Head of Legal

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the legal function for YouLend’s US business, taking ownership of US legal strategy, priorities and delivery.
• Act as the principal legal adviser to the US leadership team and a trusted strategic partner to senior stakeholders across the wider group.
• Provide commercially focused legal guidance on strategic initiatives, business expansion, risk management and operational decision-making.
• Identify, assess and manage legal risks while enabling the business to execute efficiently and at pace.
• Develop and implement scalable legal processes, governance frameworks, templates and playbooks to support continued US growth.
• Manage and develop US legal resources, including supervising Legal team members and overseeing external counsel relationships and budgets.

• Lead legal negotiations for major US commercial and strategic partnerships, including with global e-commerce platforms, payment service providers and other key partners.
• Structure, draft and negotiate complex commercial, financing and partnership agreements.
• Advise on significant US transactions and strategic initiatives, including capital markets activities, restructurings, non-performing assets and corporate structuring.
• Work closely with commercial, finance, product, technology and operations teams to structure and execute commercially important transactions.
• Take ownership of complex negotiations, balancing legal protection with commercial objectives.

• Lead legal advice on the development, structuring and expansion of YouLend’s US embedded financing products.
• Partner with product and commercial leadership to support new product launches, market expansion and the evolution of YouLend’s US financing offering.
• Advise on US financial services regulation, including federal and state-level requirements relevant to SME financing, payments and embedded finance.
• Provide strategic legal guidance on bank partnership structures, financing arrangements and associated regulatory considerations.
• Work with relevant internal teams and external advisers to assess regulatory developments and their implications for YouLend’s US business.
• Support the development of legally robust, commercially scalable operating and financing structures.

• Oversee US corporate legal matters, including entity governance, group structuring and relevant corporate transactions.
• Advise senior leadership on material legal, regulatory and contractual risks.
• Support the management of disputes, contentious matters and other significant legal issues as required.
• Ensure appropriate legal oversight and governance arrangements are in place as the US business continues to scale.
  
  

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• US-qualified lawyer, with admission to at least one US state bar (New York, California or Georgia preferred).
• Ideally 8–12+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience gained at a leading law firm and/or in a senior in-house legal role.
• Strong background in one or more of corporate transactions, financing, financial services, fintech, commercial partnerships or financial regulation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex legal matters, manage high-value negotiations and advise senior business stakeholders.
• Excellent commercial judgment, with the ability to balance legal and regulatory risk against business objectives.
• Comfortable operating as the senior legal lead for a fast-growing US business, with the confidence to make decisions and take ownership of outcomes.
• Strong understanding of the legal and regulatory considerations associated with operating and scaling a US financial services or technology business.
• Ability to work strategically while remaining hands-on across a broad range of legal matters.
• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach and the ability to thrive in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.
• Genuine interest in fintech, embedded finance and SME financing.
  
  

• Previous experience as a Head of Legal, Deputy General Counsel, senior in-house counsel or equivalent legal leader within a fintech, financial services, payments or technology business.
• Experience with US commercial financing, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing or other alternative SME financing structures.
• Knowledge of US federal and state financial services regulation, bank partnership models and embedded finance.
• Experience advising on capital markets, structured finance, warehouse facilities or other funding arrangements.
• Cross-border transactional experience and experience working within an international legal function.
• Experience building or scaling a legal function, managing external counsel and developing legal team members.