Lead Product Counsel at Plaid in San Francisco, CA

We believe that the way people interact with their finances will drastically improve in the next few years. We’re dedicated to empowering this transformation by building the tools and experiences that thousands of developers use to create their own products. Plaid powers the tools millions of people rely on to live a healthier financial life. We work with thousands of companies like Venmo, SoFi, several of the Fortune 500, and many of the largest banks to make it easy for people to connect their financial accounts to the apps and services they want to use. Plaid’s network covers 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada, UK and Europe. Founded in 2013, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in New York, Washington D.C., London and Amsterdam. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Product Counsel to join our legal team, bringing expertise in advising on Payments laws and their application to novel open banking and payments products. As a crucial member of Plaid’s Product Legal team, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring compliance and guiding the development of our cutting-edge products. Your insights and legal acumen will be instrumental in navigating the complex regulatory landscape and shaping the future of our offerings. You’ll operate as an embedded member of the product team and be trusted to be a key legal, business, and strategic advisor on complex legal, regulatory, and data privacy questions. The ideal candidate is highly collaborative, inquisitive, and solutions-oriented with prior experience advising at a payments-focused fintech, payment processor, bank (with consumer payments or bank-based payments focus) or similar organization. This candidate will possess a deep understanding of payments laws–ideally some combination of Nacha rules, Reg E, Third Party Sender obligations, to name a few–and their implications for the fintech industry. They love collaborating with cross-functional teams to integrate legal requirements into product development processes. They are comfortable presenting to executives, and love rolling up their sleeves and working through both small and large product or regulatory nuances. We are looking for a proactive individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about driving innovation while maintaining regulatory compliance. If you’re interested in a forward-thinking role within an ambitious and dynamic company, and pride yourself on seeing around corners and connecting dots, we’d love to talk to you! Responsibilities: - Provide expert legal advice and guidance on matters related to fintech payments and consumer protection activities - Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product, engineering, compliance, and product marketing to integrate legal considerations into the product lifecycle - Assist go-to-market and commercial counsel in deals, ensuring legal compliance and mitigating potential risks - Stay abreast of changes in relevant laws and regulations, and ensure proactive adjustments to company policies and procedures - Draft and review legal documents and disclosures related to consumer reporting and data protection - Work closely with external legal counsel when necessary and represent the company in regulatory discussions Qualifications: - Juris Doctor (JD) degree from an accredited law school with an active license to practice law - 6-8+ years of legal experience - Strong familiarity with some combination of: Nacha operating rules, BSA/AML regulations, Reg E and other consumer protection laws (e.g. UDAAP), Third Party Sender requirements, Money Transmission Laws, RTP Network Rules, and Payment Card Network rules. - Strong understanding of data protection and privacy laws, including GLBA. - Experience negotiating, advising on, and managing the risks of complex commercial agreements with partner banks, payment processing vendors, and other payments-related service providers - Creative thinking about interpreting and applying the law in unsettled contexts Our mission at Plaid is to unlock financial freedom for everyone. To support that mission, we seek to build a diverse team of driven individuals who care deeply about making the financial ecosystem more equitable. We recognize that strong qualifications can come from both prior work experiences and lived experiences. We encourage you to apply to a role even if your experience doesn't fully match the job description. We are always looking for team members that will bring something unique to Plaid! Plaid is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion or religious belief, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, military or veteran status, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Plaid is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance with your application or interviews due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations@plaid.com. Please review our Candidate Privacy Notice here https://plaid.com/legal/#candidate-privacy-notice. Additional compensation in the form(s) of equity and/or commission are dependent on the position offered. Plaid provides a comprehensive benefit plan, including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k). Pay is based on factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience and skillset, and location. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.