Square Legal Lead, Europe

Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn’t work together. So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality through Afterpay, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we’ve embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale. Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We’re building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.

Job Description

Block is looking for an experienced attorney to lead the Square Legal team for Europe. This team provides legal guidance on licensing, product development and data protection initiatives, managing legal risk and ensuring regulatory compliance of our non-U.S. entities, focusing on Europe. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly engaged candidate with a passion for empowering merchants to join a creative and growing company. We are looking for a collaborative, creative legal mind who is interested in contributing to company-wide programs to support compliance with licensing and regulatory requirements in Europe. This is a full-time remote role in Ireland and will report to the Square General Counsel.

You Will:

• Lead a Europe-based team of attorneys focused on financial services compliance for Ireland, UK, and the EU.
• Advise on requirements with the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (UK), and requirements in other EU jurisdictions (France, Spain)
• Provide guidance to product and engineering teams, and XFN and other partners, on issues related to new and existing products and features throughout the entire product development lifecycle
• Provide ideas and insights into how we can work within the law to create amazing product experiences for our customers and reduce legal risks
• Provide sound compliance advice on laws and regulations relevant to consumer protection, advertising, IP, data protection, and the software and financial services industries
• Manage the attorneys responsible for drafting and negotiating commercial and intellectual property agreements in Europe affecting our products and services
• Draft terms of use, product policies, and disclosures, and implement related processes
• Collaborate with other counsel to provide globally aligned legal advice
• Identify risk areas and develop systems, policies, and procedures to manage and mitigate them
• Represent Block with regulators and external partners, in collaboration with other teams, as needed

Qualifications

You have:

• 10+ years (minimum) financial services regulatory experience working in an in-house organization or commercial law firm; experience in financial services, commercial and consumer lending, fintech and/or technology desirable
• Experience managing a world class team of attorneys
• Qualified solicitor in Ireland
• Experience advising on requirements with the Central Bank or Ireland, the Financial Conduct Authority (UK) and other financial services regulators in Europe
• Fluency in translating financial services regulatory requirements and legal advice into relevant guidance for business and product teams
• Ability to advocate for a position while maintaining a collaborative approach
• Background in providing legal advice on regulatory matters, partnering with regulators on licensing and enforcement matters, and assisting with market diligence in European jurisdictions 

Additional Information

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, based solely on the core competencies required of the role at hand, and without regard to any legally protected class.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page .

Perks

We want you to be well and thrive. Our global benefits package includes:

• Healthcare coverage
• Retirement Plans
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Wellness perks
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Learning and Development resources

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral (formerly Square Crypto) builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.