Since we opened our doors in 2009, the world of commerce has evolved immensely, and so has Square. After enabling anyone to take payments and never miss a sale, we saw sellers stymied by disparate, outmoded products and tools that wouldn’t work together.

So we expanded into software and started building integrated, omnichannel solutions – to help sellers sell online, manage inventory, offer buy now, pay later functionality through Afterpay, book appointments, engage loyal buyers, and hire and pay staff. Across it all, we’ve embedded financial services tools at the point of sale, so merchants can access a business loan and manage their cash flow in one place. Afterpay furthers our goal to provide omnichannel tools that unlock meaningful value and growth, enabling sellers to capture the next generation shopper, increase order sizes, and compete at a larger scale.

Today, we are a partner to sellers of all sizes – large, enterprise-scale businesses with complex operations, sellers just starting, as well as merchants who began selling with Square and have grown larger over time. As our sellers grow, so do our solutions. There is a massive opportunity in front of us. We’re building a significant, meaningful, and lasting business, and we are helping sellers worldwide do the same.

As Product Counsel, you will have a broad range of responsibilities providing end-to-end legal guidance on product and feature development. You will report to Square’s Head of Product Counsel and partner with our product, engineering, and design teams to develop new offerings while managing legal risk and ensuring regulatory compliance. As we expand our offerings, your ideas and contributions will make an immediate impact. 

You are highly motivated, organized, and creative. You are curious, with a desire to understand underlying causes and motivations. You are able to research and master complex legal topics and communicate them to non-lawyers in brief, clear language. You are capable of gaining expertise in an area of the law, but can separate the practical from the academic and provide clear, accurate, balanced, and actionable advice to the business team. 

You will: 

• Provide holistic, solution-oriented legal guidance to product, design, and engineering teams on issues related to products and features throughout the entire product development lifecycle. 
• Hone and leverage your expertise in the relevant US and international laws and regulations applicable to the products and features you support, including laws related to financial services, privacy, intellectual property, and consumer protection.
• Advise business partners on product and feature build-outs and go-to-market strategies, draft terms of use, product policies, and product disclosures, and implement policies required to support legal frameworks. 
• Develop and nurture trusted relationships with business partners and stay informed on key product developments.
• Coordinate closely with other support teams (including compliance, risk, tax, corporate counsel, and accounting) to provide seamless, integrated product solutions to business partners. 
• Actively cultivate creative ideas and insights into how legal frameworks can support new product developments and customer experiences. 
• Support the drafting and negotiation of commercial agreements relevant to your products and services.

You have:

• 7+ years of combined, relevant experience in law firms, governmental agencies, or in-house legal departments (fintech or financial services experience preferred).
• Familiarity and experience with launching products and advising on the legal and regulatory aspects of product development in the technology space.
• Fluency in translating legal advice into actionable guidance for product, design, and engineering teams.
• Ability to apply:
  • Risk-balanced, practical legal guidance to complex product questions. 
  • Creative problem-solving and solution-finding skills.
  • Maturity in judgment, considering short and long-term strategies. 
  • Agility and flexibility in an evolving and ever-changing environment.
• A Juris Doctor (JD) degree and active membership in at least one state bar.

Even better:

• Experience with payments and financial services, and/or lending  regulations and payments/card network industry rules and regulations.
• Expertise in US and global privacy regulations.
• Excellent commercial negotiation and drafting skills. 

Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Zone A: USD $217,800 - USD $326,800
Zone B: USD $202,600 - USD $303,800
Zone C: USD $191,700 - USD $287,500
Zone D: USD $185,200 - USD $277,800

To find a location’s zone designation, please refer to this resource. If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information. 

Full-time employee benefits include the following:

• Healthcare coverage (Medical, Vision and Dental insurance)
• Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account
• Retirement Plans including company match 
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Wellness programs, including access to mental health, 1:1 financial planners, and a monthly wellness allowance 
• Paid parental and caregiving leave
• Paid time off (including 12 paid holidays)
• Paid sick leave (1 hour per 26 hours worked (max 80 hours per calendar year to the extent legally permissible) for non-exempt employees and covered by our Flexible Time Off policy for exempt employees) 
• Learning and Development resources
• Paid Life insurance, AD&D, and disability benefits 

These benefits are further detailed in Block's policies. This role is also eligible to participate in Block's equity plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies, and may be eligible for a sign-on bonus. Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a commission plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation or benefit plans.

We’re working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is a proud equal opportunity employer. We work hard to evaluate all employees and job applicants consistently, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class. 

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we’re doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

Block will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances. Because the material duties of this role involve direct or indirect access to sensitive personal or financial data, a criminal background check is required following a contingent offer of employment.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral (formerly Square Crypto) builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, on average, U.S. open roles are posted for 70 days before being filled by a successful candidate.