Compliance Lawyer - Mexico City (Hybrid)

Clara; Ciudad de México; Hybrid; MXN 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options (ESOP)

Annual learning budget

English in the workplace

Job summary

Clara is the leading Latin American platform for payments operations, extending across Mexico with a hybrid work model. The Compliance Lawyer role focuses on regulatory analysis, risk management, and advisory for our expansion including SOFIPO initiatives and crypto-related offerings.

You will serve as a dual Legal and Compliance expert supporting Mexico operations, crafting compliant contracts, and guiding cross-functional teams to balance regulatory requirements with business momentum.

Qualifications

• Law degree and active registration as a licensed lawyer in Mexico.
• Proven experience in Mexican financial regulation and AML/CFT compliance.
• Dual Legal + Compliance profile with regulatory advisory and contract support.

Responsibilities

• Provide regulatory guidance to Product, Commercial, and Operations teams to ensure compliant momentum.
• Advise on Mexican financial regulations, AML/CFT, corporate structures, UBOs, and powers of attorney.
• Support regulatory transition in Mexico for SOFIPO, stablecoins, and Fleetcard initiatives.
• Draft, review, and advise on compliance provisions in contracts and product terms.
• Escalate complex KYC/KYB cases with evidence-based recommendations and notes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally via Slack and Drive to embed compliance in product design.
• Identify AI/workflow automation opportunities to scale regulatory research and monitoring.

Skills

Regulatory advisory

Legal analysis

Contract drafting/review

KYC/KYB due diligence

Cross-functional collaboration

English communication

Education

Law degree

Active Mexican bar registration

Tools

Slack

Google Drive

SQL

Python

Job description

Clara is the leading platform in Latin America for companies to execute and manage every payment operation. More than 50,000 leading and fast-growing businesses run on our corporate cards, bill pay, financing and B2B payments, and in 2025 the Financial Times named Clara the region’s fastest-growing company. We’re passionate about helping every company we work with become more effective—and, through that, raising the region’s competitiveness. We’re ~400 people, backed by Notable Capital, Coatue, Kaszek, monashees, DST Global, ICONIQ, General Catalyst and Goldman Sachs, among others.

What you'll do

We’re looking for a Compliance Lawyer to join our Compliance team and act as a strategic advisor for our rapidly expanding business in Latin America. This role moves beyond operational queues to focus on regulatory analysis, legal risk management, and compliance advisory. You will serve as a dual Legal and Compliance expert, supporting the business across our current operations and strategic roadmap, including SOFOM, Fleetcard, stablecoins, and our upcoming SOFIPO process.

• Act as a dual Legal and Compliance expert, providing actionable regulatory guidance to Product, Commercial, and Operations teams to ensure compliance without slowing down business momentum.
• Navigate and advise on Mexican financial regulations, overseeing complex AML/CFT (Prevención de Lavado de Dinero) matters, corporate structures, UBOs, and powers of attorney.
• Support Clara's regulatory transition and expansion in Mexico, actively contributing to the legal and compliance structuring for our SOFIPO process, stablecoin initiatives, and Fleetcard offerings.
• Draft, review, and advise on compliance-related provisions in commercial contracts, product terms, and partnerships as needed.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex KYC/KYB and due diligence cases, providing clear, evidence-based legal recommendations and drafting objective case notes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally using Slack and Google Drive to embed compliance into product design and operational workflows from day one.
• Identify opportunities to use AI and workflow automation (such as N8N) to streamline legal research, regulatory monitoring, and compliance reviews, making the function more scalable.

Who you are

We’re looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

Must haves

• Law degree and active registration as a licensed lawyer in Mexico.
• Proven experience in Mexican financial regulation, AML/CFT (Prevención de Lavado de Dinero), and compliance for regulated businesses.
• A strong dual profile (Legal + Compliance), capable of seamlessly shifting between regulatory advisory, compliance operations oversight, and commercial/contractual support.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complex regulatory frameworks into practical business requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to influence cross-functional stakeholders and explain evidence-based recommendations.
• Experience or strong interest in using AI tools to automate workflows and improve legal/compliance processes.
• Adaptability to fast-changing environments, with proven role-specific execution in navigating complex regulatory landscapes.

Nice to haves

• Direct legal or compliance experience navigating SOFOM, SOFIPO, or crypto/stablecoin regulatory frameworks.
• Experience reviewing customers or regulatory requirements in Brazil or Colombia.
• Independent analytical skills using spreadsheets, SQL, or Python to monitor compliance metrics.
• Basic proficiency in Portuguese, or a strong desire to learn it.
• A good sense of humor.

Where we work

This is a hybrid role: you'll split your time between the office, customers and home. We don't set a minimum number of office days for most roles — you'll spend time in the office naturally, and most days during your ramp-up or when your leader asks.

Why Clara

• A high talent-density team driven to make an impact in Latin America — low ego, high ownership.
• Competitive salary and stock options (ESOP) from day one.
• An annual learning budget and accelerated development paths.
• English is our working language, with Spanish and Portuguese every day.

How we work

• Clarity — Open and direct communication: we say what we mean and give context where it matters.
• Simplicity — If it can be simpler, it should be.
• Ownership — We own everything we do, end to end. When something needs to happen, we don't wait.
• Pride — We hold ourselves to a high standard, and it shows in what we deliver.
• ABC (Always Be Changing) — We adapt fast, embrace change, and keep learning.
• Inclusivity — Diverse ideas, stories and perspectives build a better Clara.