Corporate Legal Counsel, France

Job description

ABOUT AIRWALLEX Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 250,000 businesses worldwide – including Brex, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more – with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale. Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,300 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 27 offices around the globe. Valued at US$11 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you’re ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us. ATTRIBUTES WE VALUE We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you’re motivated by our mission and operating principles https://www.airwallex.com/us/operating-principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor. You're humble and collaborative; turn zero‑to‑one ideas into real products, and you “get stuff done” end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you’ll tackle complex, high‑visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let’s build what’s next. ABOUT THE TEAM The Legal, Risk & Compliance (LRC) team at Airwallex is a collaborative group of legal professionals and risk management experts. We’re passionate about safeguarding Airwallex’s operations, fostering a culture of compliance and integrity, and ensuring we navigate the global financial landscape responsibly. The team provides expert guidance and proactive support across all areas of the business—identifying, mitigating, and managing legal and financial risks to enable sustainable growth. WHAT YOU’LL DO As Corporate Legal Counsel, you’ll play a key role in supporting Airwallex’s ambitious growth across France, Europe, and beyond. You’ll provide practical, business-focused legal advice to enable expansion, support fundraising activities, and ensure compliance with complex financial regulations. Working closely with cross-functional teams—including corporate development, compliance, risk, partnerships, and marketing—you’ll help Airwallex achieve its mission while managing legal risk in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. This role is based in Paris. Responsibilities - Support the corporate development team through fundraising rounds, including due diligence, structuring, and execution. - Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial contracts — including referral agreements, NDAs, partnership agreements, and marketing materials — in collaboration with the partnerships and marketing teams. - Advise on legal issues relating to marketing, advertising, promotions, and data protection. - Monitor legal and regulatory developments in fintech, ensuring company practices remain compliant while supporting innovation and growth. - Manage external counsel as required, ensuring cost-effective and high-quality legal support. - Identify and mitigate legal risks associated with fintech products and services, particularly in areas such as data protection and cybersecurity. - Work cross-functionally with product, compliance, and risk teams to advise on regulatory matters, market expansion, and new product initiatives, ensuring alignment with company policies and regulatory requirements. WHO YOU ARE We’re looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements below. The preferred qualifications are desirable but not essential. Minimum qualifications: - 5+ years’ experience in financial services or corporate law, ideally within a fast-growing tech company or a top-tier law firm. - Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from a reputable university. - Qualified lawyer in good standing, admission to a French bar (Barreau), preferably Paris, is a plus. - Strong interest in financial services regulation and the fintech industry. - Deep understanding of the legal and business environment in EMEA, with work experience in France preferred. - Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills. - Proven ability to collaborate effectively across functions. - Experience managing and directing external counsel. - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Preferred qualifications: - Experience supporting fundraising, M&A, or international expansion within a regulated financial services or fintech environment. - Knowledge of data protection, cybersecurity, and technology risk management. - Fluency in English and French (additional European languages a plus). APPLICANT SAFETY POLICY: FRAUD AND THIRD-PARTY RECRUITERS To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com http://airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com http://careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page. Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.