Corporate Counsel

Crane Venture Partners; Singapore; On-site; SGD 260,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Aspire is seeking a Corporate Counsel to lead its corporate legal function across Singapore, India, Hong Kong, the UK, the US, and the EU. You will guide governance, structuring, and cross-border matters while partnering with Leadership, Finance, People, and business teams to ensure scalable, compliant growth.

You will manage external counsel relationships, oversee budget, and provide strategic legal advice to the executive team and boards in a fast-moving fintech environment.

Qualifications

• Qualified to practise in Singapore or another major common law jurisdiction.
• 10+ years PQE in corporate, commercial, or company law.
• Experience across multiple jurisdictions, including Asia/Europe/US, is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead Aspire's corporate legal department and set its direction.
• Oversee group corporate matters across Singapore, India, Hong Kong, UK, US and EU.
• Lead legal workstreams for corporate transactions, fundraising, restructurings, and potential M&A.
• Draft, review, and negotiate key commercial agreements and templates.
• Manage cross-border legal risk and coordinate with external advisors and stakeholders.

Skills

Legal drafting

Negotiation

Advisory to executive

Cross-border practice

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Law

Job description

About The Company

Founders today are building global companies from day one — but the systems that manage their money were built for a different era. Aspire exists to change that!

We’re building the financial operating system for global founders, bringing banking, software, and automation into a single platform so businesses can move faster across borders and stay focused on building.

Aspire is built by people who think from first principles, care deeply about solving hard problems, and take real ownership of their work. Our team brings global experience from leading fintech and technology companies, and many of us are former founders and operators who understand what it takes to build thoughtfully, make trade-offs, and deliver at scale in a global environment.

Backed by leading global investors including Y Combinator, Peak XV, and Lightspeed, Aspire has been trusted by more than 50,000 startups and growing businesses worldwide to manage their finances since 2018. Together with partners like J.P. Morgan, Visa, and Wise, we’re building for the next generation of global companies.

About The Role

We are seeking a Corporate Counsel to lead Aspire's corporate legal function and oversee corporate matters across the group, spanning Singapore, India, Hong Kong, the UK, the US, and the EU.

About The Team

Aspire's Legal function partners closely with Leadership, Finance, People, and business teams across the group. The corporate legal team plays a critical role in supporting Aspire's group structure, corporate transactions, and commercial relationships as the company scales its operations across markets. You will lead this team and set its direction as the head of the corporate legal department.

What You Will Do

Leadership of the Corporate Legal Function

• Lead, manage, and develop Aspire's corporate legal department, setting priorities, processes, and standards for the team.
• Act as the senior corporate legal advisor to the executive team and the Boards on group-wide corporate matters.
• Manage relationships with external counsel across jurisdictions and oversee the corporate legal budget.

Group Corporate Matters & Governance

• Oversee corporate legal matters across the group, including entities in Singapore, Australia, India, Hong Kong, the UK, the US, and the EU.
• Advise on group structuring, intercompany arrangements, entity incorporation and maintenance, and corporate secretarial oversight across jurisdictions.
• Strengthen and maintain corporate governance frameworks, board and shareholder processes, delegations of authority, and group policies.

Corporate Transactions & Fundraising

• Lead legal workstreams for corporate transactions, including fundraising rounds, investments, restructurings, and potential M&A activity.
• Manage due diligence processes, negotiate transaction documents, and coordinate cross-border legal advice.
• Support Finance and Leadership on equity matters.

Commercial Contracting

• Oversee the drafting, review, and negotiation of key commercial agreements, including partnership, vendor, and customer contracts.
• Build and maintain scalable contract templates, playbooks, and processes that enable business teams to move quickly.
• Advise business teams on contractual risk and ensure commercial arrangements align with group policies and applicable laws.

Cross-Border Legal Risk & Stakeholder Leadership

• Identify and manage corporate legal risks across the group, ensuring proper documentation of key legal decisions.
• Act as the primary legal contact for Finance, People, Operations, and business teams on corporate matters.
• Monitor legal developments across our markets and anticipate their impact on the group's structure and operations.
• Build strong working relationships with external advisors, investors, partners, and other stakeholders.

Who You Are

• Bachelor's degree in Law; qualified to practise in Singapore or another major common law jurisdiction (additional qualifications in other group markets a plus).
• 10+ years PQE with substantial experience in corporate, commercial, or company law, ideally with both private practice and in-house exposure.
• Proven experience managing corporate legal matters across multiple jurisdictions, ideally including Asia, Europe, and/or the US.
• Strong legal drafting, negotiation, and advisory skills, with the ability to frame legal risk in commercial terms.
• Ability to balance legal rigour with business pragmatism in a fast-moving environment.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence operating with executives, boards, and investors.
• Prior experience in fintech, payments, or high-growth technology environments is a strong plus.