Senior Counsel, APAC

Circle is a financial technology company at the epicenter of the emerging internet of money, where value can finally travel like other digital data - globally, nearly instantly and less expensively than legacy settlement systems. This ground-breaking new internet layer opens up previously unimaginable possibilities for payments, commerce and markets that can help raise global economic prosperity and enhance inclusion. Our infrastructure - including USDC, a blockchain-based dollar - helps businesses, institutions and developers harness these breakthroughs and capitalize on this major turning point in the evolution of money and technology.
What you'll be part of:
Circle is committed to visibility and stability in everything we do. As we grow as an organization, we're expanding into some of the world's strongest jurisdictions. Speed and efficiency are motivators for our success and our employees live by our company values : High Integrity, Future Forward, Multistakeholder, Mindful, and Driven by Excellence. We have built a flexible and diverse work environment where new ideas are encouraged and everyone is a stakeholder.
What you'll be responsible for:
Under the direction of the Assistant General Counsel, International, you will play an immediate and direct role in providing legal support for scaling Circle's product suite, ongoing licensing efforts, enterprise risk and compliance functions, and the policy and strategy function. You will advise the company on a wide range of regulatory, compliance, governance, enterprise risk and policy matters, contributing to and overseeing a variety of design, implementation and operation objectives. You will align and coordinate priorities and activities with cross-functional stakeholders.
We are looking for someone who is highly proactive, accountable, team-oriented, capable of managing multiple competing priorities, and excited to join a lean team that executes on a variety of novel and complex legal issues.
What you'll work on:

• Providing support to Circle's global legal operations, risk management efforts and strategic business objectives and priorities.
• Advising Circle stakeholders on comprehensive approaches to product development initiatives, regulatory compliance and enterprise risk management matters and guidance.
• Collaborating closely with product, policy, business, compliance and enterprise risk team members to define scope, engage stakeholders, prioritize and drive execution of key initiatives.
• Owning and managing multiple projects, legally compliant process improvements, and workstreams critical to large-scale, complex initiatives.
• Advising on product and regulatory assessments, and leading adoption of jurisdictionally compliant legal principles, ensuring compliance by design into business operations.
• Providing thought leadership consistent with Circle's related business objectives, strategies, policies, standards and procedures.
• Proactively identifying compliance risk areas and strategies to mitigate them.

What you'll bring to Circle:

• 12+ years of legal experience with strong, demonstrated knowledge of:
  
  • Managing diverse initiatives, matters, and transactions requiring analysis and distillation of relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards, ideally in financial services.
  • Performing complex legal research and preparing memoranda for internal clients and senior leadership.
  • APAC regional laws and issues relevant to Circle's business, particularly evolving product and technology requirements in fintech, payments, cryptocurrency, and blockchain.
  • Broad product development and compliance experience in crypto/payments/fintech industries, with regulatory agency interface experience.
  • Extensive experience drafting and negotiating fintech, financial services, and technology agreements in regulated environments.
• Experience working in the APAC region preferred (in-house or top-tier law firm); connections to APAC also preferred.
• Experience working with and presenting to diverse, cross-functional teams and senior leadership.
• Passion for Circle's mission and values, financial technology, and the disruptive potential of cryptocurrency and blockchains.
• Comfort operating outside of comfort zones in rapidly evolving, high-velocity environments, managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• Practical business judgment in legal recommendations; creative problem solving while balancing legal risks.
• Ability to exercise good judgment in time-sensitive, high-pressure situations; capable of working independently and collaboratively.
• Highly organized, energetic, team-oriented, and supportive.
• Minimum three (3) years at a top-tier law firm.
• Willingness to be located in Singapore.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Fluency in oral and written English.
• Experience with Slack, Apple MacOS, and GSuite

Circle is on a mission to create an inclusive financial future, with transparency at our core. We consider a wide variety of elements when crafting our compensation ranges and total compensation packages.
Starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to: relevant experience, skill set, qualifications, and other business and organizational needs. Please note that compensation ranges may differ for candidates in other locations.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Circle. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Additionally, Circle participates in the E-Verify Program in certain locations, as required by law.
Should you require accommodations or assistance in our interview process because of a disability, please reach out to [email protected] for support. We respect your privacy and will connect with you separately from our interview process to accommodate your needs.
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