Senior Counsel, UK Legal

Ready to be pushed beyond what you think you’re capable of? At Coinbase, our mission is to increase economic freedom in the world. It’s a massive, ambitious opportunity that demands the best of us, every day, as we build the emerging onchain platform — and with it, the future global financial system. To achieve our mission, we’re seeking a very specific candidate. We want someone who is passionate about our mission and who believes in the power of crypto and blockchain technology to update the financial system. We want someone who is eager to leave their mark on the world, who relishes the pressure and privilege of working with high caliber colleagues, and who actively seeks feedback to keep leveling up. We want someone who will run towards, not away from, solving the company’s hardest problems.

Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But if you want to build the future alongside others who excel in their disciplines and expect the same from you, there’s no better place to be. While many roles at Coinbase are remote-first, we are not remote-only. In-person participation is required throughout the year. Team and company-wide offsites are held multiple times annually to foster collaboration, connection, and alignment. Attendance is expected and fully supported.

The role will be based in our London office. Working closely with our London, EU and US-based executive teams, business stakeholders and colleagues in Legal and Compliance globally, you will play a key role in advising our UK operating entity on a broad range of legal matters, including compliance with applicable UK VASP, e-money / payment services, SMCR, MiFID and other financial services laws and regulations; consumer protection laws; financial promotions (FinProm) rules; new product roll-outs and other strategic initiatives. You will also establish and manage legal policies and procedures, and assist with the smooth running of legal operations across stakeholder teams to ensure that our business receives the highest quality legal advice as we continue to expand globally.

What you’ll be doing (ie. job duties):

• Work closely as legal advisor to business executives and the Compliance team to ensure compliance of UK and international operations with applicable UK VASP, e-money / payment services, SMCR, MiFID and other financial services laws and regulations, and digital currency exchange and broker best practices.
• Provide legal guidance to international operating entities. Includes responsibility for ensuring legal and regulatory compliance of new products and services, inter-company operating arrangements, commercial relationships and banking partnerships, retail and institutional terms of business, assisting the business in rolling out products and services to new jurisdictions, and co-ordinating support and advice with the U.S. and EU based legal teams as appropriate.
• Advise business leads and other key clients of new regulatory and policy trends and developments involving digital currency in the UK, EU and other key international jurisdictions, and help enable Coinbase’s advocacy for effective regulation.
• Continuously assess operating risks and legal needs and ensure that the legal department is equipped to provide outstanding support as Coinbase’s international business continues to grow.
• Manage outside counsel effectively where they are engaged in connection with specific projects, while establishing your own strong domain expertise.

What we look for in you (ie. job requirements):

• Qualified solicitor in England and Wales with approximately 5 -10 years experience working in a regulated VASP, e-money / payment services or financial services institution in the UK (e.g., crypto asset service provider, e-money issuer, payment service firm, broker dealer, asset manager) or in a law firm supporting such clients (ideally with some previous in-house experience).
• Strong familiarity with one or more key UK financial services regulations and guidelines, such as FSMA, MiFID, SMCR, COBS, FinProm, etc.
• Experience dealing with regulators such the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Prudential Regulation Authority and/or other key UK and European regulators is preferred.
• Ability to manage complex projects involving coordination across multiple time zones, challenging legal issues and tight deadlines.
• Ability to work closely with Compliance to deliver coordinated input to the business and other stakeholders.
• Ability to exercise initiative and drive effective internal decision making across complex workstreams to enable Coinbase to meet its long-term goals.
• Ability to manage a large and varied workload and exercise excellent judgment, analytical rigour and commercial pragmatism.
• Must be able to provide crisp and practical legal advice to business executives across a broad range of matters with limited supervision.
• Highly driven and proactive. Must be keen to create process and structure and strive for continuous improvement.
• Must be flexible, able to multitask, detail-oriented, and enjoy fast paced and high-intensity work.
• Exceptional legal writing abilities and skilled at synthesizing the perspectives of various stakeholders.
• Comfortable working independently in a fast-paced, growth-stage environment, subject to regulatory scrutiny, operating excellence and Coinbase’s demanding standards to operate the world’s most trusted digital currency exchange.

Nice to haves:

• Enthusiasm for and a basic understanding of digital currencies/blockchain.

Pay Transparency Notice: The target annual salary for this position can range as detailed below. Full time offers from Coinbase also include target bonus + target equity + benefits (including medical, dental, and vision). Pay Range: £129,240 — £143,600 GBP.

Commitment to Equal Opportunity: Coinbase is committed to diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation or any other basis protected by applicable law.