Commercial Counsel

Stellar Development Foundation; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 165,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

The Stellar Development Foundation is hiring a proactive attorney to provide legal and compliance advice in the rapidly changing blockchain landscape. This role involves drafting complex agreements and advising on innovative initiatives supporting Stellar's mission to create equitable financial access globally.

Benefits

Health coverage at 100% for employees and dependents

15 company holidays and flexible PTO

Paid parental leave up to 12 weeks

Gym reimbursement ($80/month)

401K with 4% match

Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution

Daily lunch and snacks in office

Learning and Development budget of $1,500/year

Company retreats

Qualifications

• 4 years of relevant law firm/in-house experience focused on transactional law.
• Experience advising on complex legal issues in blockchain or fintech.
• Ability to present complex legal issues clearly.

Responsibilities

• Draft and manage commercial agreements including SaaS and partnerships.
• Provide legal support on joint ventures and compliance processes.
• Advise on innovative approaches to support Stellar ecosystem growth.

Skills

Problem-solving

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Education

J.D.

Job description

Interested in working on cutting-edge blockchain technology and creating equitable access to the global financial system? Since 2014, the mission-driven team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has helped fuel the tremendous growth of the Stellar blockchain network, an open-source platform that operates at high-scale today. Developers and companies around the world build on it, and the SDF team is expanding to support the rapidly growing and changing Stellar ecosystem.

SDF is seeking a proactive, business-oriented attorney to provide legal, regulatory, and compliance advice across the organization. This role will support the business as it explores new frontiers in the blockchain and crypto industry, including smart contracts, tokenization of assets, decentralized finance, web3 initiatives, and the launch of projects, protocols, products, and services on the Stellar blockchain.

As a member of the Legal and Policy team, you will support and work directly with a wide range of business teams at SDF including the business development, partnerships, developer relations, and ecosystem growth teams. You will also have the opportunity to work alongside a team of talented attorneys and policy professionals in a fast paced-industry, advising on some of the most innovative legal issues in blockchain technology, digital assets, and global payments - all in a supportive and friendly company culture.

In this role, you will:

• Draft, negotiate, and manage a diverse portfolio of commercial agreements for a growing organization, including services agreements, SaaS agreements, sponsorship agreements, leases, confidentiality arrangements, grants, consultancies, strategic partnerships, and more.
• Provide comprehensive legal support across the organization.
• Provide legal support to senior attorneys on a variety of commercial deals, including joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and debt and equity investments.
• Scope and conduct legal due diligence of potential transactions and counterparties; assist with other compliance processes such as KYC, sanctions checks, and legal onboarding requests.
• Design and execute on legal and compliance requirements for new funding and award programs introduced at SDF, providing dedicated legal support to the Ecosystem Team on commercial matters.
• Advise on new and innovative ways for SDF to support the growth and development of the Stellar ecosystem in accordance with its mandate (https://stellar.org/foundation/mandate).
• Help develop operational processes and tools to empower SDF to move quickly and execute effectively, while mitigating risks and maintaining a strong commitment to compliance; this includes creating scalable, self-serve resources for internal clients and partners (e.g., playbooks, guidelines, templates).

You have:

• At least four (4) full years of relevant law firm and/or in-house experience in a legal role focused on transactional, commercial, and corporate law, preferably focusing on blockchain, payments, fintech, or financial services.
• Experience advising teams on dynamic, complex legal issues.
• Excellent problem-solving, judgment, communication (written and oral), and interpersonal skills.
• Autonomy and ability to identify and assess risk and provide tailored recommendations for risk mitigation.
• Ability to present complex legal issues in a clear, concise manner to provide results-oriented legal advice.
• Ability to effectively organize, prioritize, and manage diverse stakeholders and time-sensitive projects.
• Ability to thrive and innovate in a fast-paced, dynamic industry.
• Sound business judgment, intellectual creativity, and a willingness to navigate an evolving legal environment.
• A team player with a “go-getter” attitude, ready to jump into projects (large and small) to help SDF succeed.
• Keen interest in the industry and in the mission of SDF.
• A J.D. and active membership in at least one U.S. state bar. Must be a US-based attorney.
• A great sense of humor!
• Familiarity with blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies is a plus (but all you really need is a keen interest, and we’ll get you up to speed)

We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $165,000 - $225,000 depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits:

• Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependents
• Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for both non-birthing and birthing parents, as well as up to 14 weeks of paid pregnancy leave for birthing parents
• Gym reimbursement ($80 per month)
• Life & ADD (up to $50K)
• Short & Long term disability
• 401K with 4% match
• Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts
• Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution
• Family building benefits through Kindbody
• L&D budget of $1,500/year
• Daily lunch and snacks in office
• Company retreats

#LI-Hybrid

Stellar is more than a blockchain. Powered by a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network made for financial products and services and a thriving and passionate ecosystem that includes a non-profit organization driven by a mission, Stellar is paving the path to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology. Built with speed and low costs in mind, the Stellar network provides builders and financial institutions worldwide a platform to issue assets, and to send and convert currencies in real time creating real world utility. Founded in 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) supports the continued development and growth of the Stellar network and also serves the ecosystem of NGOs, corporations, universities, small businesses, governments, and solo entrepreneurs building on the Stellar network through tooling, funding and strategic collaborations. Together, Stellar is where blockchain meets the real world.

About the Stellar Development Foundation

The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting changemakers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations. SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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