Legal Counsel

About VertoAt Verto, we're on a mission to democratise global finance and empower businesses in Emerging Markets to reach the world. Founded by British-Nigerian entrepreneurs Ola Oyetayo and Anthony Oduu, our roots in Africa provided a firsthand understanding of the significant challenges businesses face with cross-border payments, ranging from illiquid currencies and high fees to slow transactions. This deep-rooted insight is why Africa remains a core focus, as we're committed to bridging the gap between emerging and developed markets and fostering global economic growth.What started as an FX solution for the Nigerian Naira has evolved into a market-leading platform, enabling thousands of businesses to seamlessly transfer billions of dollars annually. We believe that where you do business shouldn’t determine your success or ability to scale. We're creating equal access to the easy payment and liquidity solutions that are already a given in developed markets.We're not alone in realising this crucial need; we're backed by world-class investors including Y-Combinator, Quona, and MEVP. With Verto receiving the Milken-Motsepe Prize, appearing on CNBCs list of fastest growing UK companies, the Deloitte Fast 50 and Sifted’s fastest-growing UK tech companies, we are building a seamless cross-border payment future.Join us as we continue to grow and transform global finance.Role OverviewThe Legal Counsel is a high-impact, legal role at the heart of Verto’s global operations. You will be the primary source of legal advice across the company, working as a strategic partner to senior leadership, product, and compliance teams.We are not looking for a "gatekeeper," but a senior Legal Counsel with a strong commercial brain, someone who can think holistically about risk and reward to enable the business to move quickly and confidently. Your focus will be on commercial contracting, regulatory navigation, and supporting our growth-oriented decisions.What You'll Be Doing1. Commercial & Contractual LawDrafting & Negotiation: Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of a wide range of commercial agreements, including customer terms and conditions, partner/aggregator contracts, and vendor agreements.Revenue Enablement: Streamline day-to-day contracting processes to support revenue growth, ensuring legal execution keeps pace with a fast-moving fintech environment.Third-Party Management: Manage and coordinate external law firms for specialized support in contract drafting, tax, or broader corporate matters.Litigation: Manage pre-action cases and debt management.2. Regulatory & Financial ServicesFCA Framework: Provide expert advice on the FCA regulatory framework applicable to EMIs, including the Electronic Money Regulations (EMRs), Payment Services Regulations (PSRs), and relevant FCA rules (PRIN, COND, CASS).Safeguarding: Advise on safeguarding obligations for client funds to ensure Verto’s practices meet stringent regulatory requirements.International Expansion: Support the business as it enters new jurisdictions (e.g., EEA, US, UAE/DIFC, and East Africa), navigating multi-jurisdictional payments regulation.3. Product & Innovation SupportProduct Development: Act as a legal partner to the Product team, advising on the legal implications of new features, such as stablecoin on/off-ramping, API integrations, and FX products.Data Privacy: Support UK GDPR compliance, managing data processing agreements and ensuring privacy-by-design in our product roadmap.4. Corporate & Strategic SupportCorporate matter: Work alongside external counsel to support corporate structuring and any other corporate mattress, as required.Internal Governance: Maintain a strong feedback loop with manager, and overall leadership team to ensure commercial contracts do not stall and legal risks are escalated appropriately.What You NeedQualified solicitor (England & Wales) with a current practising certificate.Minimum 3–4 years' post-qualification experience (PQE), ideally including experience in financial services regulation.Senior Profile: Substantial experience in an in-house legal position (FinTech, Banking or Payments experience is highly preferred).Commercial Mindset: A "commercial brain" able to understand risk/reward trade-offs and support growth-oriented decisions rather than simply mitigating risk.EMI Knowledge: Deep understanding of FCA-authorised EMI/Payment Institution regulations and cross-border payment flows (SWIFT, CHAPS, Faster Payments).Fast-Paced Experience: Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-growing startup or scale-up environment where agility is key.Stakeholder Management: Experience managing external law firms and acting as a trusted advisor to leadership.Bonus PointsExperience with multi-jurisdictional regulationFamiliarity with crypto/digital asset regulation and blockchain infrastructure.Background in environments where legal must maintain a high pace across commercial contracting and fundraising simultaneously.Competencies