Counsel, Product & Regulatory - Payments & AML

In 1905, chief engineer John Stevens inherited one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in history: the Panama Canal. The challenge wasn’t digging a ditch between two oceans. It was figuring out how to move ships safely through a system of locks, gates, reservoirs, and changing conditions without bringing global commerce to a halt. The solution wasn’t to stop movement. It was to create a framework that allowed movement at scale. Modern financial infrastructure presents a similar challenge. Payment systems, banking products, compliance obligations, and regulatory frameworks all exist for a reason. The goal isn’t to eliminate complexity. It’s to build systems that allow innovation, growth, and customer value within it. Who we are Since 2019, Mercury has been on a mission to reinvent banking‡ for the modern age. We blend elegant design and cutting-edge technology to offer checking and savings accounts, debit cards, payment services, credit products, cash management tools, and sophisticated analytics. Everything we build reflects our belief that financial products should be thoughtfully crafted, fast, transparent, and genuinely enjoyable to use. As we continue expanding and iterating on our product offerings and as we work to build a nationally chartered bank, we’re looking for a Counsel, Product & Regulatory (Payments & AML) to help us navigate increasingly complex questions at the intersection of product, regulation, and financial infrastructure. About the team Our Product & Regulatory Legal team operates like the rest of Mercury: with urgency, curiosity, and a bias toward action. We embed with product teams from early ideation through launch, working alongside engineers, designers, compliance partners, operations teams, and risk stakeholders to get products right. We move fast, we take ownership, and we don’t wait to be asked. If something needs figuring out, we’re up to the task. We are not a team that sits on the sidelines reviewing finished proposals. We work alongside our partners to identify risks, unlock opportunities, and find practical paths forward. We care deeply about good judgment, strong relationships, and building frameworks that scale. What you’ll do Advise on payments products and infrastructure. You’ll support a broad portfolio of payments-related initiatives across Mercury. You’ll advise on matters involving payment rails, product launches, operational incidents, partner relationships, and customer-facing experiences. You’ll help product teams navigate regulatory complexity while continuing to build exceptional products. Partner across the company. This role sits at the intersection of Product, Compliance, Risk, Engineering, Operations, Partnerships, and Legal. You’ll build trusted relationships across these functions and bring legal perspective into conversations early, not as a checkpoint, but as a low-ego, high-ownership thought partner. Help launch new capabilities. Mercury is continuing to expand its pro