Legal & Compliance Officer

Job Title: Legal & Compliance Officer (Risk, Regulatory & Financial Crime)

Location: Sydney, NSW (On-site)

Job Type: Full-time

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About Block Earner

Block Earner is a forward-thinking Australian fintech bridging the gap between traditional finance and blockchain technology. We empower everyday Australians with access to crypto-backed credit products and decentralized finance yields through a secure, intuitive platform.

As we scale our lending and exchange operations, we are seeking a high-potential Legal & Compliance Officer to own our legal, regulatory, and financial crime functions. This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious professional to build the legal and compliance backbone of a future market leader.

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The Role

Reporting directly to the Directors, you will act as the guardian of Block Earner’s legal and regulatory integrity. You will be a hands-on generalist: drafting commercial agreements in the morning, managing AFSL applications at lunch, and investigating blockchain transaction alerts in the afternoon. You will have full ownership of three pillars: Legal Counsel, Regulatory Licensing, and Financial Crime Operations.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Function & Commercial Advisory (Primary Focus)

• Legal Counsel: Act as the first point of contact for all internal legal matters, providing pragmatic advice on commercial law, privacy (Privacy Act 1988), and consumer protection.
• Contract Management: Draft, review, and negotiate critical commercial agreements, including vendor contracts, partnership agreements, and white-label service terms.
• Terms & Conditions: Own and maintain the customer-facing legal infrastructure, including User Terms of Service, Loan Agreements, and Risk Disclosure Statements to ensure they reflect our evolving product suite.
• External Counsel Management: Brief and manage external law firms for specialized advice (e.g., complex litigation or tax structuring) to ensure cost-effective legal support.

Regulatory Licensing & Strategy (AFSL & ACL)

• Licensing Roadmap: Lead the end-to-end application process for securing Block Earner’s own Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) and Australian Credit Licence (ACL).Regulatory Liaison: Serve as the primary contact for ASIC and AFCA, managing correspondence, reporting, and regulatory inquiries.
• Obligation Management: Design frameworks to monitor compliance with license conditions and ASIC Regulatory Guides (e.g., DDO, complaints handling) once licensed.

Financial Crime & AML/CTF Operations

• Program Management: Own the Joint AML/CTF Program (Part A & Part B), ensuring continuous compliance with the AML/CTF Act 2006 and AUSTRAC Rules.
• Operational Execution: Manage day-to-day financial crime operations, including reviewing transaction alerts (fiat & crypto), filing Suspicious Matter Reports (SMRs), and conducting Enhanced Due Diligence (ECDD) on high-risk entities (e.g., Trusts, SMSFs).
• PEP & Sanctions: Oversee screening processes for Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and sanctioned entities.

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About You

You are a legally trained professional who thrives in the "grey areas" of emerging tech. You don't just identify legal risks; you design the commercial structures to solve them.

Essential Qualifications

• Education: A Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) or Juris Doctor (J.D.) is mandatory. A second degree in Commerce, Business, or Economics is highly preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in a legal, compliance, or risk advisory role, ideally within a fintech, crypto exchange, law firm, or 'Big 4' environment.
• Admitted Lawyer: Admission as a Solicitor in an Australian Supreme Court (or eligibility for admission) is strongly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Regulatory Fluency: Strong working knowledge of the AML/CTF Act, Corporations Act (Chapter 7), and NCCP Act.
• Drafting Skills: Ability to draft clear, enforceable legal documents and policies without excessive reliance on templates.
• Operational Grit: Willingness to perform manual operational tasks (e.g., KYC checks) while building scalable systems.

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Why Join Us?

• Scope: Rarely does a role offer ownership of Legal, Licensing, and Financial Crime at this stage of a company's growth.
• Impact: Your work will directly enable the launch of new credit products and international expansion.
• Growth: Work directly with founders to navigate the frontier of crypto regulation in Australia.