Legal Counsel, Corporate

FQPS Academy Ltd.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Checkout.com in London is seeking a talented and dynamic Corporate Legal Counsel to partner across multiple business verticals and advise on major corporate transactions including M&A, equity and debt financing.

You will work within the Corporate Legal team, report to the Vice President, Legal in London, and help expand globally while maintaining strong risk management and pragmatic, business-focused guidance.

Qualifications

• UK or US-qualified corporate lawyer with at least 3 years' PQE.
• Experience advising on large international corporate transactions.
• Strong analytical and communication skills for senior stakeholders.
• Practical, solutions-oriented approach with business risk awareness.
• Flexible and able to work across a fast-paced, evolving fintech environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead on strategically important transactional projects including M&A and financing.
• Advise on investor relations, ESOP/incentive arrangements, intercompany finance, treasury and ESG matters.
• Collaborate with Commercial Legal to advise on merchant arrangements.
• Support Regulatory Legal on licence applications for global expansion.
• Coordinate with Corporate Secretarial on governance matters.
• Liaise with external counsel and manage counsel projects to completion.
• Contribute to policy design and process improvements to boost efficiency.
• Provide proactive, business-focused legal guidance across the organisation.

Skills

Corporate law experience

M&A expertise

International focus

Education

UK/US Bar admission

Job description

Job Description

We’re Checkout.com. You might not know our name, but companies like eBay, Spotify, Klarna, Uber, and Sony do, because we’re behind many of the digital experiences you use every day.

We are where the world checks out, enabling over 10 billion transactions yearly for more than one billion global shoppers.

Whether you want to book a holiday, order food, renew a subscription, or check out online, there’s a good chance our tech powers the payments behind the scenes. Our platform helps the most ambitious businesses deliver effortless digital experiences, at scale.

If you want to do career-defining work, you’ve come to the right place. We move fast, think globally, and believe great teams are built by hiring exceptional people with conviction, curiosity, and the desire to make an impact.

With 20 offices across six continents and London as our HQ, we’re shaping the future of fintech – and we’re just getting started.

As we continue to scale globally, so do our legal team. Checkout.com is seeking a talented and dynamic Legal Counsel to play a core role in our Corporate Legal team at our head office in London.

You will be a key member of the team, partnering with stakeholders across multiple business verticals. You will be able to handle varied areas of responsibilities autonomously, demonstrating excellent critical judgement with a hands‑on approach in order to advise on major corporate transactions the group undertakes such as M&A, equity and debt financing, as well as supporting on a wide range of other areas including treasury, finance, tax, real estate, intellectual property, ESOP/incentive arrangements and ESG. You will be expected to have a strong corporate background, ideally with some experience in the other areas that the team handles and a willingness to work outside your comfort zone and expand your skill‑set.

You will be joining an expanding legal team in one of Europe’s most valuable fintechs. Our mission is to be a legal team that exceeds expectations. We do this by providing pragmatic and trusted advice and balancing risk management by fusing high performance, innovation, collaboration and integrity.

You will report into our Vice President, Legal in London.

How You’ll Make An Impact

• Leading on a variety of strategically important transactional projects, including M&A, equity and debt financing, strategic investments and new real estate leases.
• Dealing with material non-transactional matters, such as investor relations, ESOP/incentive arrangements, intra‑group finance and treasury actions, financial audits, reorganisations and ESG.
• Partnering with the Commercial Legal team to advise on arrangements with our biggest merchants.
• Supporting the Regulatory Legal team on new licence applications to support global expansion.
• Collaborating with the Corporate Secretarial team on corporate governance.
• Liaising with and managing external counsel to assist with the matters above.
• Assisting with the design, implementation and improvement of new and existing policies, processes and procedures to support the business and enhance efficiency.
• Helping the business continue to grow by providing creative, proactive and results orientated advice to stakeholders across the business.

Qualifications

• UK or US (or other common law jurisdiction) qualified corporate lawyer in good standing with at least 3 years' PQE.
• Strong post-qualification experience as a corporate lawyer, including some portion of that time spent working as an associate at a leading law firm, ideally with an international focus.
• Strong academic qualifications.
• Significant previous experience advising on large international corporate transactions.
• Outstanding analytical and communication skills and the ability to articulate and explain complex legal issues clearly and concisely to senior stakeholders.
• A practical, solutions-oriented focus to solving legal challenges and a business-centric appetite for risk.
• Excellent time management skills and experience managing a diverse workload and competing stakeholder demands.
• Enthusiasm for new challenges and willingness to be flexible with the scope and variety of projects to be undertaken in this role, as well as comfort with ambiguity, frequent change, and a fast-paced culture.
• A proactive hands‑on attitude and capability of working with minimal direction and independently driving projects to completion.
• A growth mindset that does not settle for the status quo, but is always thinking about better and innovative ways of doing things.

Extra marks if you have

• Experience working in an international fintech (particularly in the payments sector) or another fast‑paced and dynamic environment.
• Experience working in‑house (this could have been gained whilst on secondment).
• Experience advising on private fundraising.
• Experience advising on ESOP/incentive arrangements, real estate matters and/or intellectual property.

Additional Information

Bring all of you to work

We create the conditions for high performers to thrive, through real ownership, fewer blockers, and work that makes a difference from day one.

Here, you’ll move fast, take on meaningful challenges, and be recognized for the impact you deliver. It’s a place where ambition gets met with opportunity, and where your growth is in your hands.

We work as one team, and we back each other to succeed. So whatever your background or identity, if you’re ready to grow and make a difference, you’ll be right at home here.

It’s important we set you up for success and make our process as accessible as possible. So let us know in your application, or tell your recruiter directly, if you need anything to make your experience or working environment more comfortable.

Life at Checkout.com

We understand that work is just one part of your life. Our hybrid working model offers flexibility, with three days per week in the office to support collaboration and connection.

Curious about what it’s like to be part of our team? Visit our Careers Page to learn more about our culture, open roles, and what drives us.

For a closer look at daily life at Checkout.com, follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram

QWE

Will this role count as your QWE, and who will confirm it?

Check it against the SRA’s questions in two minutes. If there is no COLP or solicitor where you work, the SRA