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VP of Legal

Remote - USA

Company Description

Candidly was founded in 2016 to flip the script on what it means to plan, borrow, repay, and save for college. Today, we’re the category leader with the market’s most comprehensive AI-driven student debt and savings optimization platform. We partner with hundreds of top employers, financial institutions, and retirement record keepers, positioning Candidly to serve more than 35 million Americans. 

We’re already achieving incredible results — to date, we’ve helped our users get on track to eliminate more than $1.8B in student debt and pay off their loans 175,000 years quicker — and we’re seeking movers, shakers, innovators, and problem solvers to help take our mission even further. 

Candidly is a high-growth, Series B startup, funded by leading investors including Altos Ventures, Aflac, Salesforce Ventures, UBS, Equal Opportunity Ventures, Impact Engine, Rethink Impact, Unum, and Cercano Management. Our fully remote, international team of 70 (and counting) includes alumni from Google, UBS, Twitter, Plaid, Prudential, LendingTree, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, and more.

Role Overview

The Vice President of Legal leads the organization's legal department and provides strategic legal counsel to executive leadership with specific emphasis on drafting and negotiating SaaS and commercial contracts. This member of the executive team oversees the company's legal affairs while specializing in complex commercial agreements, data protection frameworks, payment processing regulations, and fintech compliance. The role requires deep expertise in navigating the evolving regulatory landscape of financial technology while supporting the company's SaaS business model and ensuring legal protection across all operations.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead legal strategy development and implementation across the organization
  • Review, draft, and negotiate complex SaaS and commercial agreements with clients and partners
  • Advise on regulatory compliance matters, particularly in consumer financial services
  • Partner with product and business teams to integrate legal requirements into development workflows
  • Manage relationships with outside counsel and legal service providers
  • Identify and mitigate legal risks across business operations
  • Develop scalable legal processes to support company growth

Requirements

  • JD degree from an accredited law school; admission to state bar required
  • 8-12 years of legal experience including operating as an in-house counsel
  • Extensive background in financial services, payments and/or financial technology sectors
  • Proven track record negotiating and drafting SaaS commercial contracts
  • Deep understanding of consumer compliance and regulatory frameworks
  • Experience working directly with large financial institutions
  • Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment
  • Excellent judgment and decision-making skills in fast-paced situations
  • Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders
  • Management experience preferred but not required for exceptional individual contributors
  • Interest or experience in financial services and student debt is a plus, with a passion for fintech innovation and process improvement.

Background and EEOC

Candidly offers for employment are conditioned upon satisfactory completion of our employment screening process (including, but not limited to, a review of past employment and education records, background investigation, and/or credit check & fingerprints).

Candidly strives to foster an environment where every employee can succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

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