Legal Counsel

Help build Kernel's new in-house legal function, giving practical, commercially minded advice that helps us grow and keeps Kiwis' savings in safe hands.

About the role

We've grown quickly from startup to scale-up, and our legal needs have grown with us. Our General Counsel joined this year as Kernel's first in-house lawyer, and this new role is the next step in building out our Legal function. As the second lawyer in the team, you'll help Legal be a partner that enables good decisions, not a bottleneck.

Reporting to our General Counsel, you'll be the go-to adviser for teams across the business, from Product and Marketing to Investments and Customer Success. Around half of your work will be funds and KiwiSaver regulation, with the FMC Act at its core. The rest is the broad in-house mix: commercial contracts, policies, privacy, AML/CFT, escalated complaints and the wide range of questions that come to Legal for advice.

You'll run your own matters within agreed delegations, with an open door to the General Counsel. Alongside day-to-day advice, you'll work on bigger corporate and regulatory projects and new product launches.

About Kernel

We're a 100% Kiwi owned and operated fintech on a mission to make wealth accessible for every Kiwi. Our investment platform brings together KiwiSaver, Managed Funds, US shares and ETFs, all in one place, and is trusted by 80,000+ investors.

We're at an exciting stage: scaling fast, expanding our team and building the foundations for what's next. Our culture is collaborative, hands-on and ambitious, built on trust, innovation and saying it like it is. Things move quickly here, and every person plays a key role in shaping our future.

What you'll do

• Advise on the FMC Act, FMC Regulations, KiwiSaver Act 2006 and FMA guidance as they apply to our managed investment schemes and other product offerings

• Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements, from supplier and outsourcing to technology, partnership and distribution contracts

• Be a legal adviser on business projects, new product offerings and other initiatives from inception to delivery

• Partner with our Head of Investment Operations and Governance on updates to PDSs and governing documents

• Support compliance assessment, regulatory reporting and engagement with the FMA

• Track regulatory change, including KiwiSaver reforms, and turn it into practical actions for the business

• Give legal opinions to our Compliance Manager and AML Officer, and help strengthen our compliance systems and processes

• Handle escalated complaints with legal or regulatory dimensions, including matters referred to external dispute resolution

• Review marketing and customer communications for fair dealing and the financial advice boundary, offering workable fixes rather than just flagging problems

• Manage external counsel on scoped matters, and build templates and guidance so teams can self-serve on routine work

• Advise on obligations under the Privacy Act 2020 and AML/CFT Act 2009, including privacy impact assessments and customer due diligence

Bonus things you could bring

• Experience in a fintech or digital-first financial services business

• Experience with external dispute resolution schemes or direct FMA engagement

• Exposure to the financial advice regime or other licensed financial services

You'll be great if you bring

• Admission as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, with a current practising certificate

• 5–7 years' PQE in financial services, ideally funds management or wealth; banking lawyers with investment or KiwiSaver exposure are welcome too

• Strong working knowledge of the FMC Act and Regulations, especially managed investment schemes, and the KiwiSaver Act 2006

• Practical experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts

• Working knowledge of the Privacy Act 2020 and the AML/CFT Act 2009

• Sound judgement and clear, plain-English advice for non-lawyers, always with a recommendation

• An approachable, down-to-earth style that makes people comfortable raising issues early

• Confidence working autonomously across a varied workload, and knowing when to bring in the General Counsel

Why you'll love it at Kernel

• Shape how Legal works at Kernel from an early stage, with real influence over how we build, say and sign things

• See your advice shape products and campaigns from early design through to launch

• Know your work helps Kiwis trust us with their savings

• Work from our award-winning office in a heritage Queen Street building in the heart of downtown Auckland, recognised at the 2026 Best Design Awards

• Join a team built on trust, collaboration and flexibility, where feedback is constructive and everyone has a voice

• Competitive pay, reviewed annually, plus an annual performance bonus

• Enjoy the best of both worlds with a flexible hybrid setup: connect in person while keeping the freedom to work from home up to a couple of days each week (minimum 3 days a week in the office).

• Southern Cross health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, with discounted cover for your family

• A 13-week parental leave top-up to full pay, and free, confidential wellbeing support through our EAP

• Professional development support and a learning budget

• Extra Kernel holidays, office snacks, coffee and a dog-friendly office

Join our team

If this opportunity sounds like you, send us your cover letter explaining why you're excited about the role and working at Kernel, along with your CV.

Visit our careers page for more on working at Kernel and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay connected.