General Counsel, Square

Company Description

Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn’t work together.

So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality through Afterpay, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we’ve embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.

Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We’re building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.

Job Description

Square is looking for an experienced legal executive to lead the Square legal team. You will lead, manage, and develop an experienced global team of product, regulatory, commercial, and international counsel to support Square's growing ecosystem. You will work on a diverse range of legal issues and projects related to Square's core business offerings, including payment and financial services, payroll services, lending products, and SaaS, ecommerce, customer and employee management products. You will provide business-focused legal guidance that manages legal risk and ensures regulatory compliance, while unlocking business development. As Square expands our product offerings and geographic footprint, your leadership and ideas will make an immediate impact. You will be part of the Square Legal leadership team and will report directly to the General Counsel.

You will:

• Cultivate and guide Square's legal strategy across several subject matters, including payments, lending, consumer protection, privacy and data protection, IP, marketing, and ecommerce to manage legal risk and ensure regulatory compliance while pushing forward business development
• Lead and develop teams responsible for:
  • Advising product and engineering teams on legal issues related to Square's ecosystem of products and features throughout product development to launch lifecycle;
  • Drafting and negotiating commercial legal transactions, including payment services, sales and strategic development, partnership, hardware manufacturing, procurement, and data processing agreements;
  • Managing regulatory engagement and providing regulatory guidance on Square's products to cross-functional legal and business partners on laws and industry trends relevant to banking, financial services, and consumer and small business credit products; and
  • Advising local business stakeholders on and overseeing all aspects of international legal compliance of Square's services offered in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Japan and Europe.
• Work with business and legal partners to manage risk and unblock legal hurdles
• Partner with senior management and executive leaders to provide strategic, practical, and creative legal advice that contributes to amazing product experiences for customers while mitigating legal risks
• Advise on or manage your team in supporting strategic growth projects, including M&A or other transactions 
• Manage and lead different legal operations programs, including creating training materials, developing automated and scalable processes and knowledge management systems, and budgeting
• Chart the strategic direction of the team as we prioritize and expand product offerings and move into new global jurisdictions
• Be a thought leader for the Counsel leadership team, contributing to legal strategy, company priorities, and team development

Qualifications

You have:

• A minimum of 12 years of combined relevant experience in law firms, governmental agencies, or in-house legal departments
• Experience managing teams of lawyers and legal professionals, including team budgeting, strategic planning, and career development
• Experience launching products and advising on the legal and regulatory aspects of product development in the financial and technology spaces
• Excellent commercial negotiation and drafting skills
• Strong executive communication skills (both written and verbal)
• An active membership in at least one US state bar
• Prior experience