Senior Counsel Product

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.Before you apply, we encourage you to explore our culture page to understand what drives us and how we work.The teamFounded 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.Join our growing Product Legal team, embedded with Kraken’s Product, Design, and Engineering teams to ship novel products and experiences that accelerate the global adoption of crypto and advance key global licensing initiatives. We’re a tight, experienced group of product lawyers from a diverse range of tradfi, fintech, and crypto backgrounds who move fast, stay curious, and take pride in the commercial accountability of our advice - partnering directly with product teams to chart clear, defensible paths to launch.The Senior Counsel role is based in the UK, or EU, partnering on licensing efforts in the UK, EU and various other jurisdictions and cutting edge products including tokenized equities, margin, institutional custody, prime brokerage, financing, OTC.You will operate as a practical legal generalist with a dual focus: Product — partnering with cross‑functional teams on consumer, institutional, and market products (e.g., tokenized instruments, margin, institutional custody, prime brokerage, financing, OTC) from ideation through launch and lifecycle; and Licensing — driving strategy, scoping, and execution of licensing/registration efforts across priority jurisdictions. We’re looking for a hands-on lawyer with strong licensing experience, product development instincts, regulatory fluency, and negotiation skills (ideally honed in the regulated financial sector) combined with a crypto-forward mindset. Curiosity, flexibility, and a bias for action at the intersection of crypto and traditional global markets are essential.This is a fully remote roleThe opportunity Own cross‑functional product counseling across the build cycle (discovery → design → launch → iteration), delivering crisp, actionable guidance and risk‑based options to product, engineering, compliance, and leadership. Translate complex regulatory frameworks (with a focus on MiFID, EMIR, derivatives, and market structure) into pragmatic controls and go‑to‑market guardrails. Draft and negotiate client terms and conditions with clear, business‑aligned positions. Lead licensing/registration workstreams: scope requirements, map pathways, coordinate outside counsel, compile application materials, and manage regulator interactions. Support incident and supervisory responses with well‑reasoned written submissions and evidence packages. Foster a culture of clarity, favoring plain‑English communication, measurable risk tradeoffs, and decision‑ready recommendations. What You'll Do Qualified lawyer (Solicitor/Barrister of England & Wales, Irish Solicitor/Barrister, or equivalent admitted in an EU Member State). 10+ years’ PQE in financial services law within a regulated financial services institution (e.g., an exchange, central clearing counterparty, broker-dealer/asset manager, trading firm, bank, brokerage, or crypto services provider) or in a law firm/private practice supporting such clients (ideally with some in-house or direct product counseling experience). Experience with advising on regulated MiFID investment services and familiarity with relevant crypto-asset regimes, including MiCA, AMLD5, UK financial promotions, and/or e-money regulations. Demonstrated experience leading licensing or registration efforts, including plann...