Global Financial Crime and Sanctions Legal Counsel

Role Overview

This opening is for a Global Financial Crime/Sanctions Legal Counsel position located in Ireland. This senior legal counsel role is integral to shaping financial crime strategy in a fast-paced, highly regulated technology setting. You will provide expert legal counsel on sanctions, anti-money laundering (AML), combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), anti-bribery, fraud, and market integrity issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary legal authority for global financial crime topics including sanctions, AML/CFT, anti-bribery, fraud, and market integrity matters.
• Advise on financial crime risks related to products, partnerships, and operations across various jurisdictions.
• Serve as a key legal liaison with regulators, law enforcement, and financial intelligence units.
• Lead responses to regulatory investigations, enforcement actions, and voluntary self-disclosures.
• Manage sanctions-related matters including licensing, screening, counterparty reviews, and regulatory communications.
• Collaborate with compliance, investigations, and monitoring teams to identify and mitigate financial crime risks.
• Provide legal guidance on product launches, partnerships, and market expansions from a risk and compliance perspective.
• Coordinate with external counsel on complex cross-border financial crime issues.
• Develop and uphold legal policies, frameworks, guidance documents, and conduct internal training.
• Stay abreast of regulatory developments and advise senior leadership with actionable recommendations.

Qualifications and Experience

• Qualified attorney with over 10 years specializing in financial crime law, including sanctions, AML/CFT, and relevant regulatory regimes.
• Deep expertise in global sanctions frameworks such as OFAC, UN, EU, and UK.
• Experienced in engaging directly with regulators, law enforcement, and financial intelligence authorities.
• Proven capability handling regulatory probes, enforcement cases, and voluntary disclosures.
• Solid understanding of financial crime risks in financial services, digital assets, payments, or trading sectors.
• Adept at translating complex legal frameworks into practical business solutions for senior executives.
• Track record of effective collaboration with internal legal, compliance, and operational teams internationally.
• Strong business acumen and pragmatic, solution-focused mindset.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Thrives in a fast-evolving, global environment with high ownership and autonomy.

Benefits

• Chance to influence global financial crime legal strategy within a cutting-edge financial technology context.
• Work alongside diverse international legal, compliance, and business professionals.
• Competitive remuneration and a comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible remote working depending on business needs.
• Opportunities for ongoing professional development and career advancement.
• Exposure to challenging global regulatory environments and innovative finance technologies.
• Dynamic workplace encouraging ownership and results orientation.

Additional Information

This job is managed by a partner company who handles all applications and recruitment processes directly. The recruitment process includes AI-powered candidate matching to ensure an objective and quick review of applicants against job criteria. Final hiring decisions rest solely with the employer.

Applicants should be aware of data privacy considerations related to application submission, including GDPR compliance and the use of AI tools to assist hiring teams.