Senior Legal Counsel, Product and Regulatory

About the role

You will own the end to end legal strategy for new financial products and digital features across KOHO Tech and KOHO Bank, ensuring innovation aligns with regulatory expectations. You will act as the primary legal partner for the product team, translating complex regulatory requirements into practical design and launch plans. You will proactively identify and mitigate regulatory risks before they reach production, safeguarding customers and the business. You will engage directly with Canadian regulators such as OSFI, FCAC, and the Bank of Canada to represent KOHO's positions and interpret evolving rules. You will build and refine scalable legal and compliance processes that allow KOHO to move fast while staying audit ready. You will provide clear, actionable guidance to customer-facing teams on handling complaints, communications, and fairness obligations. You will partner with marketing and growth to ensure campaigns are compelling, data-driven, and fully compliant with financial services and consumer protection rules.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Partner across KOHO Tech and KOHO Bank to deliver practical regulatory advice that unblocks growth while protecting customers and maintaining the highest standards of compliance.
• Support the design, development, and launch of new financial products and features, identifying regulatory risks early and helping teams build compliant, market-ready solutions.
• Play a key role in helping KOHO establish and operate a regulated bank, including managing relationships with regulators such as OSFI, FCAC, and the Bank of Canada.
• Support marketing and growth teams by reviewing campaigns and customer communications to ensure they are effective, accurate, and compliant with financial services and consumer protection requirements.
• Provide guidance to customer-facing teams on complaints handling, regulatory disclosures, communications, and fairness considerations to protect the customer experience.
• Help build scalable legal, regulatory, and compliance processes and frameworks that support KOHO's long-term growth as a licensed and regulated financial institution.
• Interpret and apply Canadian financial services laws, including banking, payments, lending, and consumer protection rules, to support new product concepts and digital features.
• Collaborate with Risk and Compliance to develop policies, controls, and documentation that address regulatory expectations and emerging risks.
• Track and analyze regulatory developments and industry trends, translating complex updates into practical guidance for product and business teams.
• Represent KOHO in interactions with regulators, preparing submissions, responding to information requests, and advocating for pragmatic compliance solutions.

Requirements

• 6+ years post-call experience as a lawyer practicing in Canada (in-house and/or at a law firm).
• Experience advising on financial services regulation, banking law, or consumer protection frameworks in Canada.
• Strong judgment and the ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice that balances risk with opportunity.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with Product, Marketing, Customer Experience, Risk, and Compliance in a fast-paced environment.
• High ownership mindset - takes initiative, identifies problems, and drives solutions end to end without needing constant direction.
• Builder mentality with a bias toward action, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to deliver results when requirements are evolving.
• Strong analytical, drafting, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to simplify complex regulatory concepts for non-legal audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

Nice to have

• Experience working at a bank, fintech, or regulated financial institution in Canada.
• Familiarity with the Residential Property and Related Protection Act (RPAA) and the Financial Consumer Protection Framework (FCPF).
• Knowledge of anti‑money laundering and anti‑terrorism (AML/ATF) laws and privacy legislation such as PIPEDA.
• Fluency in French, enabling you to provide legal guidance and collaborate effectively with French‑speaking stakeholders.

Practical notes

The budgeted salary range for this role is 180,000 - 210,000 CAD / year. At KOHO, we are dedicated to providing pay transparency to all candidates. Compensation at KOHO is determined through various factors including but not limited to: comparable salary market data within Canada, technical skill assessment, a holistic view of previous work history, and internal pay equity with other KOHO team members.