Senior Legal Counsel – Payments (London)

About the role

The Payments Legal team is looking for a Senior Legal Counsel to advise TikTok, ByteDance and their affiliates on payments compliance across Europe and the UK. You will partner with product, compliance and business development teams to ensure new payment features launch safely and in line with regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities

• Provide legal counsel on money‑transfer services, e‑money, payment tokens, AML, gifts, stored‑value cards and related facilities.
• Collaborate with product, compliance and business development stakeholders on the design, launch and commercialisation of global payment projects.
• Work with the global legal team to advise on regulatory issues for new payment solutions.
• Guide the payments business on licensing, regulator interactions and compliance processes.
• Develop scalable legal review processes for new payment products and features.
• Stay current on EU/UK financial‑service regulations, including AML, KYC, KYB, sanctions and virtual‑currency rules.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior managers across TikTok’s product and global payments businesses.

Required profile

• Qualified lawyer with at least 5 years of experience in fintech or payments compliance.
• Hands‑on experience with money‑service business regulations, AML, KYC, sanctions and stored‑value facilities.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret complex regulations and communicate them clearly.
• Experience in a fintech startup or creator‑economy environment is a plus.
• Strong stakeholder‑management skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.

Required skills

• Deep knowledge of payments‑related regulatory frameworks (AML, KYC, KYB, sanctions, e‑money, virtual currency).
• Experience advising on payment product compliance and licensing.