(Senior) Legal Counsel - Investment Operations (f/m/d)

Berlin, Remote. Posted 5 months ago

The role

You will provide legal coverage for post-execution infrastructure, including clearing, settlement, and custody. You will manage counterparty agreements and navigate EU and German post-trade regulations to support business scaling.

What you will do

Advise on the legal framework governing clearing, settlement, and custody operations.
Own the legal framework around client asset protection and safekeeping obligations.
Lead the negotiation and management of agreements with CCPs, CSDs, custodians, and other providers.
Monitor and interpret developments across MiFID, WpDVerOV, CSDR, and MaRisk.
Partner with Operations and Compliance to respond to post-trade incidents and settlement failures.
Drive the modernisation of the legal function through scalable contracting and AI-assisted workflows.

Required qualifications

At least 3–5 years post-qualification experience (PQE) in the financial services industry.
At least one German legal qualification (Erste Juristische Prüfung).
Hands-on understanding of clearing, settlement, and custody mechanics.
Experience in a regulated investment firm, custodian bank, CSD, infrastructure provider, or fintech.
Strong command of EU and German financial law relevant to post-trade operations (MiFID, CSDR, WpDVerOV, MaRisk).
Familiarity with adapting legal frameworks across European markets.
Professional fluency in English and German.

Nice to have

Exposure to UK (FCA) regulation or other European NCAs

Benefits

30 days of annual leave
Sports benefits
Confidential professional coaching
Work remotely abroad for up to 183 days a year
One-month fully paid sabbatical after every 4 years
Personal development budget
Competitive, above-market salary
Participation in employee equity program
Company-wide events such as UpFest, dinners, offsites and Holiday party

About the company

Upvest empowers businesses to offer investment products and retirement planning through an easy to integrate Investment API. The company is backed by €280M in total funding and partners with leading fintechs and financial institutions.