Assistant General Counsel - Labor & Employment

As an Assistant General Counsel for Labor & Employment at Kraken (Payward), you join the in-house legal department reporting to the Global Head of Labor & Employment. This is a fully remote role based in the EU or UK, where you serve as the subject matter expert for European labor and employment law, advising the company's rapidly growing global workforce.

What you'll do

• Provide local-law advice on EU and UK employment matters in European time zones, supporting L&E issues in MENA and APAC as needed in coordination with local counsel
• Own recurring EU and UK employment matters including worker classification, employee separations and relations, executive compensation agreements, and wage-and-hour compliance
• Work with executive leadership and the Payward Experience team to develop the L&E practice for the company's growing global workforce
• Advise on and manage works council, collective consultation, pay transparency, and employee representative matters, preparing the company for new consultation obligations as it expands in Europe, including in connection with restructurings and acquisitions
• Support M&A due diligence and post-closing workforce integration for European acquisitions, including policy harmonization and related consultation requirements
• Collaborate with the Payward Experience team and business leaders to develop policies and procedures, localizing global policies for EU and UK requirements and delivering related training
• Advise on employee and candidate data privacy issues, including GDPR and UK GDPR compliance and cross-border transfers of HR and recruiting data
• Support workplace investigations in the EU and UK, including those involving whistleblower allegations, discrimination claims, and personnel performance issues
• Provide strategic input to the business and recruiting teams on expanding Payward's global footprint, including decisions on employment models, global mobility, and contingent workforce in Europe
• Advise on risk mitigation for trade secrets and restrictive covenants in the EU and UK
• Manage and direct local outside counsel on formal local-law opinions and pre-litigation matters in the EU, UK, and as needed MENA and APAC, while handling routine advice in-house
• Monitor and advise on global L&E trends, including those within the crypto industry, to support the company's competitive adaptability, talent acquisition and retention, and workplace processes

What you bring

• 8+ years of legal experience advising on employment, labor, and executive compensation issues in the EU, UK, and other jurisdictions, including in-house and law firm experience with both high-growth and large-enterprise companies
• Broad international labor and employment background
• Experience advising on works councils, collective consultation, and employee representative bodies in the EU and/or UK
• Experience advising on employee and candidate data privacy issues under the GDPR and UK GDPR
• Hands-on proficiency using generative AI tools such as Claude or ChatGPT in day-to-day legal work, with sound judgment on verifying outputs against local law and protecting confidentiality, privilege, and personal data
• A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset with an opportunity-making attitude, using the law to increase the company's optionality

Nice to have

• Interest in the crypto industry and what Payward is building
• Experience in fintech, crypto, or other regulated financial services industries
• Experience with MENA and/or APAC employment markets
• Experience with due diligence and advising on labor and employment issues in connection with acquisitions, including transfer-of-undertakings rules and post-closing workforce integration

About Kraken (Payward)

Payward is the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services, and CF Benchmarks. Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions globally, offering spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services for both individual investors and institutional clients.