Counsel - Financial Services/Payments (Remote)

Summary

The Counsel - Financial Services/Payments role touches all legal aspects of our business. You will safeguard our reputation by guaranteeing that the company strictly follows legal guidelines, and give legal advice to management about all relevant issues.

Responsibilities

• In this role, you will work directly with the business teams on a broad range of commercial and regulatory matters, and counsel product teams on enabling innovative payment products and financial services. This role requires consistent high-quality judgment in corresponding with banks and financial institutions, and regulators. Be (or quickly become) a subject matter expert in the area of buy now pay later services, including applicable payment card network rules and NACHA rules, as well as regulatory compliance requirements.
• Help develop a unified framework to help Sezzle successfully navigate card network and NACHA rules requirements along with financial services and banking regulations.
• Advise on the design and modification of products, the structuring of partner and merchant deals, proactively identify associated risks and recommend mitigation strategies, and review product user experiences to ensure legal compliance with applicable laws, card network/NACHA rules, and partner bank requirements.
• Participate in strategic projects and initiatives as needed arises
• Collaborate with management to devise efficient defense strategies
• Apply effective risk management techniques and offer proactive advise on possible legal issues
• Communicate and negotiate with internal stakeholders and external parties (regulators, external counsel, public authority etc.) alike, creating relations of trust
• Draft and solidify agreements, contracts and other legal documents to ensure the company’s full legal rights
• Deal with complex matters with multiple stakeholders and forces
• Provide clarification on legal language or specifications to everyone in the organization
• Conduct your work with integrity and responsibility
• Maintain current knowledge of alterations in legislation
• Provides advice on all federal and state laws related to payment services, including without limitation, Electronic Funds Transfer Act/Reg E; Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; and UDAAP, PCI-DSS, TCPA, CCPA, CAN-SPAM Act, TILA, ECOA, FCRA, FDCPA, BSA, together with related state laws.

Requirements and Skills

• Strong transactional background with a mix of product, privacy and regulatory experience is ideal
• Experience in technology, payments or financial services transactions is a plus
• Experience and expertise in one or more particular fields of legal specialization including anti-money laundering, prepaid card rules and regulations, credit card rules and regulations, and other payment related fields is preferred but not required
• Experience at a company, or at a firm supporting a company, with launching new products
• Experience with and ability to advise on payment card network and NACHA rules, federal and state money transmission and banking regulations; data privacy laws as they relate to financial institutions; consumer protection laws; and other guidance coming out of federal and state agencies such as the CFPB and the FTC.
• Familiarity with, and strong interest in, buy now pay later, mobile and alternative payments, emerging payments technology, and the payments industry.
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity
• Sound judgment and ability to analyze situations and information
• Outstanding communication skills
• J.D. degree
• Licensed in good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction
• Minimum 4 years of experience

We know that no one candidate is likely to fit each part of this job description right away, and that’s ok! If you have good overlap with the above list already–and the ability and desire to catch up quickly, on-your-feet during your first few weeks and months–we encourage you to apply. 

About Sezzle:

Sezzle is a cutting-edge fintech company whose long-standing mission is to financially empower the next generation. Only one in three millennials own a credit card, and the vast majority of millennials possess a subprime credit score or no score at all. To address these problems, Sezzle has built a payment platform that increases purchasing power for consumers by offering interest-free installment plans at online stores. This increase in purchasing power for consumers leads to increased sales and basket sizes for the numerous eCommerce merchants that currently work with Sezzle.

As the first and only B-Corp in the payments space, Sezzle’s goal is to help everyone pursue financial freedom, and to invest in social good and ethical initiatives that shape a better world. 

At Sezzle, we’re committed to putting purpose alongside profitability. We work hard to maintain rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency to build a better world. The employees at Sezzle lean into significant societal and cultural shifts, ensuring internal and external focus on positive impacts that benefit our community.

About You: 

• A+ character. We are team-first here at Sezzle. 
• A hard-working mentality. It’s early and there is still a lot to build. 
• An excellent communicator. 
• Ownership. You aren’t afraid to take on new responsibilities and you act like an owner in everything you do.
• A fun attitude. Life’s too short. We can have fun while we work hard on cool things. 
• Smarts. We need people that are smart enough to make decisions on their own and also smart enough to know when they need input from others. 

Perks & Benefits: 

• Competitive salary and RSUs
• Generous paid time off, sick time and volunteer hours 
• Life, STD/LTD, medical, dental and vision insurance 
• Highly discounted LifeTime gym membership
• Work From Home stipend 
• 401k with match
• Collaborative fun workspace
• The opportunity to join a high profile startup alongside a team of motivated and driven individuals 

 What Makes Working at Sezzle Awesome? 

At Sezzle, we are more than just brilliant engineers, passionate data enthusiasts, out-of-the-box thinkers, and determined innovators; we are skilled musicians, yogis, cyclists, chefs, golfers, dog-lovers, and rock-climbers. We believe in surrounding ourselves with not only the best and the brightest individuals, but those that are unique and purpose-driven in all that they do. Our culture is not defined by a certain set of perks designed to give the illusion of the traditional startup culture, but rather, it is the visible example living in every employee that we hire. 

Sezzle provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, familial status, veteran or military status, status regarding public assistance, membership or activity in a local commission, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.