General Counsel

About Quidax

Quidax is Africa's infrastructure layer for crypto. Over eight years, we've built a growing ecosystem that helps individuals and institutions securely trade, store, and transfer crypto, fast and reliably. We're licensed, deeply rooted in the African market, and built for scale.

About the Role

We're a regulated crypto company in a market where the rules are still being written. That makes Legal one of the most important blocks in the building.

As our General Counsel, you'll own legal and regulatory at Quidax. Licences. Regulators. Contracts. Courts. Entities. You'll keep us on the right side of the law, and help us move faster because of it, not in spite of it. You'll make sure we always know what the rules are, what's changing, and what it means for us.

You'll own the legal side of every market we are in and will enter: licences, entities and local counsel. Our expansion lead will own the commercial plan. You'll make sure it's legally sound.

You'll report to the COO, with direct access to the CEO and the Board.

Why This Role Is Compelling

• You'll lead Legal at a licensed, eight-year-old crypto company that regulators already take seriously

• You'll help shape how crypto gets regulated in Africa, not just react to it

• Market entry is on the table, and you'll lead the legal and regulatory side of it

• A real seat at the table: direct line to the CEO and the Board on the calls that matter

• A leadership team that sees Legal as a partner in building the business, not the department of no

What You'll Be Owning

Regulatory Strategy, Licensing and Market Entry

• Lead licence applications, renewals and variations with the SEC, the CBN and other regulators

• Lead the legal and regulatory workstreams for new markets: licensing, entity setup, and choosing and managing local counsel

• Lead our response to new regulations for non-security virtual assets, and keep track of how regulator’s oversight of crypto develops

• Own sandbox applications, no-objection requests and licensing-related correspondence

• Track new laws, regulations and circulars, and tell the business what they mean in plain English

• Represent Quidax in regulatory consultations, industry associations, and policy and government engagement

• Assess what each change means for Quidax, and brief leadership, Compliance and the teams affected

• Keep a regulatory obligations register so we always know what we're on the hook for

• Advise on cross-border operations and intercompany arrangements across the group

Commercial and Product Counsel

• Draft, review and negotiate our commercial agreements

• Make sure third-party arrangements meet regulatory outsourcing and partnership rules

• Work with Product to build new crypto products that are compliant from day one

• Support Partnerships, Sales on deals and structuring new business lines

• Review terms of use, risk disclosures, customer communications and marketing materials, including advertising rules

Law Enforcement, Disputes and Litigation

• Advise on court orders, freezing orders, garnishee proceedings and information disclosure

• Review and respond to requests from the EFCC, NFIU, Nigeria Police Force, courts and foreign agencies, and manage invitations to Quidax and its affiliates

• Manage external counsel on all litigation, and keep the litigation register current

• Advise on chargebacks, account freezes, wrong-recipient transfers and fraud recovery

• Support Customer and Merchant Success on escalated customer complaints

Partnership with Compliance

• Work with Compliance on Policy drafting and reviews.

• Advise on escalated cases, including suspicious activity, sanctioned-jurisdiction exposure, frozen funds and restricted accounts

• Support responses to regulatory examinations and remediation plans

Data Protection

• Advise on compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and NDPC requirements, and data protection rules in any new market we enter

• Advise on data processing agreements, cross-border data transfers and data subject requests

Corporate Governance and Company Secretarial

• Advise on corporate structure for Quidax and its affiliates

• Make sure registry filings, statutory registers and corporate records stay accurate and on time across every entity

• Support Board governance

Tax and Finance Support

• Work with Finance on tax compliance, transaction reporting and the tax treatment of our operations

• Manage specialist tax advisers where needed

Leading the Legal Function

• Own the legal budget and external counsel spend

• Keep contract templates, the contract playbook, the contract repository and the legal knowledge base in shape

• Train our people on the legal and regulatory things they need to know

• Build and lead the Legal team as Quidax grows

The Biggest Challenge You'll Tackle

We'd rather be upfront.

