Senior Counsel – Product
23 hours ago
Slough
Building the Future of Crypto Our Krakenites are a world-class team with crypto conviction, united by our desire to discover and unlock the potential of crypto and blockchain technology. What makes us different? Kraken is a mission-focused company rooted in crypto values. As a Krakenite, you’ll join us on our mission to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. For over a decade, Kraken’s focus on our mission and crypto ethos has attracted many of the most talented crypto experts in the world. Before you apply, please read the Kraken Culture page to learn more about our internal culture, values, and mission. We also expect candidates to familiarize themselves with the Kraken app. Learn how to create a Kraken account here. As a fully remote company, we have Krakenites in 70+ countries who speak over 50 languages. Krakenites are industry pioneers who develop premium crypto products for experienced traders, institutions, and newcomers to the space. Kraken is committed to industry-leading security, crypto education, and world-class client support through our products like Kraken Pro, Desktop, Wallet, and Kraken Futures. Become a Krakenite and build the future of crypto! Proof of work The team Join our growing Product Legal team, embedded with Kraken’s Product, Design, and Engineering teams to ship novel products and experiences that accelerate the global adoption of crypto and advance key global licensing initiatives. We’re a tight, experienced group of product lawyers from a diverse range of tradfi, fintech, and crypto backgrounds who move fast, stay curious, and take pride in the commercial accountability of our advice - partnering directly with product teams to chart clear, defensible paths to launch. The Senior Counsel role is based in the US, UK, or EU, partnering on licensing efforts in the UK, EU and various other jurisdictions and cutting edge products including tokenized equities, margin, institutional custody, prime brokerage, financing, OTC. You will operate as a practical legal generalist with a dual focus: • Licensing — driving strategy, scoping, and execution of licensing/registration efforts across priority jurisdictions; and, • Lead licensing/registration workstreams: scope requirements, map pathways, coordinate outside counsel, compile application materials, and manage regulator interactions., • Own cross‑functional product counseling across the build cycle (discovery → design → launch → iteration), delivering crisp, actionable guidance and risk‑based options to product, engineering, compliance, and leadership., • Translate complex regulatory frameworks (e.g., MiCA, AML/CFT, financial promotions, e‑money, MiFID, EMIR, derivatives, market structure) into pragmatic controls and go‑to‑market guardrails., • Draft and negotiate product‑critical agreements (platform T&Cs, bespoke agreements, and partnership deals) with clear, business‑aligned positions., • Support incident and supervisory responses with well‑reasoned written submissions and evidence packages., • Qualified lawyer (Solicitor of England & Wales, Irish Solicitor, or equivalent admitted in an EU Member State)., • 10+ years’ PQE in financial services law within a regulated financial services institution (e.g., an exchange, central clearing counterparty, broker-dealer/asset manager, trading firm, bank, brokerage, or crypto services provider) or in a law firm/private practice supporting such clients (ideally with some in-house or direct product counseling experience)., • Demonstrated experience leading licensing or registration efforts (US and/or international), including planning, applications, regulator engagement, and operationalization., • Experience with advising on regulated MiFID investment services and familiarity with relevant crypto-asset regimes, including MiCA, AMLD5, UK financial promotions, and/or e-money regulations., • Outstanding analytical, drafting, and organisational skills with crisp, plain-English writing., • Ability to efficiently and confidently distill complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyers and product stakeholders., • Pragmatic, commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk that prioritises providing stakeholders with a useful range of options and delivers clear recommendations to decision-makers., • Expertise in MiCA framework applicable to CASPs including brokerage, custody and the operation of trading platforms., • Expertise in UK crypto-asset financial promotions regime and proposals for incoming authorisation regime for regulating crypto asset service providers., • Expertise in EMIR including the clearing obligation, regulatory margin for non-centrally cleared derivatives and transaction reporting, desirable., • Expertise in MiFID frameworks applicable to investment services including derivatives, equities, funds and emerging tokenised financial instruments.