Director, Corporate Legal (M&A)
About The Position
The Director, Corporate Legal is the senior transactions counsel within Airwallex’s Corporate Legal team, owning high-impact corporate transactions globally. The role leads private-company fundraising and financing transactions, including equity and equity-linked deals, from term-sheet development and definitive agreements through diligence, negotiation, closing, and post-close actions. It also designs and executes domestic and cross-border M&A and strategic transactions, including acquisitions of licensed fintech entities and other strategic assets, advising on structure, documentation, regulatory and licensing considerations, closing mechanics, and post-closing integration. The position shapes secondary sales, corporate governance, capital structure, intragroup reorganisations, and corporate actions so Airwallex’s global entity and ownership structure supports its licensing, tax, regulatory, and commercial objectives. The role partners with teams across the company, manages external counsel across jurisdictions, and develops scalable transaction processes, playbooks, templates, and approval frameworks, thoughtfully using LegalTech and AI to increase speed, consistency, and deal capacity. The role works from Airwallex’s San Francisco or New York office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The successful candidate will also collaborate across countries and time zones and may occasionally flex working hours to support the global team.
Requirements
- U.S. legal qualification, or foreign equivalent, and an active license to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
- At least 10 years of experience in an in-house legal department and/or private practice advising on private-company financing and mergers and acquisitions, with a strong track record running transactions end to end.
- Significant experience drafting and negotiating core transaction documentation for equity financings, M&A, joint ventures, and secondary sales, including term sheets, purchase and merger agreements, shareholder and investor rights agreements, and ancillary documents.
- Strong working knowledge of U.S. corporate and securities law as applied to private companies, particularly private-company fundraising, secondary transactions, and corporate governance.
- Ability to work directly with senior executives, investors, and cross-functional stakeholders, providing clear, commercially grounded, and risk-balanced advice in fast-moving environments.
- Excellent drafting, negotiation, analytical, and project-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple complex matters simultaneously and drive deals to closure under tight timelines.
- Comfort owning a roadmap, making decisions with incomplete information, moving quickly, collaborating across countries and time zones, communicating directly and respectfully, and connecting details to the broader picture.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in high-growth technology, fintech, payments, or broader financial services, ideally with exposure to cross-border structures and licensed entities.
- A mix of top-tier law firm and in-house experience, ideally in a late-stage growth or pre-IPO company.
- Experience designing or executing private-company secondary programs, tender offers, or other structured liquidity solutions.
- Experience collaborating with Legal, Risk & Compliance peers, including Regulatory Legal, Regulatory Compliance, FCC, Data & Privacy, and Product Legal, on transactions involving regulatory and product issues.
- Experience building or enhancing transaction-related legal operations, including processes, playbooks, templates, and tooling, to support scale in a global organisation.
Responsibilities
- Lead private-company fundraising and financing transactions, including equity and equity-linked deals, from term-sheet development and definitive agreements through diligence, negotiation, closing, and post-close actions.
- Design and execute domestic and cross-border M&A and strategic transactions, including acquisitions of licensed fintech entities and other strategic assets.
- Advise on transaction structure, documentation, regulatory and licensing considerations, closing mechanics, and post-closing integration.
- Shape secondary sales, corporate governance, capital structure, intragroup reorganisations, and corporate actions to support the company’s licensing, tax, regulatory, and commercial objectives.
- Partner with the CEO’s Office, Corporate Development & Investor Relations, Finance, Tax, Regulatory Legal, Regulatory Compliance, FCC, Product Legal, Data & Privacy, Risk, People, and other LRC teams on complex cross-border transactions.
- Structure secondary sales and private-company liquidity programs for existing shareholders, employees, and early investors, including tender offers, transfer restrictions, ROFR/ROFO mechanics, and stakeholder approvals.
- Select, manage, and direct external counsel across multiple jurisdictions, maintaining high standards for quality, commerciality, speed, and cost.
- Build scalable transaction processes, playbooks, templates, and approval frameworks, using LegalTech and AI to improve speed, consistency, and deal capacity.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
