Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel

CU Direct; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 272,000 - 340,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with 8% match

Flexible work environment

Competitive PTO

Tuition reimbursement

Health & wellness benefits

AI tools & Copilot support

Learning & development opportunities

Employee engagement & events

Job summary

Origence seeks a senior in-house counsel to lead the Chief Legal Office and provide strategic legal guidance across governance, compliance, and risk for a fintech SaaS lender platform.

The role includes negotiating complex SaaS and financing contracts, coordinating with the Board, and managing outside counsel while shaping corporate policy and risk management.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited law school (JD) in the U.S.
• Admission to a state bar (California required)
• Experience reviewing and negotiating complex contracts including SaaS, lending, M&A, asset purchases, and joint ventures.
• Ability to build strong relationships with executives, board members and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal guidance on corporate governance, compliance, and risk.
• Draft, review and negotiate complex contracts and licensing agreements.
• Advise on financing, corporate structures and entity matters.
• Oversee outside counsel and manage litigation and disputes.
• Support board communications and governance initiatives.

Skills

Legal governance

SaaS / software licensing

Contract negotiation

Risk management

Board governance liaison

Leadership

Regulatory compliance

Strategic advisory

Education

JD from an accredited U.S. law school

Bar admission in California

Job description

Shaping the Future of Lending

With 30 years of fintech leadership, Origence empowers credit unions with innovative SaaS lending solutions that make lending more accessible, efficient, and competitive. We invest in our people and foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement. As we help shape the future of lending, we're leveraging AI to enhance the way we work and create value for our clients, and we're seeking individuals who are excited by emerging technologies and eager to use them responsibly to solve problems and drive impact.

Shaping the Future of Lending

With 30 years of fintech leadership, Origence empowers credit unions with innovative SaaS lending solutions that make lending more accessible, efficient, and competitive. We invest in our people and foster a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement. As we help shape the future of lending, we're leveraging AI to enhance the way we work and create value for our clients, and we're seeking individuals who are excited by emerging technologies and eager to use them responsibly to solve problems and drive impact.

The Chief Legal Office & General Counsel

will be responsible for managing and advising regarding the legal, compliance, and risk activities of the organization.

The Origence Mindset

At Origence, we are self-aware, adaptable, and relentlessly focused on creating meaningful impact. We think like owners, embrace complexity and ambiguity, challenge conventional thinking, and continuously pursue smarter, more effective ways to solve problems and advance the business. If this mindset reflects who you are, you may be exactly who we're looking for.

How You'll Contribute

Legal Guidance/Administration

• Participates in the definition and development of corporate policies, procedures and programs and provides continuing counsel and guidance on legal matters and on legal implications of all matters.


• Work with all applicable internal stakeholders to draft and update legal notices, privacy, and terms of use for all product offerings, as applicable.


• Oversees the selection, retention, management and evaluation of all outside counsel.


• Serves as counsel of record with Board of Directors and Committees of the Board, including meeting participation, communications and matters related to the Board.


• Advises on legal aspects of the company’s financing, including assessing and advising on current and future business structures and legal entities. Serves as key lawyer/legal advisor on all major business transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, asset purchases, divestitures and joint ventures.


• Ensure all standardized legal templates meet acceptable organizational risk limits.


• Advises on corporate governance, including the creation, dissolution, merger, or acquisition of any legal entity under company ownership, as well as shareholder concerns with the parent company.


• Advises and assists on stock related matters including but not limited to offerings, splits, classes, transfer agent of record, etc., and shareholder considerations and communications.


• Provide legal guidance and interpretation to senior management regarding contracts, state/federal and industry regulatory requirements, exams and audits, due diligence matters, intellectual property or trademark protection, and other business affairs, and specifically business development with various contract negotiations.

Contract Management

• Manage and continuously update a centralized and enterprise-wide contract process for both vendor and client contracts based on strategy discussions, senior management input, and organizational needs and expectations.


• Manage and update company standards for vendor and client contracts, including general terms and provisions, ensuring legal and regulatory compliance and protections.


• Review and approve contracts for accuracy and appropriateness of contract terms and conditions within approved risk parameters.


• Negotiate with outside parties (i.e., clients/vendors/business partners).


• Act as liaison between various departments for contracts that have exception items that exceed the organizational risk tolerance and remediate as appropriate.

