Senior Employment Counsel, Americas

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 innovators across 27 offices globally, backed by world-leading investors.

About The Team

Legal & Licensing at Airwallex sits at the heart of the decisions that shape how Airwallex grows. This team backs the visionary builders transforming Airwallex into a generational financial company, sharing the journey of product development and sales alongside our business partners. You’ll help shape a global licensing footprint most fintechs wish they had, while ensuring our brand and data architecture stay best-in-class for customers entering the agentic economy and ready for its regulatory demands.

Responsibilities

• Advise the People & Talent team and business leaders on the full employee lifecycle, including hiring, contracts and variations, performance management, accommodations, leaves, wage and hour compliance, and terminations.
• Lead workplace investigations and sensitive employee matters end-to-end, working with the cross-functional People and Legal working group.
• Draft, refresh, and own employment-related policies and templates.
• Manage employment disputes, agency charges, and litigation, instructing and controlling external counsel and associated legal spend.
• Coordinate multi-jurisdiction employment advice across APAC, EMEA and the Americas, including contractor and employer-of-record arrangements, cross-border remote work and mobility risk.
• Advise on compensation, benefits, and equity matters in a private company context.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• J.D. degree (or foreign equivalent) and active membership in at least one US state bar (California, Washington, or New York preferred).
• 7+ years of employment law experience at a leading law firm and/or in-house legal department, with demonstrated employment counseling experience beyond litigation alone.
• Experience advising on and coordinating employment law advice across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience leading workplace investigations and managing employment disputes, agency charges, or tribunal matters.
• The ability to translate complex legal and risk issues into clear, succinct, and actionable guidance for non-legal audiences.
• High motivation and the ability to operate independently and pivot quickly within a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a fintech, payments company, or other highly regulated business.
• Experience with contractor classification, employer-of-record populations, or cross-border remote work and permanent establishment risk.
• A learner's mentality: consistently looking to take on new and diverse challenges and expand your knowledge and practice beyond current areas of expertise.
• Comfort operating across time zones with a globally distributed team, including colleagues based in APAC and EMEA.

Pay

Compensation range: $160,000 - $270,000.

Schedule

This role is based in San Francisco, New York, or Seattle.