Legal Counsel - Technology

Our Business

FISPAN Services Inc. (FISPAN) is an Enterprise SaaS FinTech company that allows banks to deploy embedded financial products and services to create a seamless banking connection for their corporate clients. Our product aims to provide instant scale and reach for banks who want to remove friction and add value by enabling their commercial banking clients to access banking services through their preferred ERP / accounting platform.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in downtown Vancouver, FISPAN is on a mission to create the best product in the FinTech industry and fundamentally change the way that companies bank. Being the market leader in ERP Banking, we work with the world's Tier 1 banks with assets exceeding $3T, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, TD and Bank of Montreal.

We are looking for dynamic and passionate individuals to join our high performance team and contribute to our rapid growth and exciting journey.

Job Description Summary

Reporting to the Chief Legal & Risk Officer (CLRO), the Legal Counsel - Technology will play an important role supporting the Legal, Human Resources (HR) and Security & GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) functions on legal and compliance matters impacting FISPAN.

The Legal Counsel - Technology will be the second in-house lawyer to join the FISPAN Legal Department, and will closely collaborate with and help manage the 6-member Security & GRC team, in addition to assisting the CLRO in advising FISPAN's C-Suite and Board of Directors and managing external legal counsel.

The role requires experience in tech-related transactions, including SaaS contracting. We seek candidates with strong drafting and negotiation skills, a business-oriented approach, and risk management ability; our ideal candidate brings exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with ability to distill complex legal concepts into clear, actionable advice for non-legal stakeholders across teams and disciplines. A collaborative and team-oriented mindset, with the ability to build relationships across departments, is a must. Experience in-house settings, and experience working with banks and financial institutions, is preferred but not mandatory.

The position offers some flexibility to work remotely, a competitive compensation package, and the opportunity to lead impactful projects within a dynamic team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contract Drafting, Negotiation and Compliance: Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of commercial contracts, including SaaS and services agreements and statements of work and technology vendor contracts. Support the creation and maintenance of playbooks to streamline contract review and negotiation processes. Assist in driving the Company's contractual compliance framework and initiatives.
• Privacy and Data Protection: Advise on privacy laws and data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, PIPEDA) applicable to our business, and related regulatory and contractual compliance needs. Provide guidance and support on FISPAN data governance policies and processes, including in relation to cybersecurity incident response.
• Intellectual Property: Assist with IP matters including trademark and patent prosecution, in collaboration with the product, engineering and marketing teams.
• Regulatory and Compliance Matters: Advise on regulatory and compliance issues related to payments, financial services, outsourcing, Artificial Intelligence, and open banking, and the FinTech and SaaS industries more broadly.
• Corporate Governance and Transactions: Support corporate governance matters, including board governance, shareholder relations, and corporate filings. Assist with securities-related matters including support for financing rounds, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions, management of FISPAN's cap table and administration of FISPAN stock option plan. Support the Company's plans for expansion to the European Union.
• Risk and Vendor Management: Support the enterprise risk management process, identifying legal and other risks and assisting with the development of mitigation strategies, as well as vendor management program and policies. Familiarity with ISO, SOC2 and/or NIST frameworks is a plus.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product, engineering, marketing and sales teams to ensure that legal issues are proactively addressed throughout the product lifecycle. Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to support strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations.
• Legal Research and Advice: Conduct legal research on various topics, including emerging trends in embedded banking, payments, cybersecurity, and data protection. Provide timely and actionable legal advice to senior management and the business teams.
• Employment / HR: Provide support to the CLRO and Head of HR on employment-related legal matters, including assisting in the development and maintenance of employment agreements, policies and procedures and management of people issues.
• Litigation and Dispute Resolution: Assist with the management of any legal disputes or litigation involving the company, including working with external counsel as necessary.
  

Qualifications:

• Education: Law degree (LL.B. or J.D.) from a recognized Canadian university.
• Licensing: Active membership in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario or the Law Society of British Columbia. A U.S. state bar membership is a plus.
• Experience: 3-5 years of experience in a law firm or in-house legal role, with a focus on technology law (and demonstrated experience negotiating and managing complex contracts. Payments or financial services industry experience preferred.

Why Work With Us?

• Experienced Team: Our CEO is Lisa Shields, a renowned tech entrepreneur whose previous venture, Hyperwallet, was purchased by Paypal and ranks as one of the largest Canadian technology company acquisitions. Lisa is backed by a seasoned leadership team with vast experience scaling technology companies from start-up through growth phases to acquisition. In joining our team you will benefit from that experience and associated mentorship opportunities, and further build your network and knowledge base.
• Start-Up Environment: FISPAN's start-up nature implies autonomy and leadership over projects. Our employees hold a higher level of responsibility and are presented with various hands-on opportunities from the get-go. We want our team to reach their full potential and career aspirations, and FISPAN helps foster that.
• Rich Culture: The Company's culture is its greatest asset, and our team members form bonds that last a lifetime. We plan company-wide events, both virtual and in-person, and other activities to foster togetherness and help drive engagement. We also understand that personal growth happens on multiple levels, and so encourage a work-life balance with ample time to spend with family, explore new ideas and develop hobbies.
• Perks: Our prime downtown Vancouver office is close to a Skytrain, prestige shopping, and coastal views. FISPAN employees have access to our building fitness center and amenities, fully stocked cupboards, weekly team lunches, and daily coffee runs. We also set our employees up for success by providing the most modern MacBook and Apple equipment.

Compensation Package

We offer a competitive salary and bonus structure based on comparable market data for similar jobs and job levels from companies of similar employee size, revenue and location. A candidate's specific base salary will be based on multiple factors including applicable experience, knowledge, skills, qualifications, among other things.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As FISPAN continues to grow, we are committed to celebrating diversity, endorsing equity, and encouraging inclusion. This starts in the recruitment process. All job postings are first evaluated in a gender-decoding platform to ensure fair candidate pools. Human Resources and hiring managers also engage in blind hiring and resume review practices to ensure we are being objective and mitigating any potential biases.