Counsel, Product & Regulatory - Payments & AML

Coinscapture; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercury is seeking a Counsel, Product & Regulatory (Payments & AML) to navigate complex questions at the intersection of product, regulation, and financial infrastructure. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to guide payment capabilities and ensure regulatory compliance.

You will work with a fast-moving product and regulatory legal team, embedding with product teams from ideation to launch, and shaping scalable guidance for the organization.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of legal experience.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Experience supporting fintechs, banks, payment companies, sponsor-bank programs, payment networks, or regulators with substantial payments- or AML-related exposure.
• Strong working knowledge of payments-related regulatory frameworks, and an interest in emerging areas like stablecoins.
• Familiarity with BSA/AML and sanctions requirements.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Strong judgment and comfort operating in ambiguous environments.
• A proactive sense of ownership.

Responsibilities

• Advise on payments products and infrastructure across Mercury, handling regulatory complexity for product launches, incident responses, partnerships, and customer experiences.
• Collaborate across Product, Compliance, Risk, Engineering, Operations, Partnerships, and Legal to bring legal input early with a high-ownership mindset.
• Support the launch of new capabilities (e.g., payment rails) from exploration through launch, identifying risks and evaluating options.
• Help steer financial crimes initiatives with AML, sanctions, Compliance, and Risk teams and develop practical guidance.
• Create scalable legal guidance and frameworks to improve consistency and decision speed across the organization.
• Apply AI knowledge to improve efficiency in legal workflows and drive smarter processes.

Skills

Legal experience

Law license

Fintech payments

BSA/AML knowledge

Regulatory frameworks

Communication skills

Ownership mindset

Job description

In 1905, chief engineer John Stevens inherited one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in history: the Panama Canal.

The challenge wasn’t digging a ditch between two oceans. It was figuring out how to move ships safely through a system of locks, gates, reservoirs, and changing conditions without bringing global commerce to a halt.

The solution wasn’t to stop movement. It was to create a framework that allowed movement at scale.

Modern financial infrastructure presents a similar challenge. Payment systems, banking products, compliance obligations, and regulatory frameworks all exist for a reason. The goal isn’t to eliminate complexity. It’s to build systems that allow innovation, growth, and customer value within it.

Who we are

Since 2019, Mercury has been on a mission to reinvent banking for the modern age. We blend elegant design and cutting-edge technology to offer checking and savings accounts, debit cards, payment services, credit products, cash management tools, and sophisticated analytics. Everything we build reflects our belief that financial products should be thoughtfully crafted, fast, transparent, and genuinely enjoyable to use.

As we continue expanding and iterating on our product offerings and as we work to build a nationally chartered bank, we’re looking for a Counsel, Product & Regulatory (Payments & AML) to help us navigate increasingly complex questions at the intersection of product, regulation, and financial infrastructure.

About the team

Our Product & Regulatory Legal team operates like the rest of Mercury: with urgency, curiosity, and a bias toward action.

We embed with product teams from early ideation through launch, working alongside engineers, designers, compliance partners, operations teams, and risk stakeholders to get products right. We move fast, we take ownership, and we don’t wait to be asked. If something needs figuring out, we’re up to the task.

We are not a team that sits on the sidelines reviewing finished proposals. We work alongside our partners to identify risks, unlock opportunities, and find practical paths forward. We care deeply about good judgment, strong relationships, and building frameworks that scale.

What you’ll do

• Advise on payments products and infrastructure. You’ll support a broad portfolio of payments-related initiatives across Mercury. You’ll advise on matters involving payment rails, product launches, operational incidents, partner relationships, and customer-facing experiences. You’ll help product teams navigate regulatory complexity while continuing to build exceptional products.
• Partner across the company. This role sits at the intersection of Product, Compliance, Risk, Engineering, Operations, Partnerships, and Legal. You’ll build trusted relationships across these functions and bring legal perspective into conversations early, not as a checkpoint, but as a low-ego, high-ownership thought partner.
• Help launch new capabilities. Mercury is continuing to expand its product offerings while building a nationally chartered bank. You’ll support new payment capabilities (like Zelle) from early exploration through launch, helping teams identify risks, evaluate options, and make sound decisions in ambiguous environments.
• Support financial crimes initiatives. You’ll work closely with Mercury’s AML Advisory, Sanctions, Compliance, and Risk teams on matters involving financial crimes compliance. You’ll help interpret requirements, evaluate new initiatives, and develop practical guidance that enables teams to move efficiently while maintaining an appropriate risk posture.
• Build scalable guidance. The best legal advice solves more than the question in front of you. You’ll help create frameworks and guidance that improve consistency, reduce friction, and allow the organization to make better decisions over time.
• Use AI intentionally. Bring a working knowledge of AI tools in legal workflows and a genuine interest in finding new ways to drive efficiency. We’re building a legal team that works smarter, not just harder.
• Stay curious and adaptable. The regulatory and product landscape continues to evolve quickly. New payment rails emerge. Regulatory expectations shift. Business priorities change. You’ll embrace that complexity and continue learning alongside it.

What you should have

• 4+ years of legal experience.
• Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• Experience supporting fintechs, banks, payment companies, sponsor-bank programs, payment networks, BaaS providers, or regulators with substantial payments- or AML-related exposure.
• Strong working knowledge of payments-related regulatory frameworks, and an interest in emerging areas like stablecoins.
• Familiarity with BSA/AML and sanctions requirements.
• Exceptional communication skills. You know your audience and tailor accordingly.
• Strong judgment and comfort operating in ambiguous environments.
• A proactive sense of ownership. You’...