Senior General Counsel — Fintech Growth & Compliance

First Circle; Manila; Hybrid; PHP 2,400,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

HMO coverage from week one

Free catered lunches

Monthly fitness allowance

Transportation & accommodation

Job summary

First Circle, a leading fintech bank partner in the Philippines, seeks a General Counsel to lead legal, compliance, risk, and corporate secretary functions across the group. The role covers seven areas including governance, AML, data privacy, and special projects, with a focus on commercial, scalable solutions.

The successful candidate will manage a small team, partner with senior stakeholders, and drive regulatory alignment across markets while maintaining fast-paced, commercially minded

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant legal experience, including in startup/fintech environments.
• Strong background in compliance matters, including AML and data privacy regulatory frameworks.
• Experience serving as, or working closely with, an AMLO and/or a DPO.
• Demonstrated experience managing or leading a legal team.
• Experience advising on strategic, company-wide matters (expansion, new products, corporate transactions).
• Admitted to the Philippine bar in good standing.

Responsibilities

• Provide general legal advice for all operations and strategic matters.
• Advise on business expansion into new markets and products; support financing, partnerships, and M&A.
• Structure and negotiate transactions to support growth; corporate governance and board matters.
• Oversee compliance for the group and expansion projects across countries.
• Oversee AML monitoring, reporting, and regulatory coordination.
• Oversee data protection matters and act as DPO/ oversee DPO function.
• Build and lead the legal team and set group-wide priorities and standards.

Skills

Legal experience

Compliance

AML

Data privacy

Corporate Secretary

Team leadership

Strategic advisory

Philippine bar admitted

Job description

First Circle, a leading fintech bank partner in the Philippines, seeks a General Counsel to lead legal, compliance, risk, and corporate secretary functions across the group. The role covers seven areas including governance, AML, data privacy, and special projects, with a focus on commercial, scalable solutions.

The successful candidate will manage a small team, partner with senior stakeholders, and drive regulatory alignment across markets while maintaining fast-paced, commercially minded