Legal Counsel (f/m/d)

Upvest

At Upvest, we are on a mission to make investing as easy as spending money. Upvest empowers businesses to offer a wide range of investment products and the best experience in the field of capital market investment and retirement planning. Upvest’s Investment API is easy to integrate so that fintechs and financial institutions can save resources and fully focus on their core business. We are proud to partner with Europe’s leading Fintechs and financial institutions such as DKB, Revolut, N26 and Raisin. Founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing, Upvest now brings together over 270 talented professionals from more than 70 nationalities. Upvest is backed by €280M in total funding from world-class investors, including BlackRock, Tencent, Sapphire Ventures, and Bessemer Venture Partners, Earlybird, Notion Capital, and Motive. Our latest €105M funding round in March 2026 - led by Sapphire and Tencent - serves as a massive catalyst for our growth, allowing us to offer premier investment experience. YOUR MISSION AT UPVEST: As (Senior) Legal Counsel – Investment Products, you are part of the legal infrastructure that powers Upvest's Investment API. You bring a granular understanding of the capital markets lifecycle and you use it to build something durable: a scalable, cross-border legal framework that keeps pace with a fast-moving product. Your mission is to enable Upvest's internationalisation by closing the gap between rigid financial regulation and flexible, API-driven product design. Working within a high-performing legal team, you will help ensure that as Upvest expands across the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, our product remains legally robust, commercially competitive, and technically precise. Key Responsibilities: * Product Architecture & Compliance by Design: Be the legal authority on the lifecycle of financial instruments. Partner directly with Product and Engineering to co-design features from fractional trading to new asset classes, translating MiFID II/III and WpIG into concrete technical requirements so compliance is built in from the first line of code, not bolted on after. * Scalable Internationalisation: Own the legal adaptation of Upvest's core German investment offering as we expand into the UK, Switzerland, and the wider EEA. Define jurisdiction-specific requirements while preserving a coherent, scalable product framework across markets. * Regulatory Navigation: Serve as the internal expert on EU and German financial regulation. Monitor and interpret regulatory developments across MiFID, WpIG, WpHG, and MaRisk, and translate their implications into actionable guidance for Product, Operations, and Compliance. * Institutional Contracting: Lead and support the negotiation of complex B2B agreements with institutional counterparties, including credit institutions and global fintechs, across Upvest's offering. * Legal Ops & Automation: Drive the modernisation of Upvest's legal function. Champion the adoption of contract lifecycle management tools, AI-assisted review workflows, and scalable processes that free up capacity for high-value legal work. * Cross-functional Partnership: Act as a trusted adviser to Product, Engineering, Operations, and Compliance. Deliver clear, actionable guidance that enables commercial decisions cutting through complexity without creating bottlenecks What You'll Bring: * Qualification: at least 3–5 years post-qualification experience (PQE) in the financial services industry. At least one German legal qualification (Erste Juristische Prüfung). * Capital Markets Depth: Hands-on understanding of lifecycles across a variety of investment products (stocks, investment funds, bonds, derivatives) at the level of a seasoned practitioner. * Industry Background: Experience in a regulated investment firm, fintech, infrastructure provider, or bank with a brokerage and custody product offering. * Regulatory Expertise: Strong command of EU and German financial law (MiFID, WpIG, WpHG). Exposure to UK (FCA) regulation or other European NCAs is a strong plus. * International Mindset: Familiarity with adapting core legal frameworks to new European markets and regulatory regimes. * Automation Advocate: Enthusiasm for streamlining the legal function through technology whether tooling, AI-assisted review, or smarter process workflows. * Pragmatic and Direct: You focus on enabling growth through clear-eyed risk judgement. You cut through complexity and give the business answers it can act on. * Languages: Professional fluency in English and German — essential for regulatory filings and high-stakes stakeholder management. HOW WE UPVEST IN YOU: * Impact-driven work: We’re building the infrastructure that will power the future of investing in Europe. It’s complex, ambitious, and meaningful. You’ll work with modern technologies and create something entirely new. No legacy systems, no limits. * Wellbeing: Recharge with 30 days of annual leave and maintain a healthy lifestyle with sports benefits. Access confidential professional coaching and enjoy the flexibility to work remotely abroad for up to 183 days a year. Recharge with UpRest, a one-month fully paid sabbatical after every 4 years of working at Upvest. * Development: Growth is in our DNA. Each Upvenger has access to a personal development budget and the freedom to decide how to use it. * Flexible work environment: Work from any of our hubs in Berlin, London or Tallinn hybrid or remotely across Europe, depending on the role. We give you the choice and budget to work where you’re most comfortable and productive, either at home or in the office. You choose. * Compensation and equity: We believe that all Upvengers contribute to our success and deserve a competitive, above-market salary and a participation in our employee equity program. * Team celebrations: Participate in company-wide events, such as UpFest, dinners, offsites and our Holiday party, to connect with colleagues and celebrate our achievements. * Inclusion: We’re committed to a culture where everyone belongs and thrives. Our Employee Resources Groups foster inclusion and connection, like Upfem for our female Upvengers, or UpVergent supporting neurodivergent Upvengers and allies. OUR VALUES: * Make it easy for others. We simplify the complex and act with the best intentions. * Own the outcome. We are proactive, fast and confident to get the job done, valuing progress over perfection. * Rise to the challenge. We aim high and push the boundaries. We stay curious, learn and celebrate our wins together. * Tell the story. We start with the Why to align on purpose. We are transparent and share knowledge to empower and inspire others. Upvest is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Upvest

