Senior Legal Counsel

Department: Legal (US). Location: Atlanta.

About the role

We’re hiring a US‑qualified Senior Legal Counsel in our Atlanta office to lead YouLend’s rapidly scaling US business, offering a unique chance to work on a high‑growth, startup‑like trajectory backed by the infrastructure and reach of a global fintech. You’ll be the primary legal business partner for US matters, working closely with senior stakeholders across the US business and the wider group, and have meaningful ownership, senior stakeholder exposure and room to grow while being supported by a global Legal team that understands the business and operates at the centre of YouLend’s strategy.

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.

Requirements

• 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.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Nice to have:

• 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: recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in 2024, 2025 and 2026” by the Sunday Times.
• Award‑Winning Fintech: recognized as a “Top 250 Fintech Worldwide” company by CNBC.
• High‑growth environment (>100% growth during 2022 and 2023) with clear outlook to compensation (bonus or share option appreciation) and career growth.
• Well‑capitalized with supportive private equity backing.
• Part of Banking Circle Group with a fully licensed Luxembourg bank, providing balance sheet and support for European expansion.
• Motivating work environment: high‑quality team, strong transparent culture, independent results‑driven, data‑driven emphasis on speed.
• Comprehensive benefits package:
  • Health Care Coverage – YouLend covers 80%; employee contribution 20% of premium.
  • Medical Plan (medical insurance and prescription drug coverage) – choice of 5 different plans through United Healthcare.
  • Dental plan coverage.
  • Vision plan coverage.
  • Coverage options: 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.