Legal Counsel, APAC

About the role

Remitly is looking for a Sydney-based Legal Counsel to support its growth in Australia and New Zealand, with exposure to other APAC markets including Singapore, Japan and the Philippines. The role provides practical legal advice on financial services regulation, new product initiatives and partner contracts, working closely with business development, product, compliance, finance and government relations teams. It is a hands-on role in a small regional team reporting to the Head of Legal, APAC and South Asia, on a hybrid basis.

Key responsibilities

• Advise on the regulatory framework across APAC, including financial services licensing, AML/CTF, payments, consumer protection, privacy and scams.
• Support new product initiatives and product changes, from feasibility and structuring through to launch, including customer terms, disclosures and marketing review.
• Review, draft and negotiate partner agreements across APAC, including with banks, payment service providers, payout partners and technology vendors.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments in Australia and New Zealand and help implement required changes.
• Support licensing and supervisory engagement, including correspondence with regulators such as ASIC, AUSTRAC and their APAC counterparts.
• Support the compliance and government relations teams on regulatory matters, consultations and industry engagement.
• Manage external counsel in the region on scope, cost and quality.
• Help build legal tools, templates and processes, particularly using AI.
• Support other legal work in the region, including corporate, employment and dispute matters.

Required profile

• Admission as a lawyer in an Australian jurisdiction, with eligibility to hold a current NSW practising certificate.
• 3 to 5 years' post-qualification experience at a top-tier or leading national law firm, in-house at a bank, payments business or fintech, or a combination.
• Experience advising on Australian financial services regulation, ideally payments, stored value, AFS licensing, AML/CTF and consumer protection.
• Experience reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements, preferably with banks or payment providers.
• Experience supporting product development and turning legal requirements into practical guidance.
• Experience with New Zealand financial services regulation or other APAC payments regimes, and experience with regulators or licensing applications, are a plus.

Required skills

• Sound judgement and a practical, commercial approach.
• Ability to manage a varied workload independently across multiple countries and time zones.
• AI fluency and full professional proficiency in English; additional Asian languages such as Japanese or Tagalog are a plus.

What we offer

• Medical, dental and vision cover via Bupa.
• Life insurance and disability cover.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) for eligible employees.
• Mental health and family forming benefits, continuing education.
• Hybrid work, onsite Tuesday to Thursday, with additional onsite attendance depending on business needs.