Senior Legal Counsel, Financial Solutions (Ottawa)

Job Description

It takes a team of dedicated lawyers working behind the scenes to help Shopify create a platform that makes commerce better for everyone. Lawyers on our team must be able to apply their knowledge and experience to novel scenarios and provide the best possible advice on sometimes unprecedented legal issues, in ways that allow Shopify’s business to stay agile and competitive. Every person on our team is committed to making commerce better for everyone, and it truly shows. Within the Shopify Legal Team, the Financial Solutions Team, internally known as the Money Team, supports Shopify’s financial services and payments business unit. The Legal Money Team provides product counseling and negotiates agreements involving payments partners, bank partners, and other third-party vendors to deliver our full panoply of financial services, products, and resources to Shopify merchants. From providing legal support on innovative new products that are heavily regulated, to negotiating with leading fintech and financial services companies in the U.S. and around the world, our work is challenging, varied, and constantly evolving. The key components to being successful on our team are financial services experience, collaboration and full engagement. Our team members regularly collaborate with each other, with our clients, and with other key stakeholders across Shopify. The stakes are high in terms of our work - we need to act as trusted and strategic guides to the business team on legal risk, and maximize leverage and value in our commercial agreements. Real talk: being a member of a fast-moving team doing cutting-edge legal work in banking and finance at a tech company is challenging - but it’s equally exciting and rewarding. About you We’re looking for a strategic, driven, senior financial services or banking lawyer. You must have exceptional negotiating and drafting skills, as well as expertise working in a fast-paced financial services company or company with a financial services legal team. You must be adept at using business acumen, creativity and collegiality (both internally and in dealing with external parties) to negotiate terms that protect and propel your client’s business forward. You must also be able to prioritize and balance work on various products, projects and deals simultaneously. Success on the Shopify Legal Money Team requires intellect, humility, hard work, and a sense of humour. Work on this team is fast-paced and intense, so being able to balance that pressure with some levity is important. We care about our work, but we also care about each other and having a positive and pleasant work environment. You also need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, able to work with many different types of personalities, to really connect with people, and to work as a team player. Above all, you must have grit - the ability to persevere, deal with being challenged, and come through the other side stronger and with your optimism intact, ready to do it all over again.

Projects you could work on

• Responding to inquiries from clients and key stakeholders regarding product, day-to-day marketing, and business strategy
• Thoughtfully and strategically fostering partnerships, negotiating deals, and helping the business grow and expand efficien
• Proactively managing large-scale projects and launches with long-term goals
• Helping with all aspects of legal support for the Money Team, in particular with product counseling, and managing and assessing risk
• Building positive relationships and liaising with other internal departments at Shopify, including Finance Operations, Privacy and Intellectual Property, and Trust & Safety

Requirements for the role:

• A J.D. or LL.B
• A license to practice law in the United States or in Canada
• Relevant legal experience, ideally having started out at a top-tier law firm, followed by substantial in-house experience
• Substantial experience drafting and negotiating complex legal agreements, particularly those common in banking, financial services, payments and fintech (e.g. strategic partnerships, program agreements, and other technology-related offerings)
• Substantial experience providing legal counsel on new product developments in financial services and payments, including drafting terms of service and associated policies
• Experience leading and managing projects, multiple priorities, stakeholders and deadlines
• Experience managing external legal counsel
• The ability to both work collaboratively as part of a team and on an individual basis without a lot of guidance or oversight, always with a view towards being of service to clients and other legal team members
• Exceptional business judgement and relationship-building skills
• Strong written and interpersonal communication skills
• Regulatory law experience

Bonus Experience

• Experience with consumer protection, intellectual property, privacy, as well as marketing and advertising law
• Compliance experience

We know that applying to a new role takes a lot of work and we truly value your time. Jodi Golinsky, Associate General Counsel of Financial Solutions is looking forward to reading your cover letter. Please include a short description of what you consider to be your greatest legal super power. This posting will close on Friday, May 8, 2020 at 5pm EDT. At Shopify, we are committed to building and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion enables us to truly make commerce better for everyone. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities. Apply for this job