Assistant General Counsel, Capital Markets Legal

Upstart (NASDAQ: UPST) is the leading AI lending marketplace, connecting millions of consumers to 100 banks and credit unions that leverage Upstart’s AI models and cloud applications to deliver superior credit products. With Upstart AI, lenders can approve more borrowers at lower rates across races, ages, and genders, while delivering the exceptional digital-first experience customers demand. More than 80% of borrowers are approved instantly, with zero documentation to upload. Founded in 2012, Upstart’s platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, and small-dollar “relief” loans. Upstart is based in San Mateo, California, and Columbus, Ohio.

Most Upstarters join us because they connect with our mission of enabling access to effortless credit based on true risk.

Job Description

As the Assistant General Counsel, Capital Markets Legal at Upstart, you will work with counterparties across Upstart including members of the product, operations, compliance, accounting, tax, treasury and finance teams. You will work on bilateral deals, small club deals, broadly syndicated deals and everything in between.

Upstart’s capital markets legal team is at the forefront of creating innovative deal structures that drive our business forward. We negotiate deals that push the envelope on deal terms in a thoughtful, strategic manner. By partnering with the capital markets business team, we exert a tremendous impact on the overall amount of funding that Upstart is able to obtain each year.

Job Responsibilities

•  Partner closely with Upstart’s capital markets team to structure securitization transactions (including pass-throughs and asset-backed securitizations), complex purchase and sale agreement structures and other liquidity arrangements
• Review, draft and negotiate a variety of transactional documents opposite sophisticated institutional investors, including asset managers, private equity funds, hedge funds and pension funds
• Influence and marshall colleagues outside of the legal team and external parties to drive deals or projects to completion. Represent the legal team in high-level discussions with external parties, including outside counsel, auditors, regulators, and industry associations.
• Manage a team of five attorneys, some of whom are very senior. Anticipate and unblock obstacles for the team’s work.
• Create internal education on a variety of legal risks.

Qualifications & Education Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

• -J.D. degree with solid academic credentials and a state bar membership
• 12 years of work experience, including both large law firm and in-house experience (in structured finance, debt finance or similar)
• Self-starter who is comfortable working in a fast-moving environment with competing priorities and possesses a “can-do” attitude
• Experienced in drafting and negotiating sophisticated transactional documents
• Strong communication skills with a demonstrated ability to effectively and proactively provide quick, concise, and practical legal advice
• Eager to develop expertise in new or unfamiliar products and areas of law
• Team player – no egos
• Prior experience managing a team of lawyers

Preferred qualifications

•  Prior experience at a fintech company focused on lending /credit markets
•  CA or NY bar membership
• Proven ability to develop scalable processes and procedures

Additional Requirements

• Position Location – This role is available in the following locations: Remote, San Mateo, CA, Austin, TX, and Columbus, OH
•  Time Zone Requirements – This team operates on the East/West Coast time zones.
• Travel Requirements – As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accomplished remotely. The majority of our employees can live and work anywhere in the U.S but are encouraged to to still spend high quality time in-person collaborating via regular onsites. The in-person sessions’ cadence varies depending on the team and role;