Head of Legal

About Tensec Founded in 2023, Tensec is a global fintech that enables small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to enter global trade and thrive by giving them access to global transaction banking solutions that are user-friendly, efficient, and secure. Tensec founders have driven startups from foundation to exit, built decacorns, and led global teams at companies such as PayPal, Credit Karma, Facebook, Goldman Sachs, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. We're putting together a world-class team to disrupt the $50 trillion cross-border b2b financial services industry by providing SMBs the financial strength to participate and win in the global economy. We believe that successful companies and teams are directly correlated to a company's cultural DNA. At Tensec, we make a deliberate effort to create values and foster a culture able to unleash both human and organizational potential. We strongly believe that the best business results derive from teams that have a strong identification with a mission, push themselves to the edge, and love what they do. The Tensec team is diverse and global, with members in San Francisco, New York, Miami, Monterrey, and Sao Paulo. We are funded by top venture capital firms such as Quiet Capital, Costanoa Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, Clocktower, WillowTree, and prolific angels such as Jason Pate (Chief Strategy Officer, Plaid), Bora Chung (ex-Chief Experience Officer, Bill.com and Board Member, Remitly). How We Work We move fast, debrief quickly, and expect you to own your output. This is a dynamic company, we value speed and decisiveness over process. You'll have the context you need to make good decisions, and the autonomy to make them. About the Role Tensec is expanding rapidly across the US, Brazil, and Mexico, and the legal infrastructure that enables this growth needs to be built correctly — by someone who understands financial services regulation, commercial contracting, and multi-jurisdictional compliance all at once. As Senior Legal Counsel, you will be Tensec’s primary internal legal voice across all US matters: corporate governance, regulatory compliance, vendor and partner contracting, and the legal framework that supports our expanding trade finance and cross-border payments operations. This is not a policy-writing or external-counsel-management role. You are the legal infrastructure. You will advise the CCO and COO directly, own Tensec’s regulatory development roadmap across BSA/AML, FinCEN, and OFAC, manage all material legal agreements, and build the legal scaffolding that lets Tensec enter new markets on its own terms. What You'll Do Legal Affairs Leadership: Serve as Tensec’s primary internal legal voice across all US matters — corporate (other than board matters), contractual, marketing, regulatory, and risk — advising the COO and CCO directly at the operating level Manage MTL obligations across all US jurisdictions and monitor the regulatory landscape as Tensec expands into new corridors and states Direct and coordinate Tensec’s existing external legal network; manage outside counsel relationships strategically and cost-efficiently Lead legal review on all client agreements, vendor contracts, and external partnerships; provide legal input on banking and financing relationships as they flow through you, with relationship ownership at COO level Build the legal infrastructure including templates, playbooks, and review processes that scale and that the GC/CLO will inherit as the organization grows Compliance Advisory: Inform the CCO organization on US and cross-jurisdictional legal requirements that affect how the compliance program must be structured; you are the legal input, not the compliance owner Advise strategically on compliance program design across markets, translating regulatory developments across BSA/AML, FinCEN, OFAC, and sanctions into actionable guidance for the compliance team Own compliance program ownership and external compliance advisory relationships at COO level; your role is to ensure the compliance team has the legal substance it needs to execute well AI & Emerging Regulation: Monitor and advise on AI governance requirements applicable to Tensec’s US and international operations, including emerging AI transparency and accountability obligations at the federal and state level Ensure US market entry and product launches account for relevant AI, data, and consumer protection requirements in coordination with the operations and product teams Serve as the internal legal resource for People & HR matters across all three jurisdictions; support the COO on employment, contractor, and benefits questions Build and maintain a legal knowledge base — contract templates, regulatory memos, jurisdiction summaries — so that legal guidance is embedded in operations rather than siloed What We're Looking For 7+ years of legal experience, with meaningful time spent in financial services, fintech, payments, or a regulated industry — in-house experience strongly preferred Grounded in legal and compliance fundamentals: background in law or compliance with close working knowledge of AML/CFT obligations, BSA/AML, FinCEN, OFAC, and KYB/KYC standards, and the regulatory expectations of institutions like BCB, BACEN, CNBV Experienced enough with large institutions to know what you are walking away from, and why the equity trajectory of a company like this is worth more than the certainty you are leaving behind Comfortable at multi-jurisdictional scale: trade finance structures, cross-border regulatory complexity, and AI-governed compliance systems are not unfamiliar territory A natural institutional builder: you think about what the legal function looks like at ten times complexity before designing it for today Fluent in English; Spanish or Portuguese a meaningful plus given our Brazil and Mexico operations and the volume of cross-border contracts flowing through this role Based in New York, NY or Miami, FL; ability to travel Active bar membership is a plus in New York, Florida, or another US jurisdiction Experience advising on MTL compliance, MSB registration, or US state-level money transmitter licensing Exposure to AI regulatory frameworks, data protection obligations (LGPD, GDPR, CCPA), or AI accountability standards in financial services To Thrive in This Role, You Have : Genuine fluency in how cross-border financial services, regulatory frameworks, and compliance programs actually work, not just what the policy document says High agency, when a legal question is unclear or a contract is blocking a deal, you drive to resolution without waiting for external counsel to tell you what to do A commercial orientation: you understand that legal is a growth enabler at Tensec, not a gatekeeper, and you structure your work accordingly What You'll Learn The full legal and regulatory landscape of cross-border payments and FX across the US, Brazil, and Mexico, from MTL obligations to BACEN registration to CNBV licensing How to build a legal infrastructure from scratch that scales with a company, from first template to institutional-grade contract management, compliance advisory, and regulatory engagement What it looks like to be the legal foundation of a fintech that is growing 5x year over year — with real ownership, real exposure, and real stakes Benefits and Perks Equity Medical, dental and vision 15 days paid time off Learning and development budget Additional Disclaimers Tensec is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Tensec is a diverse and inclusive company committed to growing a diverse and inclusive team. We invite people of all backgrounds and identities to apply. Additionally, we encourage everyone to share which pronouns you wish for us to use when addressing you (i.e., she/her, he/him, they/them). We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you require an accommodation during the application or interview process.