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Senior Counsel, Product/Regulatory

Palo Alto

Aptos is a people-first blockchain on a mission to help billions of people achieve universal and fair access to decentralized assets in a safe and scalable way.

Founded by some of the original creators and maintainers that researched, designed, and built the Diem blockchain to serve this purpose, we have dedicated several years toward this mission. We believe the open-source Diem technology we have developed is an important foundation of a safe and scalable web3 world where everyone has more equitable opportunities to grow and access financial assets with lower fees and fewer intermediaries.  

Aptos (Ohlone for "The People") encompasses our mission and ethos for why we build.

About The Role

Aptos Labs is looking for an exceptional candidate to serve as Senior Counsel, responsible for supporting product and regulatory legal matters at Aptos Labs. As product/regulatory counsel at Aptos Labs, this role has a broad range of responsibilities and will support the product development and marketing teams, manage regulatory issues across the organization and also advise on legal risks, product launches and business strategies. This is a great opportunity to join a growing legal team and work at the cutting edge of emerging legal issues facing a leading layer 1, proof-of-stake blockchain.

What you'll be doing:

  • Provide guidance to product, engineering, marketing, and go-to-market teams on issues related to new and existing products and features.
  • Insure products and services of the company meet all legal and regulatory requirements 
  • Stay up-to-date on relevant U.S. and international laws, regulations and public policy matters, especially those related to financial regulation and blockchain related matters. Advise the team on how such matters and developments may influence business strategies and insure continued compliance
  • Develop trusted relationships with business partners and stay informed on key product developments
  • Draft terms of use, product policies, privacy notices, and other disclosures. Implement related processes to support compliance
  • Work collaboratively across multiple functions to help build scalable and effective processes for providing legal input to clients on strategic product initiatives
  • Provide practical legal and strategic business advice to the product teams and help develop a comprehensive, long-term approach to support new product developments and customer experiences 
  • Ability to lead and manage numerous initiatives and meet tight deadlines when necessary to achieve business objectives
  • Available to travel as and when required
  • The legal team at Aptos Labs is very cross-functional so this role will be expected to contribute in other legal areas such as commercial (contracts, tech trans, etc.), intellectual property and corporate (e.g. grants, investments, etc.) matters when needed.

What we’re looking for:

  • J.D. degree (or foreign equivalent) and member of the California or New York bar
  • 5+ years of legal experience (either in-house and/or at a law firm), with a background in product counseling or regulatory matters.  
  • Experience with the legal issues arising from fintech and/or blockchain applications (securities laws, money transmission, custody, data privacy) 
  • Experience counseling and advising clients and product and engineering teams on business and risk mitigation strategies in connection with the launch of products and services
  • Experience advising business teams to insure regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions
  • Experience building relationships and collaborating cross-functionally with external partners, product teams and other members of the legal team to ensure business needs are met and company remains in compliance with regulatory requirements
  • Excellent legal judgment and outstanding communication and presentation skills, both written and verbal
  • Ability to research and master complex legal and regulatory topics, communicate them to non-lawyers in clear, easy to understand language

 

The base salary range for this full-time position is $196k- $250k . The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and typical maximum target for new hire salaries for the position of a candidate based in the Bay Area at any level. We do hire exceptionally talented professionals with decades of experience in their field. As such, our range may be higher than what is displayed. Our base salary ranges are determined by experience and location, and we hire at all levels for multiple roles. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location, job-related skills demonstrated during the interviews, working experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include equity, tokens, or benefits.

Our Benefits

  • 100% insurance premium coverage for medical, dental, and vision for you and your dependents (US Employees)
  • Equipment of your choice
  • Flexible vacation time, 11 holidays, and floating company days off 
  • Competitive Salary
  • Equity (RSUs) (US employees)
  • Protocol Token Grants
  • 401k matching (US Employees)
  • Fun and inclusive in-person and digital events

Aptos is committed to diversity in the workplace, and we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not hire on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need.

We are committed to providing a safe and secure hiring process for all applicants. Unfortunately, there are individuals who may attempt to impersonate Aptos or our employees for fraudulent purposes.
To protect yourself, please be aware of the following:
  • We will never ask you for payment of any kind during the application or onboarding process, including fees for background checks, training, or equipment.
  • We will always communicate with you using our official company email domain.
  • We will never request your personal financial information, such as your social security number or bank account details, during the initial application stages or via email or a video/voice call when onboarding.
If you encounter any suspicious activity or requests that seem out of the ordinary, please do not hesitate to report it to us at security@aptoslabs.com.

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