Kraken
Location
Remote
Salary
Not specified
Posted
Recently
Job Type
Full Time
Required Skills
About the Role
Our Krakenites are a world-class team with crypto conviction, united by our desire to discover and unlock the potential of crypto and blockchain technology.
What makes us different?
Kraken is a mission-focused company rooted in crypto values. As a Krakenite, you’ll join us on our mission to accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion. For over a decade, Kraken’s focus on our mission and crypto ethos has attracted many of the most talented crypto experts in the world.
Before you apply, please read the Kraken Culture page to learn more about our internal culture, values, and mission. We also expect candidates to familiarize themselves with the Kraken app. Learn how to create a Kraken account here.
As a fully remote company, we have Krakenites in 70+ countries who speak over 50 languages. Krakenites are industry pioneers who develop premium crypto products for experienced traders, institutions, and newcomers to the space. Kraken is committed to industry-leading security, crypto education, and world-class client support through our products like Kraken Pro, Desktop, Wallet, and Kraken Futures.
Become a Krakenite and build the future of crypto!
Join our growing Product Legal team, embedded with Kraken’s Product, Design, and Engineering teams to ship novel products and experiences that accelerate the global adoption of crypto and advance key global licensing initiatives. We’re a tight, experienced group of product lawyers from a diverse range of tradfi, fintech, and crypto backgrounds who move fast, stay curious, and take pride in the commercial accountability of our advice - partnering directly with product teams to chart clear, defensible paths to launch.
The Senior Counsel role is based in the UK, or EU, partnering on licensing efforts in the UK, EU and various other jurisdictions and cutting edge products including tokenized equities, margin, institutional custody, prime brokerage, financing, OTC.
You will operate as a practical legal generalist with a dual focus:
Licensing — driving strategy, scoping, and execution of licensing/registration efforts across priority jurisdictions; and
Product — partnering with cross‑functional teams on consumer, institutional, and market products (e.g., tokenized instruments, margin, institutional custody, prime brokerage, financing, OTC) from ideation through launch and lifecycle.
We’re looking for a hands-on lawyer with strong licensing experience, product development instincts, regulatory fluency, and negotiation skills (ideally honed in the regulated financial sector) combined with a crypto-forward mindset. Curiosity, flexibility, and a bias for action at the intersection of crypto and traditional global markets are essential.
This is a fully remote role
Lead licensing/registration workstreams: scope requirements, map pathways, coordinate outside counsel, compile application materials, and manage regulator interactions.
Own cross‑functional product counseling across the build cycle (discovery → design → launch → iteration), delivering crisp, actionable guidance and risk‑based options to product, engineering, compliance, and leadership.
Translate complex regulatory frameworks (e.g., MiCA, AML/CFT, financial promotions, e‑money, MiFID, EMIR, derivatives, market structure) into pragmatic controls and go‑to‑market guardrails.
Draft and negotiate product‑critical agreements (platform T&Cs, bespoke agreements, and partnership deals) with clear, business‑aligned positions.
Support incident and supervisory responses with well‑reasoned written submissions and evidence packages.
Foster a culture of clarity, favoring plain‑English communication, measurable risk tradeoffs, and decision‑ready recommendations.
Qualified lawyer (Solicitor of England & Wales, Irish Solicitor, or equivalent admitted in an EU Member State).
10+ years’ PQE in financial services law within a regulated financial services institution (e.g., an exchange, central clearing counterparty, broker-dealer/asset manager, trading firm, bank, brokerage, or crypto services provider) or in a law firm/private practice supporting such clients (ideally with some in-house or direct product counseling experience).
Demonstrated experience leading licensing or registration efforts, including planning, applications, regulator engagement, and operationalization.
Experience with advising on regulated MiFID investment services and familiarity with relevant crypto-asset regimes, including MiCA, AMLD5, UK financial promotions, and/or e-money regulations.
Outstanding analytical, drafting, and organisational skills with crisp, plain-English writing.
Ability to efficiently and confidently distill complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyers and product stakeholders.
Pragmatic, commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk that prioritises providing stakeholders with a useful range of options and delivers clear recommendations to decision-makers.
Demonstrates an authentic passion for crypto and familiarity with the features of both Kraken and its competitors’ apps and products.
Expertise in MiCA framework applicable to CASPs including brokerage, custody and the operation of trading platforms.
Expertise in UK crypto-asset financial promotions regime and proposals for incoming authorisation regime for regulating crypto asset service providers.
Expertise in EMIR including the clearing obligation, regulatory margin for non-centrally cleared derivatives and transaction reporting, desirable.
Expertise in MiFID frameworks applicable to investment services including derivatives, equities, funds and emerging tokenised financial instruments.
Familiarity with using AI tools such as Enterprise GPTs to increase efficient provision of legal services, create custom GPTs allowing stakeholders to self-serve on commoditised legal and regulatory queries.
Unless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.
We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Kraken is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate all Krakenites for their diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions and unique perspectives. We hire strictly based on merit, meaning we seek out the candidates with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills considered the most suitable for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgable about crypto!
We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments are designed to evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Assessment results are considered alongside other relevant information, such as experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.
As an equal opportunity employer, we don’t tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. Whether that’s based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state or local laws.
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