GENERAL COUNSEL

Sunrise Banks•Saint Paul, MN

1d•$173,351 - $321,938

About The Position

The General Counsel serves as the top legal advisor to the Bank and its fintech payments business, providing strategic, pragmatic counsel on all legal, regulatory, and risk matters. This role acts as a trusted partner to executive leadership, safeguarding the organization while enabling responsible growth aligned with its CDFI mission. The General Counsel is a hands-on role that oversees all legal operations, including banking, fintech payments and partnerships, contracts, regulatory compliance, and litigation, and is responsible for managing a few staff and external counsel. This role is critical to enabling the Bank’s dual mission: delivering inclusive financial services as a CDFI while scaling innovative fintech and payments capabilities responsibly. The General Counsel ensures the organization can grow confidently within a complex and highly regulated environment.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active license to practice law
12+ years of legal experience, with significant experience in banking or financial services
Deep expertise in banking regulation and supervision; Fintech and/or payments (preferred) and commercial contracts and complex negotiations
Proven ability to advise senior executives on complex, high-impact issues
Sound judgement with pragmatic, business-oriented approach
Ability to simplify complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance
High level of integrity and discretion
Collaborative leadership style with strong relationship-building skills
Comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving regulatory landscape as both a leader and an individual contributor
Superior skill set in the use of the following software applications: Microsoft Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Fintech and/or payments expertise
Experience in a CDFI or mission-driven financial institution
Familiarity with BaaS, embedded finance, and fintech partnership models
Experience working in both regulated banking and entrepreneurial/growth environments

Responsibilities

Serve as primary legal advisor to the Executive Team and Board on banking, payments, and corporate matters
Advise on enterprise risk management from a legal perspective. Providing proactive, solution-oriented legal guidance that balances risk with business objectives
Design legal strategies that align with the Bank’s CDFI mission and regulatory obligations in order to minimize legal exposure and resolve matters efficiently
Select, engage, and manage outside counsel across specialty areas controlling spend and setting expectations for responsiveness and outcomes
Establish scalable contract standards and governance practices
Lead and develop a small, high-performing legal team (one attorney and one paralegal)
Foster a collaborative, pragmatic, and service-oriented legal function
Advise on federal and state banking regulations (e.g., OCC, FDIC, CFPB) and payments-related regulatory frameworks
Provide legal oversight of compliance with consumer protection laws and CDFI requirements
Monitor regulatory developments and guide leadership on implications and required actions
Partner closely with risk and compliance teams to mitigate legal and regulatory exposure
Lead negotiation, structuring, and review of complex agreements, including: Fintech partner agreements, Commercial agreements, Payments processing and program management contracts, Vendor and technology agreements, often partnering with Procurement
Provide counsel on contract risk, enforceability, and dispute resolution
Serve as lead legal advisor for fintech and payments business lines, ensuring compliance with evolving industry requirements
Advise on BaaS (Banking-as-a-Service), sponsorship models, and partner oversight frameworks
Support product development with clear, practical legal guidance
Responsible for the hiring, performance management and development of these employees.