Senior Counsel, Security and Technology

Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of?

At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system.

To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high caliber colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up. We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems.

Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But if you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be.

While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported.

The Security/Technology Legal team serves as the primary advisors to the global security and technology infrastructure teams at Coinbase. The team counsels on a range of matters from incident response/reporting to security and technology program compliance with international and domestic information security regulations. The team also tackles unique Web3/blockchain legal matters in the cybersecurity and technology fields. The role will focus on incident response reporting obligations and information technology/security program governance obligations in regulatory contexts and as related to security provisions in contracts for vendors and customers. 

What you’ll be doing (ie. job duties):

• Work closely as legal advisor to  business executives and the security/technology teams to ensure compliance of US and international operations with applicable e-money / payment services and financial services law and regulation and industry standards within the information technology and cybersecurity spaces
• Provide legal guidance to international operating entities. Includes responsibility for ensuring legal and regulatory compliance in the cybersecurity space of new products and services, inter-company operating arrangements, governance of cross-entity oversight, and proper reporting of security and operational incidents to relevant regulators. 
• Advise business leads and other key clients of new regulatory and policy trends and developments involving digital currency and cybersecurity/tech governance in key US and international jurisdictions, and help enable Coinbase’s advocacy for effective regulation
• Continuously assess operating risks and legal needs and ensure that the legal department is equipped to provide outstanding support as Coinbase’s international business continues to grow
• Manage outside counsel effectively where they are engaged in connection with specific projects, while establishing your own strong domain expertise.

What we look for in you (ie. job requirements):

• Qualified attorney with approximately 6 -10 years experience working in cybersecurity law, preferably within a regulated e-money / payment services or financial services institution (e.g. e-money issuer, payment service firm, broker dealer / asset manager) or in a law firm supporting such clients (ideally with some previous in-house experience)
• Strong familiarity with existing and upcoming cybersecurity regulations
• Ability to manage complex projects involving coordination across multiple time zones, challenging legal issues and tight deadlines
• Ability to work closely with Security to deliver coordinated input to the business and other stakeholders
• Ability to exercise initiative and drive effective internal decision making across complex workstreams to enable Coinbase to meet its long-term goals 
• Ability to manage a large and varied workload and exercise excellent judgment, analytical rigour and commercial pragmatism. Must be able to provide crisp and practical legal advice to business executives across a broad range of matters with limited supervision
• Highly driven and proactive.  Must be keen to create process and structure and strive for continuous improvement
• Must be flexible, able to multitask, detail-oriented, and enjoy fast paced and high-intensity work
• Exceptional legal writing abilities and skilled at synthesizing the perspectives of various stakeholders
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, growth-stage environment, subject to regulatory scrutiny, operating excellence and Coinbase’s demanding standards to operate the world’s most trusted digital currency exchange

Nice to haves:

• Enthusiasm for and a basic understanding of digital currencies/blockchain

Job #: P75701

#LI-Remote 

Please be advised that each candidate may submit a maximum of four applications within any 30-day period. We encourage you to carefully evaluate how your skills and interests align with Coinbase's roles before applying.

Commitment to Equal Opportunity

Coinbase is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by applicable law. Coinbase will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.  For US applicants, you may view the Employee Rights and the Know Your Rights notices by clicking on their corresponding links. Additionally, Coinbase participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. 

Coinbase is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please contact us at accommodations[at]coinbase.com to let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.   For quick access to screen reading technology compatible with this site click here to download a free compatible screen reader (free step by step tutorial can be found here).

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Depending on your location, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. Our full notice outlining how data will be processed as part of the application procedure for applicable locations is available here. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required. For US applicants only, by submitting your application you are agreeing to arbitration of disputes as outlined here.    

AI Disclosure

For select roles, Coinbase is piloting an AI tool based on machine learning technologies to conduct initial screening interviews to qualified applicants. The tool simulates realistic interview scenarios and engages in dynamic conversation. A human recruiter will review your interview responses, provided in the form of a voice recording and/or transcript, to assess them against the qualifications and characteristics outlined in the job description.  

For select roles, Coinbase is also piloting an AI interview intelligence platform to transcribe and summarize interview notes, allowing our interviewers to fully focus on you as the candidate. 

The above pilots are for testing purposes and Coinbase will not use AI to make decisions impacting employment. To request a reasonable accommodation due to disability, please contact accommodations[at]coinbase.com