Counsel, Product & Regulatory – Payments & AML

What you’ll do
Advise on payments products and infrastructure. You’ll support a broad portfolio of payments-related initiatives across Mercury. You’ll advise on matters involving payment rails, product launches, operational incidents, partner relationships, and customer-facing experiences. You’ll help product teams navigate regulatory complexity while continuing to build exceptional products.
Partner across the company. This role sits at the intersection of Product, Compliance, Risk, Engineering, Operations, Partnerships, and Legal. You’ll build trusted relationships across these functions and bring legal perspective into conversations early, not as a checkpoint, but as a low-ego, high-ownership thought partner.
Help launch new capabilities. Mercury is continuing to expand its product offerings while building a nationally chartered bank. You’ll support new payment capabilities (like Zelle) from early exploration through launch, helping teams identify risks, evaluate options, and make sound decisions in ambiguous environments.
Support financial crimes initiatives. You’ll work closely with Mercury’s AML Advisory, Sanctions, Compliance, and Risk teams on matters involving financial crimes compliance. You’ll help interpret requirements, evaluate new initiatives, and develop practical guidance that enables teams to move efficiently while maintaining an appropriate risk posture.
Build scalable guidance. The best legal advice solves more than the question in front of you. You’ll help create frameworks and guidance that improve consistency, reduce friction, and allow the organization to make better decisions over time.
Use AI intentionally. Bring a working knowledge of AI tools in legal workflows and a genuine interest in finding new ways to drive efficiency. We’re building a legal team that works smarter, not just harder.
Stay curious and adaptable. The regulatory and product landscape continues to evolve quickly. New payment rails emerge. Regulatory expectations shift. Business priorities change. You’ll embrace that complexity and continue learning alongside it.

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-related exposure.
Strong working knowledge of payments-related regulatory frameworks, and an interest in emerging areas like stablecoins.
Familiarity with BSA/AML and sanctions requirements.
Exceptional communication skills. You know your audience and tailor accordingly.
Strong judgment and comfort operating in ambiguous environments.
A proactive sense of ownership. You’re comfortable saying, “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.”
Genuine curiosity about financial products, financial infrastructure, and the evolving regulatory landscape.
Strong working knowledge of AI use cases within legal roles and/or financial services generally and genuine interest in using AI to drive efficiency in your work.

Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following:

US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $186,400 – $209,700
US employees outside of the New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $167,800 – $188,700
Canadian employees (any location): $176,100 – $198,200 CAD