International Counsel, Canada

Block is one company built from many blocks all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams People Finance Counsel Hardware Information Security Platform Infrastructure Engineering and more provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies forecast finances give legal counsel safeguard systems nurture new initiatives and more. Every challenge creates possibilities and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.

The Role

Block is seeking a motivated organized and creative lawyer to join its growing legal team as International Counsel in Canada. This role will involve end-to-end legal and strategic guidance for the Afterpay business as well as select Square initiatives within the Canadian market. As part of a lean and high-impact legal team you will report directly to the Head of Legal Canada and play a central role in navigating and shaping the evolving legal landscape that governs our Buy Now Pay Later payments and financial services businesses. This role offers the opportunity to work and hone expertise on a diverse set of regulatory product and commercial initiatives.

This role will also involve the use of AI reflexively on a day-to-day basis. You will be empowered to leverage the companys suite of AI tools to streamline and enhance your legal work and contribute to the development of AI-driven workflows applications and process improvements across the legal function.

You Will

• Lead regulatory strategy and execution for Afterpay pursuant to the Retail Payment Activities Act and other regulatory changes including management of governance programs as well as advising on compliance frameworks enterprise risk regulatory reporting and engagement with federal and provincial government agencies (ex. Bank of Canada Department of Finance)
• Advise product design and engineering teams throughout the full product development lifecycle for Afterpay including drafting terms of use product policies and product disclosures and implementing policies required to support legal frameworks
• Ensure alignment of products and services with applicable Canadian laws governing lending credit advancement consumer protection financial services payments privacy marketing and advertising
• Analyze complex legal and regulatory issues distill them into clear insights and deliver concise business-oriented guidance to cross-functional teams
• Support the drafting and negotiation of commercial agreements relevant to your products and services
• Build trusted relationships with various legal partners and business teams including go-to-market product operations policy compliance risk tax and finance to provide integrated legal support across the business
• Bring creativity and AI-driven efficiencies to the legal engagement process helping to drive business growth and enable exceptional customer experiences

You Have

• 3-6 years of relevant experience within in-house legal departments law firms or government agencies (lending payments financial services or financial technology experience preferred)
• Excellent legal judgment and fluency in translating legal advice into practical relevant guidance for business teams
• Expertise on Canadian regulations in the lending payments and/or financial services space
• Strong project management skills and ability to work under tight deadlines
• A proven ability to support innovative product development within evolving regulatory landscapes
• A law degree and membership in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario (or other provincial equivalent)

As International Counsel you will be part of a purpose-driven company transforming how businesses and consumers interact with payments and commerce. This is a unique opportunity to make an impact in a market that is seeing rapid regulatory change while working as part of a close-knit local team within a globally connected organization.

Required Experience:

Intern