Senior Legal Counsel - US

AI in this role

We’re hiring a US-qualified Senior Legal Counsel in our London HQ to lead YouLend’s rapidly scaling US business—offering a unique chance to work on a high-growth, startup-like trajectory, backed by the infrastructure and reach of a global fintech.

Why this role?

We’re looking for a US-qualified Senior Legal Counsel to lead and help shape legal strategy for our US business from our London HQ.

This is not a narrow legal role. You’ll work across the full range of issues that come with scaling a US fintech business, from major commercial partnerships and product structuring to capital markets, governance, operations and regulatory questions.

You’ll have meaningful ownership, senior stakeholder exposure and room to grow, while being supported by a global Legal team that understands the business and operates at the centre of YouLend’s strategy.

You’ll be the primary legal business partner for US matters, working closely with senior stakeholders across the US business and the wider group. You’ll also have the support of an established global Legal team, with strong infrastructure, senior oversight and external counsel support where needed.

Key Responsibilities

Act as the primary legal business partner for YouLend’s US business.
Lead negotiations on major US partnerships with global e-commerce platforms, payment service providers and other strategic partners.
Draft, negotiate and manage complex commercial and partnership agreements.
Work directly with product, tech, commercial, finance and operations teams to deliver pragmatic legal advice.
Advise on scalable US product, payments and SME financing structures.
Advise on new product launches and the continued evolution of YouLend’s US financing offering.
Work on strategic US matters, including capital markets, restructurings, non-performing assets, group structuring and corporate governance.
Advise on US regulatory matters relevant to the business, including state-level regulatory considerations and bank partnership structures.
Manage external US counsel and supervise Legal team members.
Help build scalable legal processes, templates and playbooks for the US business as it grows.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

US-qualified lawyer (NY or CA preferred)
At least 6 years of post-qualification experience (corporate, M&A, financing, fintech or regulatory) at a top law firm.
Strong commercial instinct and genuine interest in fintech, embedded finance and SME financing.
Experience with complex transactions, commercial negotiations and cross-functional work.
Able to operate in a fast-moving environment, balancing legal rigour with commercial pragmatism.
Clear, direct communicator with strong drafting, negotiation and legal judgment.
Comfortable advising senior stakeholders and translating complex legal issues into practical guidance.

Nice to have:

Fintech, financial services, payments, technology or other relevant in-house experience.
US financial regulatory experience, especially in SME financing, embedded finance, payments or bank partnership structures.
Cross-border transactional experience

How we rate this

Senior Legal Counsel - US at YouLend rates 38 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.