Senior Legal Counsel
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
UMO, a stealth-mode FinTech venture, is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to drive global legal operations, focusing on licensing and regulatory execution across UAE and EU.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Execute the end to end licensing process across multiple jurisdictions, including direct engagement with VARA, CBUAE, and other financial regulators
- Provide comprehensive legal support for UAE and EU operations, ensuring all products align with applicable regulatory requirements
- Proactively identify licensing, regulatory perimeter, and product structure issues, and provide clear recommendations
- Lead and mentor a small team (1–2 legal specialists), overseeing their daily output, quality of work, and professional growth
- Design and implement 'Legal Ops' workflows to prepare the team for future expansion
- Act as a coach for the wider business, conducting training for Product and Sales teams on legal risks and compliance
- Architect legal frameworks for Banking as a Service (BaaS), card issuing or sponsorship models, payment rails, and complex banking partnerships
- Serve as the lead SME for the intersection of TradFi and Digital Assets, including wallets, trading, fiat ramps, liquidity, and settlement flows
- Work independently with Product, Compliance, Finance, and Operations teams to turn complex legal requirements into clear business decisions
- Lead negotiations for high stakes agreements with global liquidity providers, banking partners, payment partners, technology providers, and strategic counterparties
- Independently draft, review, and negotiate complex multi party agreements
- Manage global corporate structures, intercompany agreements, and support investment rounds
Requirements
- 7+ years as Legal Counsel, with a solid background in Regulated Fintech, Banking, Payments, or Crypto
- Strong ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive complex legal matters to completion
- Prior experience managing at least one direct report or a strong track record of mentoring junior colleagues
- Deep understanding of financial services regulation, global payment rails and multi jurisdictional licensing
- Experience with VARA or CBUAE is a strong plus
- Exceptional skills in drafting complex multi party agreements
- Professional fluency in English
Full Job Posting
About Us
- UMO is a stealth mode FinTech venture aiming to evolve the way people experience money by building a unified, AI powered, yet deeply human modern money platform across fiat, crypto, and investments.
- We are currently developing our MVP and navigating licensing requirements, with a multidisciplinary team of 100+ people representing 20+ nationalities.
About the Role
- The Senior Legal Counsel at UMO is a high impact expert and emerging leader driving our global legal operations.
- You will be the primary legal owner for our expansion across the UAE, EU, and beyond.
- You will take ownership of the legal function, independently driving complex matters from initial assessment to execution, while managing a small team of 1–2 specialists.
Key Responsibilities
- Licensing & Regulatory Execution: Execute the end to end licensing process across multiple jurisdictions, including direct engagement with VARA, CBUAE, and other financial regulators where applicable.
- Global Compliance: Provide comprehensive legal support for UAE and EU operations, ensuring all products align with applicable regulatory requirements and international standards.
- Regulatory Ownership: Proactively identify licensing, regulatory perimeter, and product structure issues, and provide clear recommendations on how the business should proceed.
- Team Leadership & Development: Lead and mentor a small team (1–2 legal specialists), overseeing their daily output, quality of work, and professional growth.
- Function Scaling: Design and implement 'Legal Ops' workflows to prepare the team for future expansion and ensure efficient knowledge sharing.
- Internal Education: Act as a coach for the wider business, conducting training for Product and Sales teams on legal risks, regulatory requirements, and compliance.
- Fintech Integration: Architect legal frameworks for Banking as a Service (BaaS), card issuing or sponsorship models, payment rails, and complex banking partnerships.
- Convergence Specialist: Serve as the lead SME for the intersection of TradFi and Digital Assets, including wallets, trading, fiat ramps, liquidity, and settlement flows.
- Product Ownership: Work independently with Product, Compliance, Finance, and Operations teams to turn complex legal requirements into clear, practical business decisions.
- Contract Mastery: Lead negotiations for high stakes agreements with global liquidity providers, banking partners, payment partners, technology providers, and strategic counterparties.
- Independent Drafting: Independently draft, review, and negotiate complex multi party agreements, taking ownership of the process from first draft to signing.
- Corporate Governance: Manage global corporate structures, intercompany agreements, and support investment rounds.
Requirements
- Experience: 7+ years as Legal Counsel, with a solid background in Regulated Fintech, Banking, Payments, or Crypto.
- Ownership Mindset: Strong ability to work independently, take initiative, and drive complex legal matters to completion with minimal supervision.
- Proactive Approach: Demonstrated ability to identify legal and regulatory risks early, propose solutions, and move matters forward without waiting for detailed instructions.
- Leadership Potential: Prior experience managing at least one direct report or a strong track record of mentoring junior colleagues.
- Domain Mastery: Deep understanding of financial services regulation, global payment rails and multi jurisdictional licensing. Experience with VARA or CBUAE is a strong plus.
- Drafting Excellence: Exceptional skills in drafting complex multi party agreements.
- Language: Professional fluency in English.
- Mindset: A proactive 'builder' who is ready to take ownership, operate independently, and transition from a senior individual contributor to a team leader as the company scales.
The UMO Standard
- Dynamic Work Environment: Vibrant offices and strong local teams across Lisbon, Dubai, Kyiv, and Lviv — with openness to remote for the right fit.
- Rest & Recovery: 24 days of annual leave, dedicated paid sick leave, and observance of Public Holidays.
- Recharge Week: After your first year with us, enjoy two consecutive 4 day work weeks annually.
- Full Setup: Top of the line hardware and a home office stipend.
- Growth Ecosystem: A dedicated learning budget and a clear, accelerated path toward executive level leadership.
- Impact & Ownership: Your work directly shapes the product and company direction — not just executes it.
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