Senior Legal Counsel
Job description
About the role
This role converts ambitious product ideas into commercially viable outcomes for millions of customers while navigating evolving regulatory constraints. The Senior Legal Counsel collaborates across functions to manage legal risk and guide solutions from concept to launch. You will own the legal strategy that allows complex financial products to move forward safely and efficiently. This position demands precision in judgment and a high level of comfort with ambiguity in fast-paced settings. The hire will act as a trusted advisor to commercial and engineering leaders on the full lifecycle of product development. You will translate dense regulatory language into actionable guidance that protects the business and enables innovation. The role requires balancing commercial opportunity with strict adherence to consumer credit and financial services laws. Ultimately, you will ensure that Zip's ambitions are realized within the boundaries of responsible and compliant finance.
Key facts
What you'll do
Provide integrated advice on applicable legal and regulatory requirements throughout the product development lifecycle to help product and engineering teams refine products and launch features.
Apply regulatory requirements to product development, launches, and ongoing compliance, ensuring that risk ownership is embedded in every stage of the product journey.
Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial and transactional agreements with a high degree of accuracy and commercial awareness.
Advise on Australian consumer credit and financial services regulation, including credit licensing requirements and associated regulatory obligations.
Conduct risk assessments and raise concerns constructively, challenging decisions while aligning around practical and compliant solutions.
Collaborate with senior and cross-functional stakeholders to build trusted relationships and communicate complex legal concepts clearly and persuasively.
Leverage strong commercial legal capability to support deals, transactions, and strategic initiatives that drive growth and customer value.
Utilize organization and prioritization skills to manage competing priorities and deliver quality advice in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
Demonstrate a proactive approach by taking ownership of legal issues and bringing solutions to the table rather than only identifying problems.
Show openness to using AI and new tools to support adaptation, continuous learning, and professional growth in a evolving fintech landscape.
Apply risk management aptitude in all responsibilities, contributing to leading risk management practices critical to how the business operates in regulated markets.
Demonstrate alignment with Zip's values of Customer First, Own It, Stronger Together, and Change the Game in daily work and decision-making.
Engage with fintech and financial services teams through structured collaboration with product, commercial, and engineering stakeholders.
Translate regulatory requirements into operational controls that guide the design, testing, and deployment of financial products and services.
Requirements
Seven to ten years or more of relevant legal experience is gained within a leading law firm, an in-house legal team, or a combination of both.
Demonstrated experience advising on Australian consumer credit and financial services regulation is essential, including knowledge of credit licensing requirements and associated regulatory obligations.
Experience applying regulatory requirements to product development, launches, and ongoing compliance is a strict requirement for this role.
Strong commercial legal capability is required, evidenced by drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial and transactional agreements.
Prior experience within fintech, consumer finance, or broader financial services is mandatory for this position.
The successful candidate must exercise commercial judgement and a solutions-focused approach to balance legal and regulatory considerations with practical business outcomes.
Confidence working with senior and cross-functional stakeholders is necessary to build trusted relationships and communicate complex legal concepts clearly.
Risk ownership requires the ability to raise concerns and constructively challenge decisions while aligning around practical and compliant solutions.
Organisation and prioritisation skills are essential to manage competing priorities and consistently deliver quality advice in a fast-paced environment.
A proactive approach is required, with a willingness to take ownership and bring solutions to the table rather than only identifying problems.
Openness to using AI and new tools is expected to support adaptation, learning, and professional growth.
Risk management aptitude must be applied across all responsibilities, contributing to leading risk management practices critical to operating in regulated markets.
Alignment with Zip's values of Customer First, Own It, Stronger Together, and Change the Game must be demonstrated in daily work and decision-making.
Practical notes
Typical interview steps
Legal interviews usually include a contract review exercise, a compliance scenario, and behavioral rounds. Candidates may be asked to flag issues in a sample agreement or explain a regulatory question. Past experience with specific practice areas carries the most weight. Interviewers often present a sample contract and ask what you would flag. Working through it out loud, risk by risk, is the strongest approach.
Good to know
Domain expertise in consumer credit and financial services regulation manages legal risk in this area of work.
General counsel and senior lawyers provide guidance, enabling independent decision-making aligned with compliance requirements.
Fintech and financial services teams rely on structured collaboration with product, commercial, and engineering stakeholders.
At this level, legal professionals draft, review, and negotiate complex agreements and translate regulatory requirements into operational controls.
Risk management is embedded in decision-making for businesses operating in regulated markets.
Tools such as document review platforms, legal research systems, and collaboration software support day-to-day workflows.
Career growth
Legal careers grow from associate to senior counsel, general counsel, and chief legal officer roles. Compliance specialists can move into risk or governance leadership. Specialization by practice area, from employment law to corporate transactions, is common. Legal careers reward precision and commercial awareness. In-house roles value speed and judgment over exhaustive analysis.