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

You'll be the central legal contact for clients, external advisers, regulators and internal teams. You'll also help build the company's Legal & Licensing Department from the ground up.

Core Responsibilities

1. Licensing & Regulatory Project Delivery

• Manage each legal and licensing project from preparation to approval, covering MSB, MiCA, EMI, PSP, FSP and similar regimes across several jurisdictions.
• Coordinate external lawyers, regulatory consultants, corporate service providers and clients. Communicate directly with regulators on current and upcoming cases.
• Review and oversee applications, legal opinions, AML/KYC policies, compliance materials and supporting documents, including their ongoing maintenance.
• Track deadlines and requirements, identify gaps and lead responses to regulator questions.
• Diagnose stalled applications, find what's missing and resolve anything likely to cause delays.
• Handle regulatory and operational issues with banks and authorities, including payment restrictions and stuck funds.
• Work with client and internal IT teams on technical, security and infrastructure requirements.
• Monitor global regulatory changes and turn them into clear, actionable guidance for clients and internal teams.

2. Department Build-Out & Leadership

• Set up and structure the Legal & Licensing Department.
• Recruit, train and supervise a junior legal associate.
• Develop scalable internal procedures, templates and project-tracking systems.
• Align legal and regulatory priorities with client needs, working with other internal teams.

3. Corporate & Contract Support

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

Candidate Profile

Essential

• A law degree or related field.
• At least 3 years of experience (ideally 3–5+) in financial regulation, fintech, payments, crypto or regulatory consultancy.
• Hands-on experience managing licensing or registration projects (MSB, MiCA, EMI, PSP, VASP, CASP). Our partner wants candidates who have run applications, not only advised on them.
• Strong knowledge of AML/KYC and financial regulatory requirements.
• A proven record in contract drafting, corporate structuring and international incorporation management.
• A basic understanding of international tax and holding-entity structuring, or the ability to build that knowledge quickly.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with clear communication toward regulators, clients and international stakeholders.
• A strategic, commercial mindset that treats licensing as a driver of client growth, not a compliance checkbox.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to run multiple international projects independently without losing detail.
• Comfort with high autonomy and ownership. You'll 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.

What the Role Offers

• 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.
• Leadership of a newly created department, with significant autonomy and direct impact. You'll build the process rather than inherit one.
• A place in a fast-growing international consultancy, where your scope expands as the department grows.