Senior Legal Counsel
Paymentology · Madrid, Spain
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Unstoppable starts with people. The future of payments is being built today, and at Paymentology, we are looking for people who want to help shape it. We power card issuing for leading banks, fintechs and digital brands across the globe, and as we continue to grow, we are looking for curious, ambitious people who thrive on solving complex challenges, embrace innovation and want to make a tangible impact at global scale.
We are looking for a Senior Legal Counsel to join our Legal team and play a key role in
supporting Paymentology's continued global growth by acting as a trusted legal advisor
to the business, leading complex legal matters and delivering commercially focused
legal solutions.
This is a broad and varied in-house senior legal role, suited to someone with strong legal
and commercial acumen, a solutions-driven mindset and the ability to collaborate
effectively across teams, jurisdictions and time zones. You will support a range of
commercial, regulatory and cross-border legal matters, working closely with colleagues
across the business and within the Legal team.
Reporting to the Legal and Compliance Director, this role offers the opportunity to
build deep knowledge of the payments industry while contributing to legal work that
directly supports Paymentology’s growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop a deep understanding of Paymentology’s business, products and
regulatory landscape to deliver contextual and impactful legal support.
- Act as the primary legal advisor for assigned legal matters, providing focused
legal advice and leading legal delivery within your area of responsibility.
- Build trusted relationships with stakeholders and partner closely with supported
business functions.
- Provide legal support throughout the lifecycle of commercial and business
initiatives.
- Provide high-quality, practical advice on legal issues including contract
enforceability, licensing, regulatory compliance and cross-border legal risks.
- Lead the drafting, negotiation and execution of complex commercial agreements
with customers, partners, suppliers and strategic counterparties.
- Provide legal guidance to the People team on employment law matters, including
employment agreements, workplace issues and HR-related legal queries.
- Partner with internal teams to ensure legal advice aligns with business
objectives, with a strong focus on enabling growth and managing legal risk.
- Manage complex and cross-functional legal matters independently under the
guidance of the Legal and Compliance Director.• Provide coaching and mentorship to members of the Legal team and, where
applicable, manage and develop direct reports.
- Identify legal and regulatory risks proactively and recommend mitigation
strategies.
- Contribute to the development and improvement of internal legal frameworks,
contract templates and best practices.
- Collaborate with external counsel and relay advice to internal stakeholders with
clarity and context.
- Engage effectively and efficiently with external counsel, interpret legal advice
and evaluate how it applies to Paymentology’s operations.
- Conduct high-quality legal and regulatory research, particularly on legislation
and regulatory frameworks across various jurisdictions.
- Analyse, interpret, simplify and distil complex laws and regulations into clear
and actionable internal legal opinions and memoranda.
- Assess and articulate the impact or potential impact of legal and regulatory
developments on the business, providing guidance in a digestible and business-
friendly format.
- Contribute to knowledge-sharing and training.
- Provide internal legal training or briefings to the Legal team and wider business
on researched topics or key regulatory developments.
What it takes to succeed
- Qualified lawyer with 6–8 years’ post-qualification experience in commercial
law.
- Strong background in contract negotiation and advisory, ideally with experience
in financial services, fintech or technology-driven companies.
- Strong legal research and analytical skills, with demonstrated experience
interpreting and applying regulations and legislation.
- Excellent drafting ability, particularly in writing contracts, legal opinions, internal
memoranda and business-facing guidance.
- Good understanding of commercial legal risk and the ability to provide
pragmatic, solutions-focused advice.
• Deep payments regulatory expertise is advantageous but not required.• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Able to deliver under pressure and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced,
remote-first environment.
- Demonstrated ability to operate independently with minimal supervision while
managing a substantial and varied legal workload across multiple jurisdictions
and time zones.
- Commercially savvy, pragmatic and solution-oriented in your legal approach.
- Able to explain complex legal and regulatory issues clearly to non-legal
stakeholders.
- Proactive, organised and willing to contribute to better legal processes,
templates and ways of working.
Education and Experience
- Law degree and legal qualification, such as bar admission, attorney admission,
solicitor qualification or equivalent.
- 6–8 years of relevant post-qualification legal experience, preferably in-house
or with clients in fintech, technology, payments, financial services or other
regulated sectors.
- Experience acting as the primary legal contact for business stakeholders.
- Experience independently managing high-value or strategically significant
commercial negotiations.
- Demonstrated experience in commercial contracts, regulatory issues and cross-
border legal considerations.
- Experience working with or interpreting external legal advice and turning that into
internal guidance.
- Experience delivering internal training or presentations on legal research topics
is advantageous.
At Paymentology, we believe that making a difference starts with the people behind the work. You will be part of a diverse, global team of Paymentologists who are united by a shared mission to advance the world through payments.
This is an opportunity to contribute to meaningful work, collaborate across markets and functions, and help shape the future of a business with global reach and real impact.
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on any unlawful ground, including race, colour, ethnicity, sex, gender, pregnancy, marital status, family responsibility, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, language or HIV status.
Paymentology will never request any form of payment from applicants at any stage of our recruitment process, including for applications, interviews, training or job placements. If anyone asks you for money while claiming to act on behalf of Paymentology, please treat this as fraudulent and do not make any payment. All legitimate Paymentology vacancies are advertised via our official careers page, and our recruitment emails are sent only from official Paymentology domains.