Counsel, Product & Regulatory - Payments & AML

About the Company and Role Mercury is a fintech company on a mission to reinvent banking for the modern age. We offer checking and savings accounts, debit cards, payment services, credit products, cash management tools, and sophisticated analytics—all built for speed, transparency, and a delightful user experience. As Mercury expands and builds a nationally chartered bank, we are looking for a Counsel, Product & Regulatory (Payments & AML) to navigate the growing complexity at the intersection of product, regulation, and financial infrastructure. About the Team The Product & Regulatory Legal team operates with urgency, curiosity, and a bias toward action. We embed with product teams from early ideation through launch, collaborating with engineers, designers, compliance partners, operations teams, and risk stakeholders to get products right. We proactively identify risks, unlock opportunities, and build scalable frameworks. What You’ll Do • Advise on payments products and infrastructure, including payment rails, product launches, operational incidents, partner relationships, and customer-facing experiences.

• Partner across Product, Compliance, Risk, Engineering, Operations, Partnerships, and Legal to bring legal perspective early and serve as a low‑ego, high‑ownership thought partner.
• Support new payment capabilities (e.g., Zelle) from exploration through launch, evaluating risks and options in ambiguous environments.
• Work closely with AML Advisory, Sanctions, Compliance, and Risk teams on financial crimes compliance, providing practical guidance that balances efficiency with risk posture.
• Build scalable guidance and frameworks that improve consistency, reduce friction, and enhance decision making across the organization.
• Apply AI tools intentionally in legal workflows to increase efficiency, and bring genuine interest in using AI to drive smarter work practices.
• Stay curious and adaptable amid evolving regulatory landscapes and new payment rails.

What You Should Have 4+ years of legal experience. Active license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction. Experience supporting fintechs, banks, payment companies, sponsor‑bank programs, payment networks, BaaS providers, or regulators with substantial payments‑or‑AML exposure. Strong working knowledge of payments‑related regulatory frameworks and emerging areas such as stablecoins. Familiarity with BSA/AML and sanctions requirements. Exceptional communication skills, tailoring language to diverse audiences. Strong judgment and comfort operating in ambiguous environments. A proactive ownership mindset, eager to research and deliver solutions. Genuine curiosity about financial products, infrastructure, and regulatory evolution. Knowledge of AI use cases within legal roles or financial services and interest in applying AI for efficiency. What Will Make You Successful Here Mercury expects lawyers to bring a point of view—thinking about how a product can meet regulatory requirements thoughtfully, scalably, and customer‑centricly. Success means helping scope cross‑functional projects, pressure‑testing designs, navigating operational questions, and building processes alongside compliance and operations. Impact is measured by tangible improvements to products, processes, or customer experiences, not merely legal accuracy. Why This Role Joining Mercury during this pivotal growth period offers the chance to shape payments and financial crime legal support, work alongside experienced professionals, and gain exposure to a broad range of regulatory and product questions while having meaningful ownership early in your career. Compensation and Benefits The total rewards package includes base salary, equity (stock options), and benefits. Our target base salary ranges are: US employees in NY, LA, Seattle, or SF Bay Area: $186,400 - $209,700; outside major metros: $167,800 - $188,700; Canadian employees (any location): $176,100 - $198,200 CAD. Mercury is a fintech company currently leveraging banking services through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., and investment advisory products via Mercury Advisory, LLC. Equity Equity (stock options) is part of the compensation package. Benefits Benefits include health, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, and more (exact details provided to candidates). Equal Opportunity Employment Mercury values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Mercury are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities or special needs. If you need assistance, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role. #J-18808-Ljbffr Somi AI