Legal Counsel

About Tala
Tala is on a mission to unleash the economic power of the Global Majority – the 4 billion people overlooked by existing financial systems. With nearly half a billion dollars raised from equity and debt, we are serving millions of customers across three continents. Tala has been named by the
Fortune
Impact 20 list,
CNBC
's Disruptor 50 five years in a row,
CNBC
's World's Top Fintech Company,
Forbes'
Fintech 50 list for eight years running, and Chief's The New Era of Leadership Award. We are expanding across product offerings, countries and crypto and are looking for people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and are passionate about our m ission.

By creating a unique platform that enables lending and other financial services around the globe, people in emerging markets are able to start and expand small businesses, manage day-to-day needs, and pursue their financial goals with confidence. Currently, over nine million people across Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico, and India have used Tala products. Due to our global team, we have a remote-first approach, and also have offices in Santa Monica, CA (HQ); Nairobi, Kenya; Mexico City, Mexico; Manila, the Philippines; and Bangalore, India.

Most Talazens join us because they connect with our mission. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Tala, we'd love to hear from you

About The Role
Tala is seeking a talented lawyer based out of our Manila office to work on a wide variety of legal matters in the Philippines. At Tala, we're working to improve the financial lives of millions of underserved people by creating new, accessible financial services around the world. We are a global team with diverse backgrounds who are singularly focused on using technology, data, and a customer-centric approach to meet the financial needs of the emerging middle class.

The Legal Counsel will work on a variety of matters with other members of Tala's global legal team, including regulatory matters, corporate governance and compliance matters, commercial contracts and addressing the unique challenges that arise in a global company. We are seeking a highly motivated, self-starter who enjoys working in a dynamic, fast-paced and collaborative environment. In this challenging position, you will report to our Lead Counsel in the Philippines and work closely with our Manila-based business teams.

An ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the financial services space in the Philippines and must be willing and able to roll up their sleeves to solve problems. Candidates are expected to have a deep sense of accountability for (and demonstrated experience delivering) results as well as the success and growth of teams. A great candidate's teams and colleagues should consider the candidate to be an excellent communicator and decision-maker, adept at ensuring a large, varied audience understands issues, context, tradeoffs between different solutions, and reasons for decisions.

What You'll Do

• Provide support for compliance matters in the Philippines, including corporate governance and work related to the regulation of digital lenders and data privacy.
• Manage Tala's licensing and registration obligations for existing and future business lines in the Philippines
• Stay up to date on relevant rules and regulations and work with the Legal team to evaluate how they may affect Tala's innovative and growing business
• Support contract negotiation and collaborate with business teams to develop effective relationships with partners, contractors and vendors
• Review customer-facing messaging and materials for compliance with required disclosures and consumer protection guidelines

What You'll Need

• Membership in good standing to the Philippine Bar
• 2-3 years of legal experience
• Experience with corporate law
• Experience working on commercial contracts
• Strong analytical and communication skills
• Strong attention to detail and organization skills
• Ability to collaborate with key stakeholders
• Superior judgment and rigor in relation to problem solving and appropriate escalation of issues
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently and independently, prioritize workflow, meet demanding deadlines, and manage multi-faceted projects in a fast-moving environment
• Willingness to work across time zones globally
• Experience with consumer finance and financial regulations is an advantage
• Experience working in a fintech or startup environment is nice to have
• Experience working with international teams preferred
• Experience liaising with government agencies is a plus

Our vision is to build a new financial ecosystem where everyone can participate on equal footing and access the tools they need to be financially healthy. We strongly believe that inclusion fosters innovation and we're proud to have a diverse global team that represents a multitude of backgrounds, cultures, and experience. We hire talented people regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.