• Crypto regulation in Africa moves fast and doesn't always move clearly. You'll often give advice before the rules are fully settled

• Expansion plans are real, but they're still taking shape. You'll need to be ready before the business is, without overbuilding

• You’ll be the most senior lawyer in the room, working alongside a Legal Counsel and an Associate. There’s no big legal team to hand things to, so you’ll need to be strategic and hands-on at the same time.

• Law enforcement requests don't book meetings. Some days, a freezing order will reshuffle your week

• You'll need to say "here's how we can do it" far more often than "we can't"

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for a senior lawyer who's led legal and regulatory work in a regulated, fast-moving business, and who has worked across fintech, corporate and international projects.

• Called to the Nigerian Bar, with 10+ years' post-qualification experience

• Significant in-house experience at a fintech, payments company, VASP, bank or similar regulated business, ideally leading the function

• Hands-on experience with licence applications across more than one African jurisdiction

• A track record of hiring and managing local counsel across several markets at once

• Deep commercial contracting experience: you've negotiated with banks, payment partners and institutional counterparties, and won

• Experience handling regulator relationships, examinations and law enforcement requests

• Solid grounding in corporate governance, entity structuring and data protection

• Clear, plain-English writer. Your memos get read, not skimmed

• Commercially sharp. You understand how the business makes money and protect it without slowing it down

• Calm under pressure, high integrity, low ego

Bonus:

• Experience in crypto, digital assets or blockchain

• Experience with regulators in other African markets

• Company secretarial qualification (e.g., ICSAN or CIS)

• Tax advisory experience

Reporting Line

You'll report to our COO, with direct access to the CEO and the Board. You'll work closely with Compliance, Finance, Product, Partnerships, Sales and Customer and Merchant Success.

Why Quidax

At Quidax, we’re building the future of finance in Africa through crypto. You’ll have the freedom to innovate, the space to lead, and the backing to build something that truly scales. If you’re ready to build an engineering org that delivers excellence at scale, let’s talk.

What’s In It For You

When you join Quidax, you’re not just taking a job, you’re jumping into a community that’s bold, remote-first, and building for the future. Here’s what you get:

Fair Pay + Ownership

● Competitive salary based on your skills and experience; annual merit-based reviews to keep your growth visible and rewarded

Growth That’s Real

● Annual performance reviews + clear promotion cycles; recognition for great work, from shoutouts to milestone rewards

● Personal development fund (courses, books, conferences); study leave so you can keep learning

Work That Works For You

● Fully remote forever + flexible working hours

Time Off That Respects Life

● Unlimited paid time off + Nigerian national holidays

● Parental, sick, compassionate, and life event leave — we show up for you

Connection That Feels Real

● Quarterly remote team hangouts + annual offsite; interest-based communities (SIGs)

● Regular engagement surveys — your voice matters

● Health & life coverage in select locations

TL;DR:

You’ll do meaningful work, grow fast, and have the flexibility to live your best life , all while building something big with people who care.

Let’s build the future of finance together. 💜

How to apply:

We love seeing applications that speak directly to us. It’s easy for your application to get lost in a sea of generic ones, especially when we’re sorting through dozens of them. So, make yours stand out! Show us your personality, your passion, and why you’re the perfect fit. We appreciate the effort it takes to create something thoughtful and unique.

If you make it through to the next stage, you’ll likely get a pre-interview questionnaire. Think of it as a chance to show us how you’d approach the challenges we face here at Quidax. Imagine you’re already part of the team and walk us through your thought process as you tackle the problems we throw your way.

What our hiring process looks like

It’s a three-step process.

✅ 1. First Connect (with the Recruiter) - 30 mins
Let’s talk about your experience, your story, and how you might fit at Quidax.

✅ 2. Technical Chat - 60 mins
Talk us through your real wins, show us how you solve problems, live with the team.

✅ 3. Culture Chat - 45 mins

You get the change to meet members of our leadership team and y’all can talk shop.

Stay connected with Quidax through LinkedIn and Instagram for the latest updates.