Group Head of Legal

We are hiring a Head of Legal (Fintech) to lead and scale the legal function across a growing fintech group.

This is a hands-on role combining deep fintech regulatory expertise, strong commercial execution, and the ability to build and refine legal infrastructure.

You will act as a bridge between regulation and execution, working directly across regulatory, contractual, and structural matters, while establishing the frameworks, processes, and standards required to support the company’s growth.

The role requires a pragmatic, business-oriented legal leader who is comfortable operating at both strategic and execution level, and can translate regulatory complexity into clear, commercially sound decisions.

What You Will Be Responsible For

Regulatory & Fintech Environment

• Apply fintech regulatory frameworks (FCA, EU, AML/KYC, safeguarding) to real business scenarios
• Integrate regulatory requirements into products, partnerships, and operations
• Support licensing processes and regulatory interactions where required
• Translate regulatory constraints into clear, practical, and commercially viable decisions

Commercial Contracting (Hands-On)

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of agreements, including:
  • partnerships (incl. BIN sponsors, processors)
  • merchant agreements
  • SaaS and vendor contracts
• Advise on deal structure, risk allocation, and negotiation strategy
• Act as a business partner in commercial decision-making

Legal Function & Infrastructure

• Build and refine legal infrastructure:
  • templates
  • playbooks
  • contract governance
  • approval workflows
• Establish scalable legal processes that support business speed and consistency
• Introduce practical legal standards across the organisation

Business & Product Support

• Work closely with product, operations, finance, and commercial teams
• Support new product launches, partnerships, and market expansion
• Provide clear, actionable legal input embedded in day-to-day business decisions

Payments Ecosystem

• Support relationships and agreements involving:
  • card schemes (Visa/Mastercard)
  • BIN sponsors
  • payment processors
• Advise on scheme rules, operational risk, and chargeback-related matters

Risk & Disputes

• Identify legal risks in business activities and propose practical mitigation approaches
• Support dispute resolution and manage external counsel where needed
• Apply a risk-based approach aligned with business priorities

Legal Tech & AI

• Introduce and use AI tools to improve legal efficiency and scalability
• Optimise contracting and internal legal workflows through technology
• Define where automation vs legal judgment is required

Requirements

Experience

• 8–12 years PQE
• Strong experience in fintech, payments, or financial services
• Hands-on exposure to regulatory environments (UK/EU)
• Proven experience in drafting and negotiating commercial agreements
• Experience building or scaling a legal function (or equivalent ownership)

Skills

• Strong commercial judgment and negotiation capability
• Ability to translate legal complexity into business decisions
• Structured thinking and ability to build systems and processes
• Ability to operate independently and manage multiple priorities

Mindset

• Pragmatic and business-oriented
• Hands-on and execution-focused
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, evolving environment
• High ownership and accountability

Nice to Have

• Experience with card schemes, BIN sponsors, or payment processors
• Multi-jurisdictional exposure beyond UK/EU
• Startup or scale-up experience
• Exposure to legal tech / AI tools
• Privacy certifications (e.g. CIPP/E)

What We Offer

• A pivotal Group-level leadership role ensuring legal and regulatory integrity across all Altery entities.
• The opportunity to shape and scale the Group’s legal function in partnership with the CFO, CEO, and Board.
• Remote working flexibility with global impact and engagement across regulators, external counsel, and industry stakeholders.

Originally posted on Himalayas