Director, Securities & Corporate Counsel

Socket.dev; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 265,000 - 310,000; Full time

Job summary

Kikoff in San Francisco seeks its first dedicated securities and corporate counsel to build governance, disclosure and public-company readiness as the company grows toward an IPO.

You will advise the CFO, finance team, board, and executive leadership, leading equity/debt financings, M&A, and ongoing SEC reporting while shaping structure for a scalable governance framework.

Qualifications

• D. and active membership in good standing in a U.S. state bar; admitted in California or eligible to register as in-house counsel here.
• 8–15 years of post-J.D. experience with substantial securities and capital markets work at a leading law firm or in-house.
• Fluency in the Securities Act and Exchange Act frameworks that govern private financings and public reporting.

Responsibilities

• Public-company readiness: governance and disclosure infrastructure, policies, and 10b5-1 program.
• IPO execution: registration statement drafting, diligence, underwriter coordination, listing process.
• Capital markets and financings: equity/debt financings, facilities, and related diligence.
• M&A and strategic transactions: structure, diligence, LOIs and purchase agreements, post-closing integration.
• Corporate governance: board/committee mechanics, charters, and related-party review.
• Equity compensation: option/RSU grants, 409A valuations, plan amendments, and reserves.
• SEC reporting: ongoing 10-K/10-Q/8-K and proxy materials.

Skills

Securities law

Capital markets

Public company reporting

In-house counsel

Governance frameworks

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

Kikoff: The Fintech Powering Financial Security at ScaleKikoff is a profitable, pre-IPO fintech company on a mission to empower everyone to achieve financial security. With record revenue growth in 2025 and a unicorn valuation, we've built a suite of products that help millions of people build credit, access liquidity, and save money.We're scaling fast. Join us if you want to build something meaningful and help millions of people move forward financially.

Why Kikoff:

This is a consumer fintech startup, and you will be working with serial entrepreneurs who have built strong consumer brands and innovative products. We value extreme ownership, clear communication, a strong sense of craftsmanship, and the desire to create lasting work and work relationships. Yes, you can build an exciting business AND have real-life real-customer impact.

The opportunity

This is Kikoff's first dedicated securities and corporate counsel role. You will drive corporate and securities work, build the systems and discipline a public company requires, and be the in-house expert on financings, governance, and equity. If and when the company pursues an initial public offering, you will be central to it.

You will work directly with the Chief Legal Officer, the CFO and Finance team, the executive team, and the board. The legal team is small and deliberately senior, which means real ownership and very little hierarchy between you and the decisions that matter.

What you will do

• Public-company readiness. Build the governance and disclosure infrastructure of a public company: disclosure controls and procedures, a disclosure committee, reporting calendars, board and board committee support, insider trading and trading-window policies, Section 16 and Reg FD frameworks, and a 10b5-1 program.
• IPO execution. If the company pursues an offering, help run the working group: registration statement drafting and diligence, underwriter and auditor coordination, publicity and quiet-period discipline, comfort and opinion support, and the exchange listing process.
• Capital markets and financings. Lead legal execution on equity and debt financings, warehouse and credit facilities, convertible instruments, secondary transactions and tender offers, and the diligence that accompanies them.
• M&A and strategic transactions. Lead legal execution on acquisitions, investments, and other strategic transactions: structuring, diligence, drafting and negotiating LOIs, purchase agreements, disclosure schedules and ancillary documents, and post-closing integration support.
• Corporate governance. Handle board and committee mechanics — agendas, materials, resolutions, minutes, charters, delegations of authority, D&O questionnaires, related-party transaction review, and entity governance across our subsidiaries and holding structure.
• Equity compensation. Partner with Finance and People on option and RSU grants, 409A valuations, Rule 701 compliance, plan amendments and share reserves, and the design work required to move an equity program to a public-company footing.
• SEC reporting. Once public, own the ongoing periodic-reporting cycle — Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and proxy materials — in coordination with Finance, Investor Relations, and external counsel.
• General corporate. On a team this size, everyone carries breadth. Expect to touch commercial agreements, bank and vendor partnerships, intercompany arrangements, and the occasional problem that belongs to no one else.

What we are looking for

• D. and active membership in good standing in a U.S. state bar; admitted in California or eligible to register as in-house counsel here.
• 8–15 years of post-J.D. experience, with substantial securities and capital markets work at a leading law firm.
• Fluency in the Securities Act and Exchange Act frameworks that govern private financings and public reporting, and the judgment to know which questions are genuinely hard.
• Public company experience required, including hands‑on involvement with SEC reporting and disclosure (e.g., 10-K/10-Q/8-K and proxy materials, as applicable) and familiarity with disclosure controls and related governance requirements.
• A record of seeing complicated processes through to closing.
• The ability to explain legal requirements and risk to people who are not lawyers, and to be credible with a CFO, an audit partner, and a banker in the same afternoon.
• Comfort with ambiguity, incomplete information, and doing unglamorous work yourself. There is no one below you to hand it to. You will need to build new structure, not inherit it.

Preferred

• In-house experience taking a company public, or serving on the company side of an S‑1 working group.
• Fintech, consumer finance, or high‑growth technology experience.
• Familiarity with bank partnership models, consumer lending or earned‑wage access products.
• Experience building legal and governance functions.

Base Range

$265,000 — $310,000 USD

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Kikoff Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

Please reference the following for more information.