Senior Legal Counsel

About PayPal

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. Empowering consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets, PayPal connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers through its global, two-sided network. Beyond simply connecting to third-party payment networks, PayPal provides proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants, enabling seamless transactions on its platform.

Customers benefit from the flexibility to use their accounts for purchases, receiving payments, and transferring/withdrawing funds. PayPal enables safer exchanges with merchants using diverse funding sources, including bank accounts, PayPal/Venmo balances, branded credit products, credit/debit cards, certain cryptocurrencies, and gift cards. Products like PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom also facilitate secure peer-to-peer transfers. For merchants, PayPal offers an end-to-end payments solution with authorization, settlement capabilities, instant fund access, and tools for customer connection, exchanges, returns, and risk management. The platform also reduces complexity in cross-border trade, extending global reach for both consumers and merchants.

PayPal's operations are guided by core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness, ensuring a unified global team focused on customers and committed to the well-being of employees and communities.

Job Description Summary

This Senior Legal Counsel role involves complex problem resolution and leading diverse projects that require a deep understanding of current business trends. Initiatives often lead to global process improvements, and the incumbent determines methods and procedures for new or special assignments.

Essential Responsibilities

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

Expected Qualifications

Candidates should possess 8+ years of relevant experience and a Juris Doctorate degree, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Key Responsibilities (Additional Responsibilities and Preferred Qualifications)

• Provide strategic legal counsel to PayPal’s EU/UK Consumer Product teams on product development, launches, and lifecycle management.
• Advise on consumer protection, payments, e-money, and financial services regulation across the EU and UK.
• Partner with product managers, engineers, compliance, and risk teams to ensure regulatory and contractual compliance in product builds.
• Lead legal input on the design of new consumer-facing features and services, balancing innovation, customer experience, and legal obligations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate consumer terms of service, product disclosures, and related commercial agreements.
• Monitor and interpret developments in EU/UK regulatory frameworks impacting consumer financial products, advising stakeholders and adapting policies accordingly.
• Contribute to governance of product approval processes, ensuring appropriate risk assessment and escalation.
• Support training and knowledge-sharing initiatives within the Legal team and with cross-functional partners.

Desired Skills And Competencies

• Qualified lawyer with 7+ years’ PQE or equivalent.
• Experience at a top-tier international law firm combined with in-house legal experience in the tech or financial services sector.
• Strong understanding of EU/UK consumer protection, payments, and financial services regulation.
• Proven track record advising product teams and enabling compliant, successful product launches.
• Demonstrated ability to balance legal risk with commercial and strategic objectives.
• Excellent drafting and negotiation skills for consumer-facing agreements and product documentation.
• Strong business acumen and ability to work in a fast-paced, innovative environment.
• Collaborative approach with proven stakeholder management across legal, compliance, product, and risk teams.
• Excellent communication skills in English; German fluency required, additional EU languages an advantage.
• Resilient, adaptable, and capable of driving projects independently at a senior level.

Work Environment & Benefits

PayPal embraces a balanced hybrid work model, requiring 3 days in the office for in-person collaboration and offering 2 days from either the office or home. This approach provides the benefits of both locations. PayPal is committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy and supports its employees through valuable benefits focusing on financial, physical, and mental health, including a flexible work environment, employee share options, and health/life insurance.

PayPal is an equal employment opportunity employer, providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Candidates are encouraged to apply even if they experience imposter syndrome, as PayPal values diverse talent.

Key skills/competency

• EU/UK Regulation
• Consumer Protection Law
• Payments Law
• Financial Services Regulation
• Product Counsel
• Risk Management
• Contract Negotiation
• Legal Compliance
• Stakeholder Management
• German Fluency