Senior Legal Counsel - Regulatory

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:

Join PayPal’s Regulatory Legal team supporting our regulated entities in the UK and European Union. Based in London or Dublin, you will advise on payments and prudential regulation, regulatory change and policy developments, supervisory engagement, and regulated-entity governance. You’ll work across an evolving regulatory landscape, advising on the impact of UK and EU requirements on PayPal’s products, services and operations and supporting interactions with key regulatory authorities. This role provides significant exposure to complex regulatory matters within a global FinTech environment.

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:

We are looking for a motivated and talented lawyer to join our legal team supporting PayPal’s regulated entities in the UK and European Union. This is a role suited to someone with a good grounding in payments and prudential regulation who is eager to develop their expertise across a broad and evolving regulatory landscape. The successful candidate will be comfortable engaging with contentious regulatory issues and tracking the policy drivers shaping the sector. It is an exciting opportunity to join a growing international legal team.

The position should report to Head of Regulatory Legal. The successful candidate will support the team in advising on UK and EU payments regulatory matters, including regulatory change and policy developments, engagement with regulators and supervisory authorities, and the ongoing compliance and governance obligations of PayPal’s regulated entities.

You'll provide Legal advisor on:

• UK and EU payments and prudential regulatory framework matters, including PSRs, EMRs, PSD2/PSD3, EMD2 and related regulation as applicable to PayPal’s regulated entities 

• Regulatory change and policy developments, including analysis of new and evolving UK and EU legislation and its impact on PayPal’s products, services and operations 

• Contentious regulatory matters, including regulatory investigations, enforcement actions and supervisory interventions 

• Legal aspects of regulatory interactions with the FCA, PSR, CSSF, CBI, ECB and other relevant supervisory authorities, including inspections, audits and ongoing supervisory dialogue 

• Corporate governance of PayPal’s regulated entities, including supporting Board and Committee meetings 

• Design, modification and launch of PayPal’s products and services, including legal input on terms and conditions and customer-facing documentation 

• Supporting the management of regulatory risk and the development of compliance frameworks and operational policies 

Job Requirements 

• Qualified lawyer with significant post-qualification experience in payments, e-money, prudential or broader financial services regulation, gained in private practice or in-house 

• A working knowledge of the UK and EU regulatory framework for payments and financial services, including familiarity with PSRs, EMRs, PSD2, EMD2 or related regulation; exposure to open banking, an understanding of PSD3 or prudential requirements and developments would be a plus 

• An awareness of the policy landscape and the key drivers shaping payments regulation in the UK and EU 

• Experience of, or exposure to, contentious regulatory matters, including regulatory investigations or enforcement 

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment and matrixed global organisation 

• Comfortable working with senior management, regulators and cross-functional stakeholders 

• Eager to take ownership of matters and develop the skills to work with increasing autonomy over time 

• Creative problem solver who remains calm under pressure and can effectively prioritise a varied workload 

• Highly resourceful and collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills 

• Organised, with keen attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously 

• Flexibility to work with colleagues across Europe, the United States and Asia and occasionally accommodate calls across time zones 

• Excellent communication and drafting skills in English, with additional European language skills being an advantage 

What We Offer 

• An opportunity to work within a market-leading global financial technology company 

• A supportive, inclusive and diverse environment that allows our employees to thrive and develop 

• Attractive compensation and benefits package 

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.