Hybrid Head of Legal

at Sokin

• Job title: Head of Legal
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: No Education Requirement
• Location requirements: Hybrid, New York City, United States

About the role

• Head of Legal at Sokin leading US legal strategy, ensuring compliance, and supporting commercial growth. Responsible for legal advice, US licensing, and commercial contracts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead Sokin’s US legal strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives and applicable US regulatory requirements
• Provide expert legal advice to US leadership on a wide range of issues including commercial contracts, product and distribution models, data protection/privacy, intellectual property, employment matters, and litigation/disputes
• Partner with business, compliance, risk, and product teams to support US product development and go-to-market, ensuring legal risks are identified early and managed pragmatically
• Own the relationship with US external counsel, optimising for quality, speed, and cost-effectiveness
• Lead and coordinate Sokin’s US licensing strategy in partnership with Compliance and business leadership, supporting the company’s ability to operate and scale in the US market
• Manage the legal workstream for licensing applications, renewals, ongoing reporting and change management, including oversight of external counsel and internal stakeholders
• Support regulatory readiness activities such as exams, audits, supervisory requests, and regulator communications, ensuring consistent documentation, issue escalation, and remediation tracking
• Help shape and maintain US-facing policies, controls, and governance that support licensing obligations and risk management
• Negotiate and draft key US commercial agreements including customer terms, supplier agreements, partnerships, and platform/technology contracts
• Support strategic initiatives in the US market, including new partnerships, vendor onboarding, and operational scaling
• Enable revenue growth while safeguarding the company’s legal and ethical standards, balancing risk management with commercial pragmatism
• Establish and evolve a fit-for-purpose US legal operating model, including playbooks, templates, contract lifecycle processes, and training for commercial teams
• As the business grows, help define hiring needs and contribute to building a high-performing legal capability in the US (in-house and/or hybrid with external counsel)

Requirements

• Qualified US attorney (JD) admitted to practice in at least one US jurisdiction (New York preferred)
• 5+ years’ post-qualification experience (or equivalent) with relevant experience in fintech, payments, financial services, or a highly regulated environment
• Demonstrated experience supporting US financial services licensing (application and/or ongoing compliance lifecycle), ideally in payments/fintech or another regulated financial services environment
• Experience partnering closely with Compliance/Risk teams and working effectively with regulators and external counsel
• Strong understanding of US commercial contracting and the ability to advise effectively in a fast-paced, scaling business
• Proven ability to partner with senior stakeholders, simplify complex legal issues, and provide practical, business-oriented guidance
• Experience building or scaling legal processes (templates, playbooks, contract workflows) and managing external counsel effectively

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Retirement plans
• Paid time off
• Flexible work arrangements
• Professional development