Senior Counsel

SOLANA FOUNDATION; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Restricted token units

Competitive compensation

Remote-friendly work environment

Job summary

Wormhole Labs seeks an experienced General Counsel to build and own the legal function end-to-end, supporting regulatory, corporate, commercial, employment, IP, and litigation matters.

You will be the senior legal voice for the executive team and partner with engineering, product, business development, and finance to move fast and ship with solid legal guardrails. US regulatory focus with global scope and remote‑first operations.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of legal practice with strong law firm training.
• JD and active US bar admission (any state).
• Demonstrated ability to operate as the sole legal lead.
• Substantive command of US financial services and securities regulation as applied to digital assets.
• Track record running M&A, financings, and complex commercial negotiations to close.
• Pragmatic risk judgment; ability to take a position when needed.
• High-trust communicator capable of delivering difficult news to founders and executives.
• Comfortable in a remote-first, async, global environment with travel.

Responsibilities

• Own regulatory strategy across the US and key non-US jurisdictions; engage regulators when needed.
• Lead deal work: M&A, strategic investments, financings, joint ventures.
• Draft, negotiate, and operationalize the full commercial contract stack.
• Partner on global employment matters (offer letters, contractor agreements, immigration, separations, policy).
• Oversee IP strategy, open-source licensing posture, and trademark portfolio.
• Run litigation, regulatory inquiries, subpoenas, and enforcement matters; manage outside counsel; control legal spend.
• Advise on privacy, data, and sanctions compliance across product surfaces.
• Structure and maintain the company's corporate architecture across multiple entities.
• Operate as a business-minded partner to engineering, product, BD, and finance with fast turnarounds.

Skills

Legal practice

Sole lead

US regulation

M&A negotiations

Contract drafting

Risk judgment

Communication

Education

JD degree

Job description

Wormhole Labs is a pioneering blockchain technology company building decentralized systems for a freer and fairer global economy. We're reshaping financial infrastructure across the entire crypto stack, from core protocol development to trading systems and user-facing applications.

At our core, we're technology innovators bridging traditional finance with the emerging possibilities of crypto. Our seasoned team leverages deep technical expertise to develop solutions that advance the industry. We're seeking talented individuals who share our vision and have the technical prowess to help build it. Join us!

As General Counsel at Wormhole Labs, you will build and own the legal function of the company end-to-end across regulatory, corporate, commercial, employment, IP, and litigation matters. You will serve as the senior legal voice for the executive team and operate as a hands‑on partner to engineering, product, business development, and finance.

What you will do

• Own regulatory strategy across the US (SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, OFAC, state MTLs) and key non-US jurisdictions (MiCA, FCA, MAS); engage directly with regulators when needed.

• Lead deal work: M&A, strategic investments, financings, joint ventures, etc.

• Draft, negotiate, and operationalize the full commercial contract stack: customer, partner, vendor, BD, integration, and protocol partnership agreements.

• Partner on global employment matters like offer letters, contractor agreements, immigration, separations, and policy.

• Oversee IP strategy, open-source licensing posture, and trademark portfolio.

• Run litigation, regulatory inquiries, subpoenas, and enforcement matters; select and manage outside counsel; control legal spend.

• Advise on privacy, data, and sanctions compliance across product surfaces.

• Structure and maintain the company's corporate architecture across multiple entities.

• Operate as a business‑minded partner to engineering, product, BD, and finance: integrated into the process with fast turnarounds and clear guidance.

What you bring

• 8+ years of legal practice with strong law firm training.

• JD and active US bar admission (any state).

• Demonstrated ability to operate as a sole legal lead, comfortable being the only lawyer in the room and the last set of eyes before something ships.

• Substantive command of US financial services and securities regulation as applied to digital assets.

• Track record running M&A, financings, and complex commercial negotiations to close.

• Pragmatic risk judgment. You know the difference between a real risk and a hypothetical one, and you don't hide behind the second to avoid taking a position.

• High-trust communicator who can deliver bad news to founders, executives, and counterparties without theatrics.

• Comfortable in a remote‑first, async, global environment with a travel cadence to match.

Requirements

• Prior experience advising a crypto, DeFi, or fintech company, in‑house or as outside counsel.

• Experience structuring multi‑entity setups, including offshore affiliates and operating subsidiaries.

Benefits

Competitive salary and restricted token units, dependent on position type and location. Discretionary bonus dependent on company performance.

Note: We will only respond to applications that meet our requirements. If you don't get a response, please assume a polite decline.