Interested in working on cutting-edge blockchain technology and creating equitable access to the global financial system? Since 2014, the mission-driven team at the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) has helped fuel the tremendous growth of the Stellar blockchain network, an open-source platform that operates at high-scale today. Developers and companies around the world build on it, and the SDF team is expanding to support the rapidly growing and changing Stellar ecosystem.
The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is looking for a versatile and mission-driven attorney to join our growing legal team as Corporate and Regulatory Counsel. In this role, you will be a "generalist with a specialization," owning the fundamental corporate legal functions that keep our Foundation running while serving as a strategic advisor on the complex regulatory frameworks governing digital assets, stablecoins, and decentralized finance. You will work at the intersection of law, technology, and financial access, ensuring that SDF remains a compliant and influential leader in the global blockchain ecosystem.
In this role, you will:
Provide corporate/corporate governance counsel:
Entity Management: Oversee the legal lifecycle of the Foundation and its subsidiaries, ensuring all corporate filings, registrations, and "good standing" requirements are met across all operating jurisdictions.
Corporate Secretarial Duties: Help to maintain official corporate records and serve as an internal governance resource.
Provide regulatory strategy and advice:
Regulatory Analysis: Assist as an internal subject matter expert on the evolving global legal status of blockchain, tokenization, digital assets and decentralized finance.
Interpretive Guidance: Provide high-level legal interpretations of new guidance, interpretation, rules and legislation that impact the Stellar ecosystem’s long-term viability.
Precedent Monitoring: Track and analyze litigation and enforcement actions within the broader blockchain industry to identify emerging legal risks or shifts in "Control" and "Decentralization" definitions.
You have:
Credentials: J.D. degree and an active member of at least one U.S. state bar.
Experience: 5+ years of legal practice, with experience in corporate and regulatory practices, with a familiarity of the areas of law relevant to blockchain. In house experience at a crypto company, a top-tier firm or a major financial institution is especially desirable.
Mission alignment: You are motivated by blockchain technology and a desire to promote financial access and you appreciate SDF’s role as a non-profit foundation.
Calm and cool: We work in an area defined by fast-paced developments and rapidly evolving areas of law, and some tasks will be easy while others will be challenging. Throughout, we want you to be confident and comfortable…and bonus points for a great sense of humor.
Bonus Points if:
Basic crypto savvy. You own crypto, have a wallet and can navigate a few defi protocols!
A great sense of humor (we already said that, but we really mean it!)
We offer competitive pay with a base salary range for this position of $140,000 - $235,000, depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, we offer lumen-denominated grants along with the following perks and benefits:
USA Benefits/Perks:
Competitive health, dental & vision coverage with most plans covered at 100% for the employee + any dependents
Flexible time off + 15 company holidays including a company-wide holiday break
Generous paid parental leave for all parents, plus paid pregnancy disability leave for birthing parents.
Gym reimbursement ($80 per month)
Life & ADD (up to $50K)
Short & Long term disability
401K with 4% match
Health & Dependent Care FSA Accounts
Commuter benefits with $250/month employer contribution
Health Savings Account (HSA) with monthly employer contribution
Family building benefits through Kindbody
Wellbeing benefits (One Medical, Rightway, Headspace)
L&D budget of $1,500/year
Daily lunch and snacks in office
Company retreats
#LI-Hybrid
About Stellar
Stellar is more than a blockchain. Powered by a decentralized, fast, scalable, and uniquely sustainable network made for financial products and services and a thriving and passionate ecosystem that includes a non-profit organization driven by a mission, Stellar is paving the path to unlock the world’s economic potential through blockchain technology. Built with speed and low costs in mind, the Stellar network provides builders and financial institutions worldwide a platform to issue assets, and to send and convert currencies in real time creating real world utility. Founded in 2014, the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) supports the continued development and growth of the Stellar network and also serves the ecosystem of NGOs, corporations, universities, small businesses, governments, and solo entrepreneurs building on the Stellar network through tooling, funding and strategic collaborations. Together, Stellar is where blockchain meets the real world.
About the Stellar Development Foundation
The Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) is a non-profit organization focused on working with and supporting change-makers to create equitable access to the global financial system through blockchain technology. SDF provides grants, investments, funding, and other awards to builders and organizations. SDF also develops resources and tooling on the Stellar network to help unlock real world utility. As a nonprofit foundation, SDF puts the health of the Stellar network and the Stellar ecosystem and its mission above all else.
We look forward to hearing from you!
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SDF is committed to diversity in its workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. SDF does not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal law.
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