THE COMPANY

Payrails is an innovative technology company with a team that has many years of experience in the payment industry and a real-life understanding of the merchants’ needs. We have seen the complexity firsthand and we have learned from all the challenges we’ve faced. Now we want to help leading technology companies around the world accept payments and build financial services with minimal upfront investments.
Our vision at Payrails is to reimagine payments. We do this by removing heavy reliance on Engineering efforts using composable building blocks that put the control firmly in the hands of our customers. We exist to help our customers become more productive and flexible, impacting directly on their ability to grow.
We are joined in our mission by top-tier investors Andreessen Horowitz, HV Capital, EQT and General Catalyst alongside a great cast of knowledgeable angel investors to enable us to solve the growing complexity of payments.
At Payrails, we are committed to building a team full of the most talented people. Excellence is part of our values and we understand that in order to achieve this, we need to build an environment where skilled people can work openly, collaboratively, and with the utmost trust in one another. We believe people thrive the most when they are fully aware of what the business is trying to achieve, why it is important to the market, and what challenges lie in the way to reaching our goals. In such an environment we believe people can truly excel, grow and enjoy working together. We try hard to be a company where everyone is inspired and feels a sense of responsibility to do the right thing to help us bring our vision to life. Succeeding with us is about finding solutions to the most pressing problems and executing them effectively.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Commercial Contracts: Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including client, supplier, labor and partnership contracts. Ensure contracts meet business objectives and mitigate potential risks.
• Legal Compliance: Advise on German and EU laws and regulations, particularly those relevant to Fintech and payments. Monitor regulatory changes and provide proactive legal guidance to ensure compliance.
• Corporate Governance: Support the establishment of policies and frameworks for corporate governance. Provide counsel on board-level matters and investor relations, with support from external counsel, as needed.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks to safeguard the company’s interests. Collaborate with external counsel for specialized legal matters when required.
• Cross-Functional Support: Partner with teams across the company to provide legal advice on product launches, marketing initiatives, and other projects. Conduct internal training on relevant legal and compliance topics.
• Building the Legal Function: Define and implement processes, policies, and tools to create a scalable and efficient legal function. Collaborate with leadership to set the vision and goals for the Legal department.

YOU’LL BE GREAT FOR THIS ROLE IF

• You have a degree in law (German 2nd State Exam) and at least 7+ years of experience, preferably in commercial law, financial services, or generalist in-house roles.
• You have deep knowledge of German and EU laws, preferably in contract law, data protection or financial services.
• You are fluent in German and English (both written and spoken).
• You excel at drafting, negotiating, and managing complex contracts and agreements.
• You have strong business acumen and the ability to align legal advice with company goals to seek pragmatic and efficient solutions.
• You’re proactive, independent, and thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• You’re collaborative and approachable, with excellent communication skills to work with stakeholders at all levels.
• You’re excited to build something from scratch and make a lasting impact on a growing startup.