Assistant General Counsel - Commercial (Partnerships)

BUILDING THE FUTURE OF OPEN FINANCE

Payward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system.

THE TEAM

Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions across the globe. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients.

The Commercial Legal team is at the forefront of Kraken’s global business operations, serving as strategic legal partners across all departments. This lean and dynamic group is responsible for managing a wide range of commercial contracts and supporting the company in its partnerships, procurement, licensing, and vendor relationships. The team plays a key role in enabling Kraken’s rapid innovation and expansion while protecting the business from legal and regulatory risks.

As Assistant General Counsel – Commercial (Partnerships), you will report directly to the Head of Commercial Legal. You will be responsible for leading Kraken’s product partnership commercial legal efforts, working cross-functionally with Product, Sales, Finance, Engineering, and Regulatory teams to craft and launch novel and strategically significant products and partnerships at the most innovative financial exchange in the world.

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Serve as the lead commercial counsel for cutting edge, high visibility product partnerships, driving legal strategy and execution for complex and first-of-their-kind commercial arrangements that support Kraken’s most innovative product initiatives.
• Act as a strategic partner to the Product, Sales, Engineering, Finance, and Regulatory teams, helping design go-to-market structures and partnership models that are legally sound and support rapid innovation.
• Advise leadership and stakeholders on a wide range of commercial legal matters and negotiations, including technology agreements, strategic partnerships, and terms of service.
• Oversee the development and continuous improvement of legal templates, playbooks, AI processes, and risk management frameworks that support scalable and efficient commercial operations.
• Collaborate closely with Compliance, Tax, and Regulatory teams to assess legal risk and implement practical, forward-thinking solutions that unlock business opportunities.
• Support contract lifecycle management and help drive legal process automation and tooling improvements across the function.
• Assist with M&A efforts as needed, including contract diligence and integration.
• Additional responsibilities and special projects as assigned by the Head of Commercial Legal.

WHAT YOU BRING

• J.D. or equivalent legal degree and active license to practice law in at least one jurisdiction.
• 8+ years of commercial legal experience, ideally a mix of top-tier law firm and in-house experience.
• Proven track record leading complex, high-stakes commercial transactions in a global environment, particularly those involving technology, SaaS, or strategic partnerships.
• Deep understanding of product development and go-to-market strategies from a legal perspective.
• Excellent contract drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including mentoring and managing high-performing teams.
• Ability to operate independently and decisively in a fast-paced, remote-first, innovation-driven environment.

NICE TO HAVES

• Experience in fintech, crypto, or other highly regulated sectors.
• Familiarity with vendor onboarding, procurement processes, and compliance frameworks.
• Background working closely with product and engineering teams to develop and launch consumer-facing and enterprise products.
• Experience implementing or managing contract lifecycle management (CLM) tools.
• Passion for crypto, Web3, and emerging technologies.

Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

OUR COMMITMENT

Payward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.

We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.

As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

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