Senior Legal Counsel - Financial Services & Regulatory

About the role

Pennylane is building a regulated financial services entity to serve its 800k customers. As Senior Legal Counsel you will lead the legal function from the licence application through operational rollout and beyond, ensuring compliance with ACPR and European regulations.

Key responsibilities

• Design and implement corporate governance structures, board charters and delegation of powers for the future regulated entity.
• Define and own the legal architecture of the financial services product suite, including payment, account and credit offerings, and draft related contractual frameworks.
• Lead outsourcing and BaaS transition contracts, negotiating regulatory clauses, audit rights and data protection provisions.
• Develop and execute the migration plan for existing customers, handling consent, communications and conduct‑risk safeguards.
• Coordinate privacy and security compliance with the DPO, covering data processing, cross‑border flows and incident response.
• Serve as the primary legal liaison with the ACPR, preparing Q&A packs, position papers and supporting ongoing regulatory inspections.

Required profile

• Minimum 8 years of relevant experience, including in‑house legal work at a French ACPR‑regulated entity or comparable fintech/BaaS environment.
• Proven expertise in French and European financial services regulations (e.g., PSD2, ACPR licensing, DORA, EBA Guidelines) and hands‑on contract drafting.
• Strong ability to lead cross‑functional programmes and translate complex regulatory requirements into actionable internal plans.
• Fluency in French and English, both written and spoken.