At Upvest, we are on a mission to make investing as easy as spending money. Upvest empowers businesses to offer a wide range of investment products and the best experience in the field of capital market investment and retirement planning. Upvest’s Investment API is easy to integrate so that fintechs and financial institutions can save resources and fully focus on their core business. We are proud to partner with Europe’s leading Fintechs and financial institutions such as DKB, Revolut, N26 and Raisin. Founded in 2017 by Martin Kassing, Upvest now brings together over 270 talented professionals from more than 70 nationalities. Upvest is backed by €280M in total funding from world-class investors, including BlackRock, Tencent, Sapphire Ventures, and Bessemer Venture Partners, Earlybird, Notion Capital, and Motive. Our latest €105M funding round in March 2026 - led by Sapphire and Tencent - serves as a massive catalyst for our growth, allowing us to offer premier investment experience. YOUR MISSION AT UPVEST: As (Senior) Legal Counsel – Investment Operations, you are part of the legal infrastructure that keeps Upvest's post-trade engine running. You bring a granular understanding of clearing, settlement, and custody — and you use it to ensure that every transaction Upvest processes is legally sound, operationally resilient, and regulatorily defensible at scale. Your mission is to safeguard Upvest's operating business as it scales across the EEA, UK, and Switzerland. Working within a high-performing legal team, you will be the go-to legal voice for everything that happens after a trade is executed — ensuring our post-trade infrastructure remains compliant, our counterparty relationships are properly governed, and our operational processes can absorb the demands of rapid growth. Key Responsibilities: * Post-Trade Legal Coverage: Be the legal authority on Upvest's post-execution infrastructure. Advise on the legal framework governing clearing, settlement, and custody operations, ensuring our processes remain compliant with applicable regulation at every step of the transaction lifecycle. * Custody & Safekeeping: Own the legal framework around client asset protection and safekeeping obligations. Ensure Upvest's custody arrangements, including sub-custodian relationships. are structured, documented, and monitored to the highest regulatory standard. * Counterparty & Operational Contracting: Lead the negotiation and ongoing management of agreements with CCPs, CSDs, custodians, and other post-trade infrastructure providers. Maintain a contractual framework that is robust, scalable, and commercially sound. * Regulatory Navigation: Serve as the internal expert on post-trade regulation across EU and German law. Monitor and interpret developments across MiFID, WpDVerOV, CSDR, and MaRisk, and translate their implications into actionable guidance for Operations, Compliance, and Finance. * Operational Risk & Incident Support: Partner with Operations and Compliance to assess and respond to post-trade incidents, settlement failures, and operational risk events from a legal perspective. Develop playbooks that enable fast, legally defensible responses. * Legal Ops & Automation: Drive the modernisation of Upvest's legal function. Champion scalable contracting processes, AI-assisted review workflows, and documentation standards that keep pace with operational growth without sacrificing rigour. What You'll Bring: * Qualification: At least 3–5 years post-qualification experience (PQE) in the financial services industry. At least one German legal qualification (Erste Juristische Prüfung). * Post-Trade Depth: Hands-on understanding of clearing, settlement, and custody mechanics across a range of investment products — at the level of a seasoned practitioner who has worked directly with CCPs, CSDs, or custodians. * Industry Background: Experience in a regulated investment firm, custodian bank, CSD, infrastructure provider, or fintech with a meaningful post-trade operating footprint. * Regulatory Expertise: Strong command of EU and German financial law relevant to post-trade operations (MiFID, CSDR, WpDVerOV, MaRisk). Exposure to UK (FCA) regulation or other European NCAs is a strong plus. * International Mindset: Familiarity with adapting legal frameworks across European markets, particularly where post-trade infrastructure and regulation diverges by jurisdiction. * Automation Advocate: Enthusiasm for streamlining the legal function through technology — whether tooling, AI-assisted review, or smarter process workflows. * Pragmatic and Direct: You focus on keeping the business running through clear-eyed legal judgement. You identify risk without creating paralysis, and give Operations and Compliance answers they can act on. * Languages: Professional fluency in English and German — essential for regulatory filings, custodian negotiations, and day-to-day stakeholder management. HOW WE UPVEST IN YOU: * Impact-driven work: We’re building the infrastructure that will power the future of investing in Europe. It’s complex, ambitious, and meaningful. You’ll work with modern technologies and create something entirely new. No legacy systems, no limits. * Wellbeing: Recharge with 30 days of annual leave and maintain a healthy lifestyle with sports benefits. Access confidential professional coaching and enjoy the flexibility to work remotely abroad for up to 183 days a year. Recharge with UpRest, a one-month fully paid sabbatical after every 4 years of working at Upvest. * Development: Growth is in our DNA. Each Upvenger has access