Lead Legal Counsel, Capital Markets

Upstart

6h•$208,000 - $287,900•Remote

About The Position

Upstart’s capital markets legal team develops innovative deal structures and negotiates transaction terms in partnership with the capital markets business team. The Lead Legal Counsel, Capital Markets supports capital markets and finance work across purchase and sale agreements, securitizations, liquidity arrangements, and day-to-day operational and legal matters. The role works with internal partners in product, operations, compliance, accounting, tax, treasury, and finance, as well as external counterparties and counsel, on bilateral, club, and broadly syndicated deals. The position manages deal flow and supports the structuring and execution of securitization transactions, including pass-throughs and asset-backed securitizations. It also contributes legal expertise to new product launches, promotes consistency across transaction documents, develops scalable processes and templates, anticipates regulatory issues with product-regulatory colleagues, and creates internal education on legal risks. This is a remote role; the team operates across East and West Coast time zones. Occasional in-person team sessions are encouraged, with most teams meeting once or twice per quarter for two to four consecutive days.

Requirements

J.D. degree with solid academic credentials.
Membership in a state bar.
10 or more years of work experience, including both large law firm and in-house experience in structured finance, debt finance, or a similar area.
Experience drafting and negotiating sophisticated transactional documents.
Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to provide quick, concise, practical legal advice proactively.
Experience managing a team.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a fintech company focused on lending or credit markets.
California or New York bar membership.
Demonstrated ability to develop scalable processes and procedures.
Eagerness to develop expertise in new or unfamiliar products and areas of law.

Responsibilities

Support the capital markets and finance teams on purchase and sale agreements, securitization transactions, other liquidity arrangements, and day-to-day operational and legal matters.
Review, draft, and negotiate transactional documents with sophisticated institutional investors, including asset managers, private equity funds, hedge funds, and pension funds.
Manage deal flow and work with outside counsel to structure and execute securitization transactions, including pass-throughs and asset-backed securitizations.
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including other legal team members, on new product launches; ensure document consistency and provide subject matter expertise on capital markets and investor channels.
Develop processes and maintain and improve transaction templates to support business growth.
Partner with product-regulatory colleagues to anticipate and address regulatory cross-winds.
Create internal education on legal risks.
Manage a team.

Benefits

Target bonuses and equity compensation, including annual equity grants that vest quarterly.
401(k) or Group Retirement Savings Plan with a company match of $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 annually.
Employee Stock Purchase Plan with discounted stock purchase options for eligible U.S. employees.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage; wellness resources in the U.S.; and supplemental health coverage in Canada.
Health Savings Account contributions for eligible U.S. plans.
Life insurance and disability coverage.
Paid time off, sick leave, and company holidays in line with local requirements.
Paid family and parental leave.
Family-centered benefits supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving.
Employee Assistance Program with mental health support and life-centered resources.
Financial wellness resources, including financial planning tools and a financial concierge service for U.S. employees.
Annual wellness allowance supporting physical and emotional well-being and personal development.
Annual productivity allowance for tools and resources.
Team events, all-company updates, and employee resource groups.
Catered lunches and stocked micro-kitchens at company offices.