Principal Legal Counsel Corporate and Finance
Aave Labs develops products and software for the Aave ecosystem and is the original author and contributor to Aave Protocol.
About Aave Labs
Aave Labs is the product and software company behind Aave-branded applications and an original contributor to the independently governed Aave Protocol.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will act as the principal adviser on corporate, governance, and finance matters. You will manage legal entities and corporate compliance, advise boards and senior leadership, document treasury activity and transactions, support audits and due diligence, and maintain signing and contract processes.
Requirements
- 4+ years of post-qualification experience in corporate, finance, or funds work
- Experience at a leading Cayman, offshore, or onshore law firm and senior in-house experience
- Experience advising boards and senior leadership on complex transactions
- Experience managing external counsel with minimal oversight
- Experience with entity management, board governance, and corporate secretarial work across multiple jurisdictions
- Experience building or running a corporate compliance programme
- Familiarity with treasury operations, tax structuring, or fund administration
- Interest in or experience with crypto, DeFi, or digital assets
- Ability to manage multiple workstreams and maintain accurate records
- Excellent communication and judgement
- Willingness to be based in the Cayman Islands
Responsibilities
- Act as principal legal adviser to Group boards, foundation councils, and senior leadership
- Manage legal entities, incorporations, dissolutions, statutory registers, filings, and annual returns across jurisdictions
- Build and run the corporate compliance programme and compliance calendar
- Own corporate policies, annual attestations, and training
- Track corporate obligations for licensed subsidiaries
- Support audits, bank and counterparty due diligence, recordkeeping, and document retention
- Advise on and document treasury activity, including lending, borrowing, custody, and digital asset holdings
- Work with Finance and tax advisers on transaction structuring
- Own the signing authority matrix, document execution process, and contract repository
- Support commercial and regulatory legal matters
Benefits
- Relocation assistance for the right candidate
Hiring Process
1. Talent Screening, 2. Craft Task, 3. Meet your manager, 4. Meet the team, 5. Receive your offer
