Corporate Counsel

Airwallex; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Airwallex is seeking an Associate Corporate Counsel in London to support growth in the UK and EMEA with practical, business-focused legal advice on corporate, regulatory and commercial matters. You will partner on fundraising, M&A, market entry and governance, aligning global policies with UK requirements while ensuring compliant go-to-market activity.

The role emphasizes drafting and negotiating corporate agreements, managing outside counsel, and applying AI tools to increase speed and quality

Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, in good standing.
• Experience in financial services and corporate law, preferably at fintech or fast-growing tech.
• Interest in UK fintech regulation and payments topics.
• Strong knowledge of UK laws, FCA rules, and cross-border considerations.
• Proven drafting and negotiating skills for corporate agreements.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience managing outside counsel and cost control.
• Analytical, pragmatic and business-oriented in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide clear, pragmatic advice on UK and relevant EMEA regulatory requirements impacting Airwallex entities in the region, helping teams navigate applicable rules while enabling responsible growth.
• Support Corporate Development on fundraising rounds and strategic transactions, including due diligence, data rooms, corporate approvals, investment documentation, cap table changes and ongoing governance.
• Partner with the business, Regulatory Legal and Regulatory Compliance teams on expansion into and launches in new markets across the UK and EMEA, including regulatory mapping, entity and licensing considerations, and governance requirements.
• Work with Compliance, Risk and other teams globally to align policies and governance across jurisdictions, focusing on UK requirements.
• Draft, review and negotiate referral, marketing and sponsorship agreements, and other commercial arrangements.
• Advise on marketing, advertising and promotions, including digital campaigns and disclosures, and review customer-facing materials.
• Coordinate and manage outside counsel on specialised matters in the UK and across EMEA, ensuring high-quality and cost-effective advice.
• Utilize templates, playbooks, CLM tools and knowledge bases to increase speed and consistency of work.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Regulatory compliance

UK corporate law

Due diligence

Contract drafting

Cross-functional collaboration

AI in legal ops

Education

Qualified solicitor/barrister in England & Wales

Tools

Contract lifecycle tools

Templates & playbooks

Knowledge bases

Legal tech tools

Job description

About Airwallex

Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide - including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more - with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.

Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you're ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.

Attributes We Value

We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you're motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.

You're humble and collaborative; turn zero-to-one ideas into real products, and you "get stuff done" end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you'll tackle complex, high-visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let's build what’s next.

What you’ll do

As Associate Corporate Counsel, you will support Airwallex's growth in the UK by providing practical, business-focused legal advice on corporate, regulatory and commercial matters. You will work closely with Corporate Development on strategic transactions such as fundraising and M&A, partner with UK and regional leaders on new market entry, support license expansion, and help align Airwallex's global policies and governance with UK and relevant EMEA requirements. You will also advise on marketing, referral and partnership initiatives, ensuring go-to-market activity is compliant and enables ambitious but responsible growth. This role is based in London.

Responsibilities

You will:

• Provide clear, pragmatic advice on UK and relevant EMEA legal and regulatory requirements impacting Airwallex entities in the region, helping teams navigate applicable rules while enabling responsible growth.

• Support Corporate Development on fundraising rounds and strategic transactions, including due diligence, data rooms, corporate approvals, investment documentation, cap table changes and ongoing governance.

• Partner with the business, Regulatory Legal and Regulatory Compliance teams on expansion into and launches in new markets across the UK and EMEA, including regulatory mapping, entity and licensing considerations, and corporate governance requirements.

• Work closely with Compliance, Risk and other LRC teams globally to help align Airwallex's policies, procedures and corporate governance frameworks across jurisdictions, with particular focus on UK requirements.

• Draft, review and negotiate referral agreements, marketing and sponsorship agreements, and other commercial arrangements in collaboration with Partnerships, Marketing and GTM teams, ensuring risks are appropriately managed and documented.

• Advise on legal issues related to marketing, advertising and promotions, including claims, disclosures, digital campaigns, co-marketing and referral programmes, and support review of customer-facing materials for legal and regulatory compliance.

• Coordinate and manage outside counsel on specialised matters in the UK and across EMEA, ensuring advice is high-quality, cost-effective and aligned to Airwallex's risk appetite and business goals.

• Use technology and AI-enabled tools, such as templates, playbooks, contract lifecycle tools and knowledge bases, to increase the speed, consistency and quality of legal work.

Who you are

Airwallex is looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. Preferred qualifications are great to have but are not mandatory.

Minimum qualifications

You have:

• Qualification as a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, or an equivalent qualification in another UK jurisdiction, and are in good standing with the relevant professional body.
• Proven experience in financial services and corporate law, preferably gained at a fast-growing technology or fintech company and/or a top-tier law firm.
• Demonstrated interest in financial services regulation and the fintech industry, and willingness to go deep on payments, e-money, money services and related regulatory topics in the UK and EMEA.
• In-depth knowledge of, or strong familiarity with, the UK legal and business environment, including how UK legislation, FCA requirements and cross-border rules impact fintech and payments businesses.
• Proven experience drafting and negotiating corporate and commercial agreements, with strong written and verbal communication skills that make complex issues clear to non-lawyers.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including Corporate Development, Finance, Product, Compliance, Risk and Marketing, across time zones.
• Demonstrated capability in managing and leading outside counsel, including scoping work, controlling costs and consolidating advice into clear recommendations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a practical, business-oriented approach and comfort operating in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Preferred qualifications

It would be great if you also have:

• Experience supporting fundraising transactions, M&A or strategic investments, including due diligence and deal execution, ideally in a technology or fintech context.
• Prior in-house experience in a fintech, payments or broader financial services company, particularly one operating across the UK and multiple EMEA jurisdictions.
• Experience advising on legal issues related to marketing, advertising and promotions, including digital marketing, performance marketing, referral programmes and brand partnerships.
• Exposure to UK financial services regulatory frameworks, including the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Payment Services Regulations 2017, the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, FCA rules and guidance, and applicable financial promotions requirements.
• Experience partnering with Regulatory Legal, Regulatory Compliance or licensing teams on market expansion initiatives and regulatory change.
• Comfort using technology, AI and legal operations tools to increase the speed and quality of legal work, for example playbooks, templates, contract lifecycle tools or knowledge bases.

Location

This role is based in our London office, with hybrid in-office expectations consistent with Airwallex's local policies.

Equal opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.