Lead Counsel, Payments & Regulatory (APAC)

About the role

Rippling is seeking an experienced payments and regulatory lawyer to lead its global payments platform across APAC, focusing on Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand. You will help build the legal and regulatory infrastructure for cutting‑edge financial cloud products and support product launches in key growth markets.

Key responsibilities

• Provide legal and regulatory support for payments and financial‑services products across APAC, advising on licensing, regulatory obligations, disclosures, marketing, and operational controls.
• Manage regulator interactions, licensing applications, supervisory inquiries, and ongoing compliance under payments and AML/CFT regimes.
• Monitor regulatory developments in APAC (payments, e‑money, stored value, cross‑border transfers, FX) and translate them into practical guidance.
• Build scalable legal review processes, launch‑readiness frameworks, and compliance‑by‑design practices for new products.
• Oversee external counsel in APAC jurisdictions and synthesize local advice for product and business teams.

Required profile

• 6+ years in a payments legal role (money transmission, e‑money, banking‑as‑a‑service, fintech).
• Deep understanding of APAC payments and AML/CFT regulatory environments, especially Singapore and/or Australia.
• Proven experience advising on licensing applications, regulator engagement, and compliance obligations.
• Ability to counsel product and engineering teams, turning legal requirements into practical implementation guidance.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills; entrepreneurial mindset; sense of humor.

Required skills

• Expertise in payments ecosystem and regulatory frameworks.
• Experience managing external counsel and cross‑jurisdictional legal projects.
• Ability to interpret complex regulations and provide clear, actionable advice.