Senior Contracts Counsel – Web3

About Zama

Zama is an open-source cryptography company building state-of-the-art FHE solutions for blockchain.

Zama’s Fully Homomorphic Encryption protocol is a cryptography milestone. By enabling efficient, developer-friendly FHE, Zama unlocks secure, compliant, and verifiable dApps for AI, crypto, and cloud. We believe people shouldn’t have to care about privacy—not because privacy doesn’t matter, but because it shouldn’t be an issue.

We are a remote-friendly company with headquarters in the center of Paris.

Zama is on the lookout for a Senior Contracts Counsel with hands-on web3 expertise to join our legal team. Headquartered in Paris, Zama builds the Zama Protocol, which uses Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) to bring confidentiality to any blockchain, with DeFi and web3 at the heart of our business. As the protocol and its ecosystem grow, so do the volume and novelty of the agreements behind them, from custody and vault arrangements to protocol integrations and incentive programs.

Reporting directly to the General Counsel and working alongside our Senior Legal Counsel, you will be the go-to expert for reviewing, redlining, and negotiating the contracts that power the Zama Protocol across our group: Zama SAS (France) and its subsidiaries Zama Switzerland and Vesting Labs UK. You will partner daily with business development, ecosystem, engineering, finance, and operations teams, often on several deals at once and with priorities that can shift overnight. This role is ideal for a sharp, business-minded contract lawyer who loves negotiating, moves fast without losing rigor, and is excited to shape the market standards of a still-emerging industry. You will:

Key Responsibilities

• Review, redline, and negotiate a high volume of DeFi, web3, and commercial agreements for Zama SAS, Zama Switzerland, and Vesting Labs UK, including custody, vault and wallet agreements, market maker agreements, listing agreements, Infrastructure Services Agreements, Zama Protocol integration and services agreements (chains, DeFi protocols, wallets), master services agreements, loan agreements, partnership and collaboration agreements, incentive, grant and rewards programs, node operator agreements, MoUs, letters of intent, NDAs and side letters;

• Draft and maintain product-facing legal documentation, including bug bounty terms, general terms and conditions for our different apps and products, and privacy notices;

• Take the pen and own deals end to end: lead negotiations directly with counterparties and their counsel, translate legal risk into clear, pragmatic options for the business team, and close within tight timelines;

• Design creative, innovative structures for commercial deals, and draft bespoke agreements under Swiss and English law, as well as New York law-style agreements, where market standards are not yet established;

• Understand the compliance constraints arising from the decentralized nature of the Zama Protocol, and ensure that this narrative is accurately and consistently reflected in agreements with partners (Zama's role versus the protocol, control, liability, and representations);

• Embed compliance into contracts: KYC/KYB, AML/CFT, sanctions, counterparty due diligence, MiCA and Swiss regulatory (FINMA / AMLA) considerations, export control, and token-related risks;

• Manage several files in parallel, triage incoming requests, and keep stakeholders aligned on priorities, status, and risk positions;

• Build and maintain contract templates, negotiation playbooks, standard and fallback positions, clause libraries, and a register of key commitments and renewal dates, so the business can run standard deals with confidence;

• Leverage AI-assisted review and legal tech tools to accelerate turnaround while keeping a rigorous human-in-the-loop approach;

• Collaborate with external counsel across jurisdictions when needed, and support the General Counsel on strategic transactions;

• Stay abreast of the latest legal, regulatory, and market developments in DeFi, web3, digital asset custody, and privacy technologies.

Must-Have Experience

• Master's degree in law and admission to practice in a European jurisdiction or in Switzerland, or equivalent senior legal experience;

• 8+ years of confirmed experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex commercial agreements in a leading law firm and/or in-house;

• Proven, hands-on experience with web3 and DeFi contracts (e.g., custody and wallet, market making, listings, infrastructure services, protocol integrations, token loans, token incentive or grant programs) at a crypto company, custodian, exchange, foundation, or a law firm advising them;

• Knowledge of cryptocurrency and digital asset markets;

• Strong command of Anglo-Saxon contract drafting and negotiation, including English law and New York law-style agreements;

• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English (the company's working language);

• Confirmed experience working in a deeply international, fast-changing, high-growth environment;

• Creativity and a proven ability to propose innovative solutions to structure commercial deals;

• A proactive, entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to juggle multiple negotiations in parallel and thrive where priorities shift quickly and there is often no precedent to lean on;

• An opportunity-making attitude: you use the law to expand the company's options, not to narrow them.

Strong Plus (Not Mandatory)

• Fluency in French (our headquarters are in Paris); bilingual French-English profiles are highly appreciated;

• Admission to practice in the United States (e.g., New York);

• Experience at a crypto custodian, exchange, infrastructure provider, or foundation, and familiarity with token documentation (token warrants, SAFTs, grants, market making);

• Knowledge and practice of Swiss contract law;

• Practical knowledge of compliance topics as they apply to contracts: KYC/KYB, AML/CFT, sanctions, MiCA and Swiss financial regulation, including a solid understanding of the legal and compliance implications of decentralized protocols;

• Hands-on use of AI-assisted contract review and other legal tech tools;

• Knowledge of European and Swiss data protection law (GDPR, Swiss FADP) and experience with data processing terms (DPAs) and privacy notices;

• Technical curiosity for smart contracts, and familiarity with open-source licensing;

• Track record of building contract templates and negotiation matrices from scratch.

Preferred Personal Skills

• Rigorous and detail-oriented, while remaining pragmatic, solution-focused, and comfortable with calculated risk;

• Confident negotiator with excellent judgment and the ability to say "yes, and here's how" rather than simply "no";

• Autonomous and highly organized, able to get up to speed quickly and deliver under pressure in a fast-moving environment;

• Clear and concise communicator, able to explain complex legal points to non-lawyers with clarity and brevity;

• Strong discretion in handling confidential and sensitive information;

• Genuine interest in web3, privacy technologies, and the deep tech start-up ecosystem.

How we hire

📋 Step 1: The Application Form

Start your journey by filling out our application form. This is your chance to introduce yourself and showcase your unique skills and experiences.

🏆 Step 2: The Challenge

Next up, tackle our challenge! This is where you can shine and show us how you approach and solve real-world problems.

💼 Step 3: The Technical Interview

Dive deep into your technical knowledge with our team. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and passion for the field.

🤝 Step 4: Cultural Fit & Compensation Chat

Meet with our COO to discuss our company culture and explore how you can thrive with us. We’ll also discuss compensation to ensure we’re on the same page.

🛠️ Step 5: 2-day trial

Put your skills to the test in a real-world hacking scenario. This trial helps us see your practical skills in action and how you handle challenges.

🔍 Step 6: The Reference Check & Offer

As a final step, we’ll conduct a reference check to confirm your qualifications and past experiences. If all goes well, you will get an offer soon.

Exceptional candidates will hear from us as we advance through the recruitment process.

Zama values and promotes diversity. We give everyone a fair chance to be evaluated on their professional, academic, and personal skills. Our goal is to make the hiring process as pleasant, stress-free, and friendly as possible, even if it is longer and more involved than you might find elsewhere.