Product Counsel, Payments
Whatnot · Seattle, WA
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $275,000 / year
- Seattle, WA
Job highlights
- Lead legal support for payments and financial services.
- Advise on payment product design and operations.
- Negotiate agreements with financial partners.
- Ensure compliance with payment regulations.
- Support global payment product expansion.
About the role
About Whatnot
Whatnot is the largest livestream shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. Whether it's trading cards, fashion, electronics, or live plants, our sellers are building real businesses across hundreds of categories. We're building live commerce at a scale that's never been done in the West, and there's no playbook to copy. The people here are shaping how an entirely new industry develops.
As a remote co-located team, we're inspired by our values and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on the work that drives the most impact.
We're one of the fastest growing marketplaces and were recently named the #1 Best Startup Employer in America by Forbes. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our news and engineering blogs and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.
Role
We are looking for an experienced Senior Product Counsel to lead legal support for Whatnot’s payments and financial services initiatives, spanning both consumer experiences and merchant/acquirer relationships.
This role will be a key partner to our Product, Engineering, Business Development, and Risk teams, advising on the design, development, and operation of innovative payment systems. You’ll work on everything from new payment features and financial products to large-scale partnerships with processors, card networks, and other fintech players.
The ideal candidate has deep experience in payments and fintech regulation, a strong transactional background, and a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach. You’ll help us navigate complex regulatory frameworks while enabling speed and innovation.
- Provide strategic and practical legal advice to product, engineering, and business teams on the design and rollout of payment products, merchant services, and financial infrastructure.
- Advise on regulatory and compliance requirements, including U.S. and international payment regulations, money transmission, stored value, AML/BSA, consumer protection, and card network rules.
- Draft, negotiate, and manage complex commercial agreements with processors, acquiring banks, payment facilitators, and other financial partners.
- Partner with Compliance, Risk, and Product Operations to develop scalable policies, playbooks, and controls that support compliant and sustainable growth.
- Support expansion of payment products into new jurisdictions, assessing cross-border licensing and regulatory frameworks.
- Collaborate with Business Development on strategic financial partnerships and integrations.
- Stay current on developments in payments, fintech, and digital commerce regulation, and advise leadership on implications for product strategy.
- Help build the infrastructure for a world-class legal function that scales with Whatnot’s growth.
We offer flexibility to work from home or from one of our global office hubs, and we value in-person time for planning, problem-solving, and connection. Team members in this role must live within commuting distance of our New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, or Los Angeles hubs.
You
About
People who do well at Whatnot tend to be comfortable figuring things out as they go, biased toward action, and genuinely curious about what they're building. They care more about outcomes than credit and stay close to the product and the people using it. As our Corporate Counsel, you should have:
- A Juris Doctor (J.D.) and active membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction (CA or NY preferred).
- 9+ years of combined experience in a top law firm and/or in-house legal department, including at least 3 years advising on payments, fintech, or financial services matters.
- Deep understanding of payments law and infrastructure, including card network operating rules, money transmission, and merchant acquiring frameworks.
- Proven experience negotiating commercial and technology agreements with financial institutions, processors, or payment partners.
- Strong familiarity with U.S. and international regulatory frameworks, including PSD2, e-money, AML, and consumer finance regulations.
- Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-paced, product-driven environment, providing actionable guidance to non-legal stakeholders.
- Excellent communication, drafting, and interpersonal skills, with a bias toward clarity and collaboration.
- A proactive, business-minded approach and comfort with ambiguity.
- A sense of humor and humility—you take your work seriously, but not yourself.
Benefits
- Generous Holiday and Time off Policy
- Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
- Work From Home Support
- Home office setup allowance
- Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet
- Care benefits
- Monthly allowance for wellness
- Annual allowance towards Childcare
- Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
- Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally
- Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
- All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We're passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!).
- Parental Leave
- 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.
EOE
Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.
Compensation Range: $225K - $335K
Key skills/competency
- Product Counsel
- Payments Law
- Fintech Regulation
- Commercial Agreements
- Regulatory Compliance
- AML/BSA
- Card Network Rules
- Money Transmission
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Legal Strategy
Skills & topics
- Product Counsel
- Payments
- Legal
- Fintech
- Regulation
- Compliance
- Commercial Agreements
- Money Transmission
- Card Network Rules
- Financial Services
- Law Firm
- In-house Counsel
- Negotiation
- AML
- BSA
- Consumer Protection
- PSD2
- e-money
- Remote
- Startup
- E-commerce
- Livestream Shopping
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 9+ years of legal experience, specifically 3+ years in payments, fintech, or financial services. Emphasize your JD and active bar membership in CA or NY.
- Showcase relevant expertise: Detail your deep understanding of payments law, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks (U.S. and international). Include experience negotiating commercial agreements with financial partners.
- Demonstrate cross-functional skills: Provide examples of your ability to work with product, engineering, and business teams in a fast-paced environment. Mention your clear and collaborative communication style.
- Research Whatnot's culture: Understand their values and fast-paced, action-oriented approach. Show how your pragmatic, solution-oriented mindset aligns with their culture.
- Prepare for behavioral questions: Be ready to discuss how you handle ambiguity, work collaboratively, and maintain a sense of humor and humility.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What are the key responsibilities of a Product Counsel at Whatnot?
- As a Product Counsel at Whatnot, you will lead legal support for payments and financial services initiatives. This includes advising on payment product design, development, and operations, negotiating commercial agreements with financial partners, ensuring compliance with payment regulations, and supporting global product expansion.
- What qualifications are essential for the Product Counsel role at Whatnot?
- Essential qualifications include a Juris Doctor (J.D.), active bar membership (CA or NY preferred), 9+ years of legal experience with at least 3 years in payments, fintech, or financial services. A deep understanding of payments law, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks, along with strong negotiation and cross-functional collaboration skills, is also required.
- What kind of experience is most valued for this Product Counsel position?
- The role highly values experience in payments and fintech regulation, a strong transactional background, and a pragmatic, solution-oriented approach. Proven experience negotiating commercial and technology agreements with financial institutions, processors, or payment partners is crucial.
- How does Whatnot support its remote employees in this Product Counsel role?
- Whatnot offers flexibility with remote work options and values in-person time for collaboration. They also provide a home office setup allowance and monthly allowances for cell phone and internet to support remote work.
- What are the typical career growth opportunities for a Product Counsel at Whatnot?
- As a fast-growing marketplace, Whatnot offers opportunities to shape a new industry. The Product Counsel role is key to building a world-class legal function that scales with the company's growth, providing significant impact and development potential.
- What is the compensation range for the Product Counsel, Payments position at Whatnot?
- The compensation range for this position is $225,000 to $335,000 annually.
- Does Whatnot require specific U.S. state bar memberships for the Product Counsel role?
- Yes, an active membership in at least one U.S. jurisdiction is required, with a preference for California (CA) or New York (NY).
- What payment regulations will the Product Counsel at Whatnot advise on?