Licensing and Compliance Counsel

About Us

We're hiring on behalf of our partner — a company that powers the operations behind regulated and high-risk industries. 

They give fast-moving businesses in these spaces the structure, compliance and talent they need to scale — without slowing down. 

About the Role

We're looking for an In-House Legal Counsel and Project Manager who thinks like a business operator, not only a legal advisor. 

This is a hands-on role, not a back-office compliance job. You'll see licensing as a strategic asset for our clients, and you'll move between regulators, clients, external advisers and internal teams to get complex projects approved.

You'll own live, high-stakes licensing projects from day one. We currently manage four MiCA licenses for clients and are preparing to issue an EMI license next year. 

We also expect about six new projects in the coming months across jurisdictions including Canada, the EU, Hong Kong and New Zealand. You'll be the central legal point of contact for clients, external advisers, regulators and our internal teams.

You'll also help build a new Legal & Licensing Department from the ground up.

What You'll Do

Licensing & Regulatory Project Management

• Lead all legal and licensing projects from preparation through approval. This covers MSB, MiCA, EMI, PSP, FSP and related frameworks across multiple jurisdictions.
• Coordinate external lawyers, regulatory consultants, corporate service providers, clients and regulators. Liaise directly with regulatory authorities on current and upcoming cases.
• Review and oversee the preparation and maintenance of applications, legal opinions, AML/KYC policies, compliance materials and supporting documents.
• Track requirements and deadlines, identify gaps, and drive responses to regulatory questions.
• Investigate stalled applications, find missing requirements and resolve issues that could cause delays.
• Work with banks and authorities on regulatory or operational issues, including payment restrictions and stuck funds.
• Coordinate with client and internal IT teams on technical, security or infrastructure requirements.
• Monitor global regulatory changes and turn them into clear, actionable steps for clients and internal teams.

Department Setup & Leadership

• Build and structure the Legal & Licensing Department.
• Recruit, train and supervise a junior legal associate.
• Develop internal legal procedures, templates and project tracking systems that scale as the department grows.
• Work with internal teams to align legal and regulatory priorities with client needs.

Corporate & Contractual Support

• Draft, review and negotiate service agreements, partnership contracts, vendor agreements and other commercial documents.
• Draft and manage contracts for larger e-commerce clients and corporate customers.
• Support international incorporations, corporate structuring and ongoing entity management. This includes managing global incorporations, working with local incorporators, and acting as a master agent to secure the best terms and rates.
• Provide corporate legal support for new ventures, structures and ongoing client relationships.
• Keep oversight of global entity management and compliance documentation.
• Make sure all legal policies, structures and documents meet the relevant regulatory standards.

AI & Legal Technology

You'll use AI tools daily for legal research, regulatory analysis, document review, drafting and policy preparation. We're especially interested in candidates who have built effective AI-assisted legal workflows and who check AI outputs against authoritative sources.

What We're Looking For

• A law degree or a related field.
• At least 3 years (ideally 3–5+) of relevant experience in financial regulation, fintech, payments, crypto or regulatory consultancy.
• Hands-on experience managing licensing or registration projects, such as MSB, MiCA, EMI, PSP, VASP or CASP. We want people who have run applications, not only advised on them.
• A strong working knowledge of AML/KYC and financial regulatory requirements.
• Proven experience in contract drafting, corporate structuring and international incorporation management.
• A basic understanding of international taxation and holding-entity structuring, or a willingness to build that expertise quickly.
• Excellent written and spoken English. You can communicate clearly with regulators, clients and international stakeholders.
• A strategic, business-oriented mindset. You see licensing as a lever for client growth, not a compliance checkbox.
• Strong project management skills. You can run multiple international projects independently without losing track of details.
• Comfort with high autonomy and high ownership. You'll help build a department rather than follow an existing process, and you'll treat every case and client relationship as a reflection of your own work.

Particularly Useful

• Experience with Canadian MSB, MiCA, Hong Kong or New Zealand regulatory projects.
• Direct communication with regulators.
• Work in payments or cryptocurrency.
• Experience with international incorporations.

Nice to Have

• Experience building or scaling a legal or compliance function from scratch.
• Experience managing or mentoring junior legal talent.
• Exposure to multiple jurisdictions and cross-border regulatory frameworks.
• Additional languages, especially for key regulatory markets (EU, UK, MENA, APAC).

What We Offer

• Take ownership of live international licensing projects (MiCA, EMI, MSB and more) with real regulatory exposure.
• Work across multiple regulatory frameworks with global clients and regulators.
• Lead a newly created department with significant autonomy and direct impact. You'll be building a process, not inheriting one.
• Join a fast-growing, international consultancy. As the department grows, so does your scope.

If an application stalls, you'll find out why. If a document is missing, you'll get it completed. If a regulator raises a question, you'll drive the response. If you enjoy that responsibility and want to get complex projects across the finish line, we want to talk to you.