Legal Specialist (Especialista Legal) - Bogotá (Hybrid)

Job description

**Clara is the leading platform in Latin America for companies to execute and manage every payment operation.** More than 50,000 leading and fast-growing businesses run on our corporate cards, bill pay, financing and B2B payments, and in 2025 the Financial Times named Clara the region’s fastest-growing company. We’re passionate about helping every company we work with become more effective—and, through that, raising the region’s competitiveness. We’re ~400 people, backed by Notable Capital, Coatue, Kaszek, monashees, DST Global, ICONIQ, General Catalyst and Goldman Sachs, among others. **What you'll do** We're looking for a **Legal Specialist** to be a cornerstone of Clara's Legal team in Colombia. In this senior individual contributor role, you will navigate a complex, evolving regulatory landscape and handle high-stakes legal work with significant autonomy. You will serve as a trusted advisor to leadership and internal teams, owning the day-to-day legal operations of Clara's Colombia entity while ensuring local execution aligns seamlessly with our global standards across LATAM. - Participate in high-stakes global financial transactions, including major loan facilities and capital markets deals. - Structure and negotiate equity and debt financing rounds alongside venture capital and private equity stakeholders. - Own Clara's regulatory compliance in Colombia, including financial sector requirements, AML/CFT obligations, and data protection frameworks. - Manage communications, filings, and deadlines with regulatory bodies, and lead responses to administrative requests or inquiries. - Draft, review, negotiate, and manage commercial agreements, including client contracts, vendor agreements, NDAs, and strategic partnerships. - Lead legal negotiations on product-related matters, partnering closely with Product, Sales, and Finance teams to enable business momentum while protecting Clara's interests. - Collaborate with the Product team on the legal architecture of new financial products, ensuring regulatory risk is addressed at the design phase. - Manage and protect Clara’s regional intellectual property portfolio, including trademark registrations and renewals. - Maintain rigorous, up-to-date legal records and documentation across **Google Drive**, **Slack**, and internal systems. - Identify and implement process improvements, leveraging **N8N** and AI tools to automate contract workflows, simplify research, and scale legal operations efficiently. **Who you are** *We’re looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.* **Must haves** - Law degree and valid license to practice law in Colombia. - Minimum 5 years of legal experience in corporate, commercial, financial, or fintech law. - Deep understanding of Colombian financial regulation, AML/CFT obligations, and consumer/data protection laws. - Proven track record in complex commercial contract negotiation and structuring financial transactions. - Experience in a high-growth fintech or technology environment, acting as a strategic business enabler. - Working proficiency in English and Spanish. - Experience or interest in AI tools to automate workflows. - Excellent verbal and written communication. - Adaptability to fast-changing environments. - Proven role-specific execution and strong ownership. **Nice to haves** - Direct experience advising regulated financial institutions or payment companies in Colombia. - Familiarity with regional LATAM legal frameworks or cross-border financial transactions. - Basic proficiency in Portuguese or a desire to learn it. - Independent analytical skills using spreadsheets, **SQL**, or **Python**. - A good sense of humor. **Where we work** This is a hybrid role: you'll split your time between the office, customers and home. We don't set a minimum number of office days for most roles — you'll spend time in the office naturally, and most days during your ramp-up or when your leader asks. ## Why Clara - **A high talent-density team** driven to make an impact in Latin America — low ego, high ownership. - Competitive salary and stock options (ESOP) from day one. - An annual learning budget and accelerated development paths. - English is our working language, with Spanish and Portuguese every day. ## How we work - **Clarity** — Open and direct communication: we say what we mean and give context where it matters. - **Simplicity** — If it can be simpler, it should be. - **Ownership** — We own everything we do, end to end. When something needs to happen, we don't wait. - **Pride** — We hold ourselves to a high standard, and it shows in what we deliver. - **ABC (Always Be Changing)** — We adapt fast, embrace change, and keep learning. - **Inclusivity** — Diverse ideas, stories and perspectives build a better Clara. If you meet the must-haves, apply — the nice-to-haves are a bonus, not a requirement.