to a personal development budget and the freedom to decide how to use it. * Flexible work environment: Work from any of our hubs in Berlin, London or Tallinn hybrid or remotely across Europe, depending on the role. We give you the choice and budget to work where you’re most comfortable and productive, either at home or in the office. You choose. * Compensation and equity: We believe that all Upvengers contribute to our success and deserve a competitive, above-market salary and a participation in our employee equity program. * Team celebrations: Participate in company-wide events, such as UpFest, dinners, offsites and our Holiday party, to connect with colleagues and celebrate our achievements. * Inclusion: We’re committed to a culture where everyone belongs and thrives. Our Employee Resources Groups foster inclusion and connection, like Upfem for our female Upvengers, or UpVergent supporting neurodivergent Upvengers and allies. OUR VALUES: * Make it easy for others. We simplify the complex and act with the best intentions. * Own the outcome. We are proactive, fast and confident to get the job done, valuing progress over perfection. * Rise to the challenge. We aim high and push the boundaries. We stay curious, learn and celebrate our wins together. * Tell the story. We start with the Why to align on purpose. We are transparent and share knowledge to empower and inspire others. Upvest is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Kayzen

LEGAL COUNSEL (M/F/D) Remote Europe Hello 👋  I’m Robert, Finance & Legal Lead at Kayzen and I’m now looking for a Legal Counsel to join our team. As we scale our business globally — managing an increasingly complex client and vendor landscape, navigating cross-border data privacy requirements, and growing our equity and corporate structure — we need a sharp, pragmatic, and commercially minded legal mind to own our legal function. You will take what we have built so far and professionalise, scale, and strengthen it. Working closely with our Finance & Legal Lead, you will be a true business partner to senior leadership across the company. About Kayzen Kayzen is an App demand-side platform (DSP) dedicated to democratizing app advertising on Mobile and Connected TV devices. We enable leading apps, agencies, media buyers, and brands to run programmatic customer acquisition, retargeting, and brand performance campaigns through our self-serve and managed service options. Built on the three core pillars of performance, transparency, and control, Kayzen powers the world’s best performance marketing teams with bespoke solutions that fuel business growth and deliver a competitive advantage. With an unprecedented scale of 300B+ daily ad requests from 1.6B+ unique users worldwide, we serve up to 1B+ ads per day in 180 countries. Kayzen is accessible through our APIs and user interface.  The team You will join a small, senior team and work directly alongside our Finance & Legal Lead. Your key stakeholders will be the leadership team, as well as our Finance, Operations, and Commercial functions across a globally distributed organisation. THE ROLE As Legal Counsel, you will be Kayzen’s primary legal owner across four core areas. You will operate as a trusted business partner — not just a gatekeeper — and are expected to move fast, apply sound commercial judgment, and help the business scale without unnecessary legal friction. Responsibilities GDPR & data privacy compliance * Own and continuously develop Kayzen’s GDPR compliance programme as an AdTech company operating across multiple jurisdictions, with a particular focus on EU and US privacy frameworks * Advise on data processing agreements, privacy notices, consent frameworks, and cross-border data transfers * Act as primary point of contact for internal privacy questions Transaction advice & contract negotiations * Provide legal counsel on T&Cs and related transactions * Lead or support contract negotiations with clients and vendors, including MSAs, SaaS agreements, partnership agreements, and NDAs * Ensure commercial contracts are legally robust and aligned with company risk appetite Cap table & corporate law * Manage and maintain Kayzen’s cap table * Oversee corporate governance across Kayzen’s group structure, including subsidiary management, shareholder resolutions, and notarial filings under German law * Support fundraising and investor relations from a legal and corporate perspective General compliance * Further develop and scale Kayzen’s compliance framework to match our growth as an internationally operating company * Monitor relevant regulatory developments (ad-tech, data privacy, employment, corporate) and translate them into actionable guidance for the business REQUIREMENTS * Qualified lawyer (“Volljurist”) or Business lawyer (“Wirtschaftsjurist”) with 2–5 years of relevant professional experience * Strong understanding of German business law is essential; additionally solid understanding of international and US legal frameworks, particularly in the context of data privacy and commercial contracts * Strong knowledge of GDPR and European data protection law; familiarity with US privacy regulations (CCPA etc.) a strong plus * Experience in a start-up or scale-up environment is strongly preferred — you know how to work lean, move fast, and prioritise pragmatically * Hands-on experience with contract drafting and commercial negotiations across a variety of agreement types * Familiarity with cap table management and corporate governance in a VC-backed or founder-led company context * Commercially minded: you understand that good legal advice enables business, not just protects it * Fluent in English & German  * Demonstrated ability to leverage AI tools to enhance legal productivity — you move fast and work smart WHAT WE OFFER * A high-impact legal role with real ownership and room to grow the function * Direct collaboration with the Finance & Legal Lead and senior leadership * Competitive fixed compensation commensurate with experience * Fully remote work arrangement * €500 home-office setup budget * €1,000 annual learning & development budget * A motivated, diverse, and internationally distributed team