regulated markets.
  
  

• A high-quality team that pushes each other to succeed through direct feedback and aligned incentives.
• Strong and transparent team culture, we have each other’s backs.
• Independent work environment where results matter.
• Data-driven culture and emphasis on speed (anti-red tape).
  
  

• Health Care Coverage. YouLend covers 80%; employee contribution is 20% of the premium.
• Medical Plan (medical insurance and prescription drug coverage)- Choice of 5 different plans through United Healthcare.
• Dental plan coverage
• Vision plan coverage
• Benefits can be for: Employee only; Employee & Spouse; Employee & Child; Employee & Family
• Retirement - 401K match. Employee match $1 for $1 up to 5% of salary.
• Basic Life & AD&D Insurance.
• International travel insurance covered if traveling abroad for work purposes.
• Paid Time Off (PTO)- 20 working days (4 weeks) + US public holidays
• Paid Office Parking