Insurance Management

• Manage, update and negotiate annual corporate and subsidiary insurance policies. Interface with insurance broker and insurance company policy holders regarding adequacy of coverage to ensure alignment between contract language and organizational risk tolerance.


• Review annual renewal applications for accuracy and compliance.


• Assist as a liaison and work with internal business units to update insurance information, as needed.


• Provide information to the Board on at least an annual basis regarding risk and coverage.

Litigation

• Intake litigation matters, set up legal holds, and contact outside litigation counsel for assistance.


• Manage litigation/mediation/arbitration and judge the merits of major court cases filed against or on behalf of the company, work with the appropriate executive(s) to define a strategic defense and approve settlements of disputes where warranted.


• Manage internal discovery, litigation cost, assist with depositions and review all motions prior to filing.


• Advise Board on material litigation matters as needed.

Compliance

• Manage compliance department and budget.


• Provide oversight and legal advice to compliance department, reporting, and internal and board reporting.


• Review compliance bulletins, memorandums, and all remediation requirements.


• Assist with review of legislation, and regulatory, contractual, and guidance requirements as they apply to our business compliance


• Engage expert outside counsel as necessary

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)

• Oversight of ERM


• Provide legal advice to ERM SVP and act as liaison where needed with executives, board and business divisions


• Review Reports, Memorandum, decks provided for risk meetings, Risk Register and Risk Dashboard prior to and in conjunction with Executive and Board Committee Review


• Review all third party audits/exams prior to final sign off and dissemination

Vendor Management

• Oversees Vendor Management budget and operations including contract review, reporting, process implementation, and liaison with business units and information security regarding concerns.


• Reviews and advises on vendor risk assessments

Employee Relations

• Works with HR regarding employee relations issues including outside counsel inclusion.


• Reviews and advises on employee communications, terminations, severances, and related matters.

What Makes You a Great Fit

Education

• Graduate of an accredited law school (JD) in the U.S.


• Admission (and active license) to a state bar (California required)

Experience

• Minimum of 10-15 years in-house counsel with a lender and/or software technology company, or as a law firm partner with similar subject areas


• Navigating executive management concerns as well as board, shareholder and senior leader concerns and issues.


• Experience reviewing and negotiating complex and critical contracts including SaaS, lending, mergers & acquisitions, asset purchases, and joint ventures.


• Experience working on matters of corporate governance and with a board of directors including stock and shareholder related matters, and creating and sunsetting subsidiaries.


• Experience managing other attorneys, business divisions, and supervising support staff in a corporation; experience with cost-effective management of outside legal resources.


• Contract administration, risk management, vendor management, and compliance experience.


• Ability to build strong relationships and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, internally and externally.

Your Strengths & Expertise

• Ability to work under minimal supervision and manage multiple tasks/projects simultaneously, while meeting demanding deadlines, and yet understand when to reach out for clarification.


• Business centric mindset balanced with legal and risk advice, with the ability to explain such risk to business leaders.


• Ability to lead cross-departmental project teams and develop a talented and highly motivated team.


• Strong leadership, management and people skills.


• Strong written and verbal communication ability.


• Strong client focus/customer service skills. Ability to build strong relationships and collaborate with stakeholders at all levels, internally and externally.


• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to identify, analyze, and resolve problems,

Bring your ideas, your curiosity, and your unique perspective. We'll provide the opportunities, tools, and support to help you succeed.

How We Invest In You

• 401(k) with 8% Company Match


• Flexible Work Environment


• Competitive Paid Time Off


• Tuition Reimbursement & Education Benefits


• Comprehensive Health & Wellness Benefits


• Microsoft Copilot and AI-Enabled Tools


• Continuous Learning & Development Opportunities


• A culture of connection, celebration, and growth through employee-driven programs, company events, holiday celebrations (Star Wars Day), monthly town halls, quarterly company meetings, and team traditions like Bring Your Kid to Work Day

Recognizing Your Impact

For this full-time role, the starting salary range is $272200 - $340300 per year. Our compensation is designed to be competitive and to reflect the value, experience, and contributions each team member brings to Origence. Offers are usually not made at the top of the range, and each compensation package is assessed carefully based on job-related factors such as relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location, in compliance with applicable laws.

Origence is an equal opportunity employer. All recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, and other terms and conditions of employment will be based upon an individuals’ qualifications regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, military service, marital status, pregnancy, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, disability or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.