General Counsel

CommonBond is building a values-driven, customer-centric financial services company. Our mission is to change the way people think about student loans. We accomplish this with lower interest rates, a state-of-the art technology platform, and caring customer service. We also are the only financial services company with a 1-for-1 social program: For every loan funded, we fund the education of a child in the developing world. CommonBond has been named to the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company, the 50 Best Places to Work by Inc., and the Forbes Fintech 50. We are backed by great investors, have an awesome team, and are looking for our next great team member.

CommonBond is looking for a General Counsel who will be responsible for leading our strategic and tactical legal and compliance initiatives to promote and protect the company. Reporting into the CEO, this individual will be a key leadership team member with responsibility for directing all strategic legal-related matters at CommonBond. The ideal candidate must possess stellar legal instincts, excellent leadership skills, and strong business intuition.

As our General Counsel, you will (1) provide effective legal & regulatory counsel, (2) negotiate contracts, (3) manage the Legal and Compliance team, (4) manage the work of outside counsel and (5) leverage relationships with regulators and law-makers.

Essential Functions

Provide effective legal & regulatory counsel
Keep informed, and advise on potential impacts, of proposed changes to applicable privacy, data security, consumer protection and other laws and regulations.
Be the expert on laws and regulations that impact CommonBond now and in the future, including:
CFPB Disclosures
Higher Ed Re-Authorization Act (IBR & PSLF)
Regulation Z (Truth in Lending/TILA)
Regulation B (Equal Credit Opportunity Act/ECOA)
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLBA)
Fair Debt Collection Practices (FDCPA)
Negotiate contracts
Serve as active legal advisor on the company’s financing initiatives, including securitizations, corporate finance, partnerships and contracts.
Draft and negotiate other commercial contracts including enterprise level agreements.
Manage the Legal and Compliance team
Directly manage and develop members of the legal and compliance team.
Lead the internal audit, regulatory and corporate compliance programs.
Manage the work of outside counsel
Manage the selection, retention, management and budget of all outside counsel relationships.
Leverage and build relationships with regulators and law-makers
Leverage and build relationships with the local, state and federal government bodies and policy makers.
Educate regulators on how prospective laws and rulings could help benefit consumers.
Role Requirements:

Minimum of 10+ years legal and corporate counsel experience.
Phenomenal judgment.
Ability to work proactively and reliably within tight timeframes in a fast-paced, high-performance environment.
Strong attention to detail, creative and resourceful.
Ability to demonstrate a practical, business-oriented approach to problem solving and be able to effectively counsel clients. with clear, concise, and creative solutions where necessary, on established timelines.
Executive-level poise, presence, credibility and influencing skills.
Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.
Experience managing a team of cross-functional team members in an in-house setting.
Ability to anticipate legal issues or risks and provide swift solutions.
Experience in the consumer lending, payments or financial services industry is preferred.
JD required.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.