Senior Counsel, Payments & Product

Etsy•New York, NY

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Etsy is seeking a Senior Counsel, Payments & Product to join its global legal team. The role supports Etsy’s payments strategy, operations, and expansion, including product development, commercial transactions and relationships, and regulatory requirements. The counsel advises business, product, marketing, operations, compliance, and engineering teams on payment laws and regulations so Etsy can build products, adopt policies, and expand internationally in compliance with its obligations and the needs of its community. The position focuses primarily on payments, with the possibility of advising on other product areas as business needs evolve. It is a full-time role reporting to the Director, Assistant General Counsel, Product. Candidates are prioritized if they are within commuting distance of Etsy’s Brooklyn office; team members near the office are expected to come in once or twice per week. Remote candidates outside commuting distance may be considered case by case, with occasional office travel expected.

Requirements

At least 4 years of experience at a law firm and/or in-house.
JD or local equivalent.
Admission to a state bar, preferably New York or California, or qualification to work in-house in New York or Dublin.
Deep and broad substantive knowledge of global payments regulation and regulatory frameworks relevant to payments and financial services systems.
Experience identifying, understanding, and managing international payments legal and regulatory risks.
Ability to work in a high-velocity environment, meet tight deadlines, and act decisively.
Ability to present complex issues clearly and concisely and provide practical, succinct, results-driven legal advice.
Excellent business judgment, communication, and interpersonal skills.
Experience serving as the primary client contact and leading the legal work on projects.
Experience working cross-functionally across legal, compliance, finance, business, and engineering functions.
Experience advising in a fast-paced company, including providing accurate guidance and pragmatic solutions in real time during meetings.
Ability to work effectively with internal teams, other legal colleagues, and outside counsel through clear communication and effective project management.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, including experience working with technical payments specialists and senior business leaders.
Excellent presentation skills and comfort leading executive-level discussions about legal and regulatory risk.

Nice To Haves

In-house experience at a FinTech.
Admission to the New York or California state bar is preferred.

Responsibilities

Explore and evaluate payments-related business opportunities across multiple jurisdictions, explain regulatory obligations, and facilitate the launch of new payments products and services.
Advise business, product, marketing, operations, compliance, and engineering teams on payment laws and regulations.
Provide thought leadership on the evolution of Etsy’s payments strategy.
Advise on legal issues related to structuring new and existing payments products, from early product development through launch and beyond.
Draft customer-facing policies for payments products and advise on customer communications and disclosures.
Work with payments product, engineering, and commercial teams to design and deliver solutions that comply with applicable legislation, such as PSD3.
Manage local outside counsel to obtain tailored advice on launching payments products and features in various markets.
Monitor payments-related legal and regulatory developments and advise on change-management processes.
Coordinate with subject matter experts across the global Legal team on comprehensive and consistent legal risk mitigation strategies.
Collaborate with Compliance to identify and comply with regulatory obligations applicable to Etsy group marketplace payment operations in the United States and internationally.
Ensure effective risk-management practices consistent with relevant laws, regulations, and company policies.
Provide counsel on other product areas as business needs evolve.