Head of Legal

YouLend • Atlanta, GA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

YouLend is hiring a Head of Legal to lead the legal function for its rapidly scaling US business, based in Atlanta. This senior leadership role owns US legal strategy and delivery, serving as the principal legal adviser to the US leadership team and a strategic partner to stakeholders across the wider group. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on legal work across commercial partnerships, financing products, financial services regulation, capital markets, corporate governance, and complex transactions.

The Head of Legal will help enable business expansion by identifying and managing legal risks while developing scalable legal processes, governance frameworks, templates, and playbooks. The role leads negotiations for major strategic partnerships and complex commercial and financing agreements, advises on product development and US regulatory matters, and oversees corporate legal matters, disputes, external counsel, and US legal resources. The position works closely with YouLend’s global Legal team and teams across commercial, finance, product, technology, and operations.

Requirements

• US-qualified lawyer, admitted to at least one US state bar; New York, California, or Georgia admission is preferred.
• Ideally 8–12+ years of relevant legal experience, including substantial experience at a leading law firm and/or in a senior in-house legal role.
• Strong background in one or more of corporate transactions, financing, financial services, fintech, commercial partnerships, or financial regulation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex legal matters, manage high-value negotiations, and advise senior business stakeholders.
• Excellent commercial judgment and ability to balance legal and regulatory risks against business objectives.
• Confidence operating as the senior legal lead for a fast-growing US business, making decisions, and taking ownership of outcomes.
• Strong understanding of the legal and regulatory considerations involved in operating and scaling a US financial services or technology business.
• Ability to work strategically while remaining hands-on across a broad range of legal matters.
• Exceptional drafting, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented approach and ability to thrive in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.
• Genuine interest in fintech, embedded finance, and SME financing.

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience as a Head of Legal, Deputy General Counsel, senior in-house counsel, or equivalent legal leader within a fintech, financial services, payments, or technology business.
• Experience with US commercial financing, merchant cash advances, revenue-based financing, or other alternative SME financing structures.
• Knowledge of US federal and state financial services regulation, bank partnership models, and embedded finance.
• Experience advising on capital markets, structured finance, warehouse facilities, or other funding arrangements.
• Cross-border transactional experience and experience working within an international legal function.
• Experience building or scaling a legal function, managing external counsel, and developing legal team members.

Responsibilities

• Lead the legal function for YouLend’s US business, owning US legal strategy, priorities, and delivery.
• Act as principal legal adviser to the US leadership team and a strategic partner to senior stakeholders across the wider group.
• Provide commercially focused legal guidance on strategic initiatives, business expansion, risk management, and operational decisions.
• Identify, assess, and manage legal risks while enabling efficient business execution.
• Develop scalable legal processes, governance frameworks, templates, and playbooks to support US growth.
• Manage and develop US legal resources, supervise Legal team members, and oversee external counsel relationships and budgets.
• Lead negotiations for major US commercial and strategic partnerships, including partnerships with e-commerce platforms and payment service providers.
• Structure, draft, and negotiate complex commercial, financing, and partnership agreements.
• Advise on significant US transactions and strategic initiatives, including capital markets activities, restructurings, non-performing assets, and corporate structuring.
• Work with commercial, finance, product, technology, and operations teams to structure and execute important transactions.
• Lead legal advice on the development, structuring, and expansion of US embedded financing products.
• Partner with product and commercial leadership on product launches, market expansion, and the evolution of YouLend’s US financing offering.
• Advise on US financial services regulation, including federal and state requirements relevant to SME financing, payments, and embedded finance.
• Provide legal guidance on bank partnership structures, financing arrangements, and related regulatory considerations.
• Work with internal teams and external advisers to assess regulatory developments and their implications for the US business.
• Support legally robust and commercially scalable operating and financing structures.
• Oversee US corporate legal matters, including entity governance, group structuring, and relevant corporate transactions.
• Advise senior leadership on material legal, regulatory, and contractual risks.
• Support the management of disputes, contentious matters, and other significant legal issues.
• Ensure appropriate legal oversight and governance arrangements as the US business scales.

Benefits

• Healthcare coverage: YouLend covers 80% of health insurance premiums, with employees contributing 20%.
• Choice of five medical plans through UnitedHealthcare, including prescription drug coverage.
• Dental and vision insurance coverage.
• Dependent coverage options for employee-only, employee and spouse, employee and child, or family coverage.
• 401(k) employer match of $1 for every $1 contributed, up to 5% of salary.
• Basic Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance.
• International travel insurance for work-related travel.
• 20 working days (four weeks) of paid time off plus US public holidays.
• Paid office parking.
• Career development opportunities and long-term reward through compensation, bonuses, and potential share option appreciation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed