Senior Legal Counsel

LianLian; Wien; On-site; EUR 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

JobsinAustria seeks a Senior Legal Counsel to act as the local legal lead for Austrian operations, supporting the EU Management Board on licensing, regulatory, outsourcing, governance, and entity-management matters.

The role covers regulatory licensing, corporate governance, contract oversight, regulatory submissions, employment-law matters, and cross-border coordination with external counsel and internal stakeholders to ensure compliant operations in Austria.

Qualifications

• 5+ years as in-house counsel or senior legal role in regulated financial services
• Strong knowledge of Austrian/EU regulatory frameworks including licensing
• Experience reviewing and coordinating contracts, policies, and regulatory docs
• Experience supporting a regulated entity's management body or licensing process
• Knowledge of Austrian employment law; HR documentation coordination
• Ability to operate in a lean regulated entity with external support
• Fluent English; German preferred for local regulatory engagement

Responsibilities

• Act as local legal lead for Austrian operations on MiCAR licensing and FMA engagement
• Advise on corporate governance, board docs, policies, and delegated authorities
• Review and draft contracts, outsourcing arrangements, and intra-group agreements
• Support regulatory submissions and updates to operations programs
• Provide legal review on business, wallet, ICT, outsourcing, and cross-border support
• Support outsourcing governance, data protection, and exit provisions
• Coordinate with external Austrian counsel and Group Legal
• Advise on Austrian employment-law matters; HR onboarding and policy alignment
• Support local hiring-process governance with HR and Management Board
• Assist corporate administration and office governance on legal matters
• Monitor regulatory developments and advise implementation implications
• Escalate material issues promptly to the Management Board
• Support FMA information requests and internal audits

Skills

In-house Counsel

Regulatory knowledge

Contract drafting

Board support

Employment law

Lean entity

English fluent

German preferred

Job description

Role Overview

We are seeking a motivated Senior Legal Counsel to serve as the local legal lead for our Austrian operations. This is a critical governance and control function that will support the EU Management Board on legal, regulatory, outsourcing, corporate governance, licensing, and entity-management matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Regulatory & Licensing Leadership: Act as the local legal lead on MiCAR licensing, regulatory correspondence, application updates, and FMA engagement support
• Corporate Governance: Advise the Management Board on corporate governance, board documentation, internal policies, delegated authorities, and legal-risk escalation
• Contract Oversight: Review, draft, and coordinate contracts, outsourcing arrangements, intra-group agreements, vendor agreements, and related legal documentation
• Regulatory Submissions: Support updates to the Programme of Operations, organizational chart, outsourcing framework, policies, and regulatory submissions
• Business & Operational Review: Provide legal review and constructive challenge on business, operational, product, wallet, ICT, outsourcing, and intra-group support arrangements
• Outsourcing Governance: Support outsourcing governance from a legal perspective, including contract review, access/audit rights, data protection, sub-outsourcing, exit provisions, and material change assessments
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate with external Austrian counsel, Group Legal, Compliance, Risk, Internal Audit, and specialist advisers
• Employment Law Support: Advise on Austrian employment-law matters, including employment contracts, onboarding documentation, HR policies, disciplinary/termination issues, and coordination with external employment counsel
• Hiring Process Governance: Support local hiring-process governance, including role documentation, offer documentation, candidate-process coordination, and record keeping, in collaboration with HR/recruitment providers and the Management Board
• Corporate Administration: Support local corporate administration and office-governance matters linked to legal, regulatory, or entity-management obligations
• Regulatory Monitoring: Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to EU entity's licensed activities and advise on implementation implications
• Escalation: Escalate material legal, regulatory, outsourcing, governance, or employment-law issues without delay
• Audit & Assurance Support: Support FMA information requests, internal audit reviews, external assurance reviews, and licensing workstreams.

Independence & Reporting Line

• This role operates as an independent legal and governance function, separate from day-to-day business execution, ICT delivery, product development, wallet operations, and commercial decision-making.
• Dual Reporting: Reports to the Group Chief Legal Officer and the relevant Managing Director(s) of LDC EU.
• Unrestricted Escalation: Has unrestricted escalation access to the LDC EU Management Board on material legal, regulatory, governance, outsourcing, or employment-law matters.
• Operational Boundaries: May advise operational teams and support hiring-process governance but will not execute first-line ICT, product, wallet, or commercial activities.
• HR Boundaries: May support employment-law coordination, HR documentation, and hiring-process governance but will not replace separate local HR/Admin ownership for Austrian and European recruitment topics.
• Local Accountability: Group Legal and external counsel may provide specialist support, but LDC EU retains local legal accountability and Management Board decision-making authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience: 5+ years of experience as in-house counsel, senior legal counsel, head of legal, or comparable legal role in regulated financial services, fintech, payments, EMI, banking, crypto-assets, or a comparable regulated environment.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of Austrian and/or EU financial regulatory frameworks, including licensing, governance, outsourcing, and regulatory implementation.
• Contract & Documentation: Practical experience reviewing and coordinating commercial contracts, outsourcing agreements, policies, and regulatory documentation.
• Management Body Support: Experience supporting a regulated entity’s management body, licensing process, or supervisory engagement.
• Employment Law: Working knowledge of Austrian employment-law matters, including employment contracts, onboarding, HR documentation, and coordination with external employment counsel.
• Lean Entity Experience: Ability to work in a lean regulated entity using outsourced, intra-group, and external legal support.
• Language Skills: Fluent English required; German strongly preferred for Austrian regulatory, employment-law, and local stakeholder engagement.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with the Austrian FMA, MiCAR, DORA, FM-GwG, outsourcing governance or EU financial regulation.
• Experience in crypto-asset services, wallet / custody arrangements, stablecoin settlement models or fintech licensing.
• Experience supporting hiring processes, local office administration in Austria.
• Prior exposure to intra-group arrangements, vendor management, data protection and cross-border legal coordination.
• Admission as Rechtsanwalt in Austria, or equivalent senior legal qualification, is desirable but not mandatory if experience is otherwise sufficient.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong independent judgment and ability to advise and challenge senior stakeholders constructively.
• Clear understanding of the three-lines-of-defence model and the distinction between legal advice, compliance oversight, and business execution.
• Ability to translate business, operational, outsourcing, and regulatory issues into clear legal and governance implications.
• Strong drafting, documentation, evidence-management, and reporting discipline.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with external counsel without abdicating local legal accountability.
• Commercial awareness balanced with regulatory caution in a licensing-stage environment.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected b*y law.