US Legal Counsel

About The Company

At Cleo, we're not just building another fintech app. We're embarking on a mission to fundamentally change humanity's relationship with money. Imagine a world where everyone, regardless of background or income, has access to a hyper-intelligent financial advisor in their pocket. That's the future we're creating.

Cleo is a rare success story: a profitable, fast-growing unicorn with over $300 million in ARR and growing over 2x year-over-year. This isn't just a job; it's a chance to join a team of brilliant, driven individuals who are passionate about making a real difference. We have an exceptionally high bar for talent, seeking individuals who are not only at the top of their field but also embody our culture of collaboration and positive impact.

If you’re driven by complex challenges that push your expertise, the chance to shape something truly transformative, and the potential to share in Cleo’s success as we scale, while growing alongside a company that’s scaling fast, this might be your perfect fit.

About The Role

We’re hiring a Legal Counsel to join Cleo’s Legal, Compliance & Policy team in the US. This is a high-impact role for a commercially minded lawyer who can operate as a true generalist across product counseling, regulatory analysis, public policy support, litigation management, and commercial contracting.

As one of the early legal hires at Cleo, you’ll have the opportunity to help build the legal framework for a fast-growing, AI-powered fintech. You’ll work closely with product, compliance, policy, operations, and business teams to advise on laws impacting consumer credit products, assess emerging regulatory and legislative developments, and help the business navigate legal risk in a practical, solutions-oriented way.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys variety, wants meaningful ownership, and is excited by the chance to help shape the legal function at a scaling company. You’ll be the kind of lawyer who can move from advising on new credit products, to assessing proposed legislation, to managing outside counsel on litigation matters, to reviewing vendor agreements — all while partnering cross-functionally to help Cleo grow responsibly.

What You’ll Be Doing

Advise on consumer credit products and regulatory issues

Provide practical legal and regulatory advice to product squads and business stakeholders developing and scaling consumer credit products, and other adjacent offerings. Help identify legal risks, interpret applicable laws, and support compliant product development.

Manage litigation and arbitration matters

Support litigation, arbitration, and dispute-related matters by managing outside counsel, coordinating internal responses, and serving as a key interface between legal counsel and business teams. Help oversee document requests, gather relevant information, and ensure matters are handled efficiently and strategically.

Review and negotiate commercial agreements

Review, draft, and advise on vendor agreements, NDAs, and other commercial contracts. Partner with business stakeholders to ensure contracts appropriately protect Cleo’s interests while supporting operational needs.

Partner cross-functionally across the business

Work closely with Legal, Compliance, Product, Policy, Operations, and other teams to provide timely, pragmatic legal advice that balances risk mitigation with business objectives. Help bring structure and clarity to complex and evolving legal questions.

Help build the legal function

Contribute to the growth of Cleo’s legal program as an early team member, helping establish scalable processes, guidance, templates, and frameworks that enable the company to move quickly and responsibly.

What We’re Looking For

• 5–7 years of legal experience practicing law, with a strong background in financial services, consumer financial regulation, or fintech.
• Juris Doctor (JD) and active admission to at least one US state bar, with the ability to practice law in the role.
• Experience advising on consumer credit products and related legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Strong experience providing legal guidance to business teams on new products, regulatory change, and evolving legal requirements.
• Familiarity with legal and regulatory issues relevant to products such as credit card products, installment loans, or similar consumer finance offerings.
• Experience reviewing, drafting, and advising on vendor agreements, NDAs, and other commercial contracts.
• Experience managing outside counsel and supporting litigation, arbitration, investigations, or other dispute-related matters.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill complex legal analysis into clear, practical guidance for cross-functional stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently, manage a varied workload, and exercise strong judgment in a fast-moving environment.
• A pragmatic, business-oriented approach to legal counseling with a strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Nice To Have

• Experience in a startup or high-growth fintech environment.
• Experience advising on legal issues related to AI, emerging technology, or automated decisioning.
• Familiarity with public policy, legislative analysis, or supporting advocacy and policy strategy in regulated industries.
• Prior law firm experience in consumer financial services or a combination of law firm and in-house experience.
• Broad-based legal experience across regulatory, product, litigation, and commercial work, rather than a narrow specialization in just one area.

What do you get for all your hard work?

• A competitive compensation package (base + equity) with bi-annual reviews, aligned to our quarterly OKR planning cycles.
• Work at one of the fastest-growing tech startups, backed by top VC firms, Balderton & EQT Ventures
• A clear progression plan. We want you to keep growing. That means trying new things, leading others, challenging the status quo and owning your impact. Always with our complete support.
• Flexibility. We can’t fight for the world’s financial health if we’re not healthy ourselves. We work with everyone to make sure they have the balance they need to do their best work
• Work where you work best. We’re a globally distributed team. Our US team works fully remotely, but we host virtual socials and an annual company offsite in Europe with all expenses paid.

Other Benefits

• Company-wide performance reviews every 6 months
• Generous pay increases for high-performing team members
• Equity top-ups for team members getting promoted
• 15 days annual leave a year + 5 additional floating flexible days per year + public holidays (+ an additional day for every year you spend at Cleo)
• 1 extra day a year to be used for learning and 1 extra day for volunteering
• 401k matching
• Medical Insurance, Dental and Vision care
• Generous Parental Leave
• 1 month paid sabbatical after 4 years at Cleo
• Regular socials and activities, online and in-person
• We’ll pay for your OpenAI subscription
• Online mental health support via Spill
• And many more!

Welcoming Everyone

We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, parents, carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. If there’s anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let us know.

Compensation range

• United States: $140,000 - $185,000 gross annually*
• Other locations: Compensation will be discussed during the interview process
• Final compensation will be determined based on the candidate's qualifications, skills, and previous experience

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