Legal Associate (Fintech/Payments)

Black Pen Recruitment; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fintech firm in Cape Town is seeking a detail-oriented Legal Associate to support their legal and compliance functions across multiple jurisdictions. The ideal candidate will have at least 5 years of legal experience, strong knowledge of financial law, and exceptional organizational skills. Key responsibilities include managing licensing, drafting legal documents, and ensuring compliance with regulations. This is a full-time hybrid role offering opportunities to work in a fast-paced fintech environment.

Qualifications

• Must be an admitted attorney.
• Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience in a law firm or in-house.
• Strong grounding in financial services and contract law.

Responsibilities

• Assist with licensing and compliance across jurisdictions.
• Draft and negotiate contracts like vendor agreements.
• Support corporate compliance and establish new legal entities.

Skills

Attention to detail

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving capabilities

Education

Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB)

Job description

Our client is a fast-scaling fintech business driving innovation in the financial infrastructure space across Africa and beyond. Their team works at the intersection of regulation, technology, and commerce, and they are looking for a detail-oriented Legal Associate to support their legal and compliance function across multiple jurisdictions.

Role Overview

The Legal Associate will play a key role in supporting licensing, regulatory, and commercial legal matters. You will work across jurisdictions on high-impact legal operations, helping ensure that the company remains compliant, well-structured, and contractually protected as it grows. This is a hands-on legal role ideal for a proactive and organised professional with fintech, payments, or cross-border regulatory experience.

Job Type: Full-time

Location: Cape Town

Workplace: Hybrid

Requirements

• Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB).
• Admitted attorney.
• Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience (PQE) in a law firm or in-house legal department.
• Strong grounding in financial services, banking & payments, and contract/commercial law.
• Ability to work independently in both structured and fast-changing environments.
• Strong attention to detail and organisational abilities — must be meticulous.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Comfortable performing both strategic and administrative legal tasks.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Responsibilities

Regulatory & Licensing

• Assist with the preparation and submission of new license applications across various jurisdictions, liaising with financial regulators as needed.
• Track and support the renewal and ongoing compliance of all licenses in coordination with senior legal and compliance teams.
• Conduct legal research into new regulations or laws that impact the business.

Contracts & Legal Documents

• Draft, review, and negotiate complex legal agreements, including vendor contracts, customer agreements, and technology service terms.
• Assist in the preparation of internal legal documents such as board resolutions, templates, and legal filings.

Corporate & Secretarial Work

• Support the establishment of new legal entities in multiple jurisdictions.
• Maintain company registers, file annual returns, and ensure statutory compliance across the group.

Banking, PSPs & Counterparties

• Assist with onboarding and maintaining relationships with banks, payment service providers, and trading counterparties.
• Prepare and organise legal documentation for counterparty onboarding and due diligence processes.

Regulatory Engagements & Support

• Provide support during engagements with regulators, banking partners, and PSPs.
• Ensure adherence to legal directives and guidelines issued by authorities.
• Provide day-to-day support to the company’s senior legal counsel as required.