Sr Legal Counsel

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. 

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.  Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. 

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.  We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

This job participates in complex problem resolution and leads complex projects of diverse scope requiring an understanding of current business trends. They determine methods and procedures for new or special assignments, and their initiatives often result in global process improvements.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provide clear, pragmatic, and solution-oriented legal advice to enable business strategy while managing legal risk.
• Participate in complex problem resolution, providing expert legal advice on high-stakes issues and disputes.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
• Partner with business counterparts across the enterprise to help drive the delivery of effective legal services.
• Manage legal risks and safeguard PayPal's legal interests, developing comprehensive risk management frameworks.
• Escalate complex issues to senior legal leadership where appropriate.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Juris doctorate degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications:

Meet our team

You will join a team of seasoned credit legal counsels in Europe (EU and UK). We are a highly professional and ambitious team with a strong team spirit. In this role, you will partner with many internal and external stakeholders globally, including the European credit business, Credit Risk, Product, Marketing, and Sales, PayPal's broader team in the European markets. Success in this role means becoming the business's trusted advisor and subject matter expert on regulatory and product advice for the credit space.

Your way to impact

As a Senior Legal Counsel, you will directly influence the development and success of PayPal's merchant finance products and will predominantly support the Global Merchant Lending team who manage end-to-end credit solutions, including PayPal Working Capital and PayPal Business Loans, designed to help businesses access capital. The jurisdictional scope will cover PayPal’s existing merchant finance markets (UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands) in addition to further geo-expansion markets in Europe. By providing strategic legal guidance and embedding a solid business understanding, you will help shape product features and drive PayPal's growth in the credit market, ultimately enhancing our customer experience.

Your day-to-day

In your day-to-day role, you will:

• Perform legal analysis of new products and new product features relating to merchant finance products in existing and new markets embedded in PayPal’s broader payment platform.

• Enable PayPal to launch new merchant finance products in different European markets.

• Conduct due diligence on complex regulatory topics and support decision-making processes within PayPal.

• Analyse local European laws and their impact on PayPal's existing and future merchant lending products, weigh choice of law impact and options, assess the value of partnerships and enable PayPal to make product adjustments to meet regulations.

• Collaborate with teams of other PayPal in-house attorneys, cross-functional stakeholders across PayPal, and outside advisors (including outside counsel).

• Advise and work closely with key stakeholders, including senior executives, Product, Credit Risk, Compliance, Privacy, Treasury, Tax, Accounting, and business functions.

• Support the team with marketing and sales initiatives, policy reviews, credit risk and collection activities.

• Handle ad-hoc requests and projects as required.

What do you need to bring-

• A recognized Luxembourg, or German or UK law degree and at least 5-7 years’ experience practicing as a qualified solicitor/lawyer either in-house (or in an equivalent setting) or at a reputable law firm.

• Expertise in credit law and payments laws. Expertise and experience with Open Banking is highly appreciated.

• Maturity, self-motivation, independence, and strong organizational and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work effectively in a matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced work environment and manage numerous projects simultaneously under deadline pressure.

• Team-oriented with the ability to work collaboratively and effectively with business clients and other legal department members.

• Fluency in English is required. Other language skills (esp. French, German, Dutch, Italian or Spanish) are very welcome.

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

0

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. When making an application directly, we will never ask you to share passwords, one-time passcodes (OTP), or verification codes.  Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. All communication regarding your application will come from official PayPal email domains. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please report it immediately.  To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us. 

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.  

Belonging at PayPal: 

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.