SVP, Product Counsel - Rapidly Growing Fintech
Senior Vice President, Product Counsel
Location: San Francisco, CA (on-site)
Industry: Fintech / Financial Services
Reports to: General Counsel
Overview
A rapidly growing, venture-backed fintech company is seeking an experienced SVP, Product Counsel to serve as a strategic legal partner to its product, engineering, compliance, and business teams. This role will play a critical part in shaping and scaling innovative financial products while navigating a complex and evolving regulatory landscape.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in banking regulations, payments, and related financial products, and has experience advising fast-moving organizations on product development, go-to-market strategy, and regulatory risk.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary legal advisor to product and engineering teams across the full product lifecycle, from ideation through launch and scale
- Provide strategic counsel on U.S. banking regulations, payments, money movement, and related financial services products
- Advise on regulatory frameworks impacting fintech products, including bank partnerships, BaaS models, payment networks, and emerging technologies
- Partner closely with Compliance, Risk, and Regulatory Affairs to ensure products meet applicable legal and regulatory requirements
- Draft, review, and negotiate product-related agreements, including vendor, partner, and customer-facing terms
- Monitor and interpret regulatory developments and translate them into practical guidance for business stakeholders
- Support interactions with regulators, bank partners, and external counsel as needed
- Build and scale product counseling processes and best practices suitable for a high-growth environment
- Mentor and develop junior legal team members and contribute to overall legal team leadership
Qualifications
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active bar membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
- Minimum of 6 years of legal experience, gained through a combination of:
- Top-tier or relevant law firm experience
- In-house roles at a fintech, financial institution, or regulated financial services company
- Deep, hands-on experience with:
- Banking and financial services regulations
- Payments, money transmission, and related products
- Product counseling in regulated environments
- Proven ability to partner effectively with product and engineering teams
- Strong business judgment and the ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives
- Experience operating in a fast-paced, high-growth company environment
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior leadership experience managing or mentoring attorneys
- Experience supporting platform-based or API-driven financial products
- Familiarity with bank partnership and embedded finance models
- Background working with regulators or supervisory examinations is a plus
Why This Role
- Opportunity to shape core financial products at a high-growth fintech
- High-visibility leadership role with significant strategic impact
- Collaborative, mission-driven culture with strong executive partnership
- Competitive compensation package, including equity and benefits
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