General Counsel

ABOUT US

PayerMax (www.payermax.com) is a global fintech company rooted in emerging markets, offering seamless global payment solutions, including acquiring, payouts, and collections. Beyond payments, we deliver value-added services such as risk management, foreign exchange, multi-currency accounts, payment marketing, and tax services, designed to simplify and enhance the global payment experience

Driven by a long-term strategic vision, we have steadily expanded our global payment network since our founding in 2018 and now serve over 150 markets worldwide. We’ve built local offices in 18 countries and secured financial licenses and regulatory accreditations in key regions including Singapore, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong (China), Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Rooted in emerging markets, our mission is to help merchants make the most of every minute and every cent, while continuing to drive innovation in digital finance

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the company’s most senior legal officer, the General Counsel will provide overall leadership to the legal functions, establish and continuously improve the legal risk prevention and control system, and provide high-quality legal support for strategic decision-making, corporate governance, major transactions, dispute resolution and daily operations, so as to ensure that the company operates in compliance with laws and regulations and to protect the company’s assets, reputation and long-term interests

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Strategy and Corporate Governance

• Participate in senior management decision-making and assess the legal feasibility of business models, new products and new markets
• Responsible for corporate governance, equity incentives, financing, IPO and information disclosure, and other legal matters
• Support the establishment of governance structures for overseas subsidiaries, joint ventures and regional headquarters

Regulatory Legal Support and Compliance Collaboration

• Monitor changes in regulatory laws in key markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East, assess the legal impact on the business and propose response plans
• Review legal documents submitted to regulatory authorities, and assist the Compliance Department in regulatory communications and legal risk assessment
• Provide legal support to the Compliance Department, including but not limited to legal advice and document review in connection with license applications, renewals, amendments, market access, regulatory examinations, investigations and penalty responses
• Provide legal advice on matters such as AML/CFT, KYC, sanctions, data privacy, consumer protection and cross-border compliance

Contracts and Major Transactions

• Review and negotiate major contracts related to the business
• Lead legal due diligence, transaction structuring and closing for cross-border investment and financing, M&A and strategic cooperation projects

Dispute Resolution and Crisis Management

• Manage litigation, arbitration, administrative investigations and labor disputes
• Handle legal responses in regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, penalties and sudden crises
• Select, manage and evaluate external counsel, and control external legal fees

Intellectual Property

• Develop an intellectual property strategy; manage patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and open-source compliance
• Handle IP applications, maintenance, licensing, transfers and disputes

Team and Budget

• Build, develop and manage a global legal team; Set the legal budget and optimize the use of external law firms and fee structure.
• Promote legal digitalization, knowledge management and process automation

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with other departments, provide actionable legal solutions for business innovation, balancing legal risk and business objectives

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree or above in law; passed China's National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination or possesses equivalent qualification in another jurisdiction
• 15+ years of legal experience, including at least 5 years in legal team management; combined law firm and in-house counsel background
• Experience in internet, finance and related fintech industries is preferred
• Experience in legal support and dispute resolution in overseas markets
• Familiarity with key regulatory laws in Southeast Asia and the Middle East is preferred
• Experience supporting license applications, market access, regulatory communications and cross-border business implementation is preferred
• Excellent Chinese and English skills; able to draft, review and negotiate contracts in Chinese and English
• Business acumen, integrity, strong judgment and ability to work under pressure; excellent team leadership, government relations and senior management communication skills