Senior Counsel, Nigeria

Paystack’s mission is to accelerate digital payments on the continent of Africa. Over 200K of some of the most renowned businesses in Nigeria, as well as a growing number of merchants in South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya use Paystack’s modern payments gateway. They include the likes of MTN, Burger King, UPS, AXA Mansard Insurance, FilmHouse Cinemas, Smile Communications, Air Peace Airlines, Crocs, Under Armour, Richemont Lifestyle Group (RLG), and many others.

In just over 8 years, our growing team has introduced a steady cadence of innovation within the online payments landscape, such as automated recurring payments, the ability for customers to pay directly from their bank accounts, automated chargebacks, and much more. We’ve been acquired by Stripe and are doubling down on the mission to help build out Africa’s payments infrastructure.

About the Senior Counsel role

Our team is looking for a Senior Counsel with experience in the payments and/or finance industry and preferably years of experience in an African law firm. You will be part of the team that works to ensure that Paystack’s products and business operations comply with laws, ethics, and best practices in legal, compliance, and regulatory matters.

The successful candidate must be able to work with a wide range of teams, including fraud/disputes, human resources, finance, sales, products, engineers, and customer support, and provide pragmatic advice and guidance to build sustainable growth. The role will report to the Legal and Regulatory Lead. Ideally, the candidate should be based in Nigeria with the ability to travel when required.

What you’ll do

• Work with the legal, regulatory, and compliance team to proactively identify the company’s obligations based on financial/payment rules and regulations.
• Assist with drafting and amending contractual templates and precedents for Paystack’s teams and business partners e.g., indemnity letters, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, various categories of merchant services agreements, electronic processing agreements with telcos or mobile money operators, web aggregator agreements and HR-related contracts.
• Assist with license applications and regulatory approvals which may arise from time to time depending on the company’s plans and advise the board on appropriate approach and strategy based on knowledge dealing with regulators.
• Work with external counsel in multiple jurisdictions to draft and review a wide variety of commercial contracts, policies, and procedures and provide practical, business-oriented advice to the Paystack team.
• Drive communication between the teams at Paystack and external counsel to conclude transactions, opinions, and legal reviews promptly. Consider risks from a variety of angles to achieve compliant solutions.
• Advise on potential litigation matters (civil & criminal) that should be directed to external counsel and initiate and pursue legal proceedings on behalf of the Company with the assistance of external counsel
• Organize and attend Board Meetings, prepare minutes, and liaise and maintain correspondence with the Company Secretary to ensure timely statutory filings
• Work with the compliance team to translate obligations into policies and procedures to be communicated and implemented across the organization.
• Represent Paystack at meetings with regulators and work with the regulatory team to establish relationships that align with our objectives and ensure an open line of communication with regulators.
• Work with the legal team to assess changes made to Paystack’s products and services and determine any regulatory impact on existing market operations.
• Support knowledge and education across the organization to ensure compliance with policies and procedures. This will entail working with HR and the legal team.

Who you are

• You have at least 8 years of experience in a legal or compliance function, advising clients on day-to-day legal matters as a qualified lawyer.
• Your knowledge of the finance and/or payment industry is well-established.
• You must be forward-thinking and able to advise management on anticipated issues.
• You have interpersonal skills, specifically, you will be able to connect with a variety of internal and external stakeholders and customers from varying disciplines and cultures.
• Your strong sense of initiative and self-motivation will add value to a fast-growing business.
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey legal advice clearly and synthesize complex legal issues.
• Proven ability to research, interpret, and summarize legal requirements in easily understood terms; and determine the regulatory impact of such requirements to business initiatives.
• Capable of handling multiple assignments simultaneously and under tight deadlines.
• French would be an advantage, but not required.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• MacBook Pro
• Health Insurance
• Hybrid Working
• Smart, kind colleagues who’re invested in your growth

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