Senior Counsel (US Regulatory and Policy)
Wintermute
Legal
New York, NY, USA
Posted on Apr 4, 2025
About Wintermute
Wintermute is a technology unicorn and one of the leading global players in the digital asset markets. Wintermute is the largest crypto-native algorithmic trading company providing liquidity across all major exchanges and trading platforms. Our OTC desk offers a wide range of spot and derivatives products and supports over 2,000 counterparties across crypto natives and traditional financial institutions. We actively participate in the development of the blockchain ecosystem by being one of the largest players in DeFi as well as our investments arm, partnerships and incubations.
Wintermute was founded in 2017 by trading industry leaders and has successfully navigated multiple crypto industry cycles. Culturally, we combine the best of the two worlds: the technology standards of high-frequency trading firms in traditional markets and the innovative and entrepreneurial culture of technology startups. Read more here.
Nature of the role:
The ideal candidate will have a strong US securities law background and traditional financial markets experience and be able to adapt and apply their knowledge and experience to various Wintermute businesses, such as on-exchange trading, OTC trading and liquidity provisioning in both the spot and derivatives markets in digital assets, amongst others. They will be advising Wintermute on trading of crypto ETFs / ETPs and tokenised securities, liaising and coordinating with internal stakeholders and external counsels to consider and analyse relevant regulatory requirements and implement internal policies and controls, and liaising with US regulators (such as the SEC, FINRA and CFTC), as may be necessary.
They will develop Wintermute’s global regulatory position in relation to the US financial markets regulations, lead its discussions on digital assets policy with leading crypto associations as well as federal and state regulators, and have the opportunity to analyse, consider and comment on proposed bills in the US as they are promulgated. You will work closely with our regulatory team and with the business and product teams globally.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and advise the business on issues relating to US financial markets regulations, including securities law issues, as well as develop and implement solutions aligned with Wintermute’s business objectives and its global regulatory and compliance strategy.
- Co-lead on broker-dealer licence application and implementation, covering issues such as regulatory interpretation and guidance, and work closely with stakeholders across functions such as Compliance, Finance, Operations, Middle Office etc. to implement the broker-dealer requirements in an operationally feasible and pragmatic way.
- Support compliance function with regulatory requests, regulatory development and horizon scanning, inquiries and examinations from US regulators.
- Collaborate with other control functions such as compliance, risk, operations to address any regulatory issues which may impact the function, business or product.
- Monitor and assess the cross-border implications of the evolving financial markets regulatory landscape in the US and outside the US as it applies to Wintermute, including emerging proposals from the legislature and the regulators such as the SEC, CFTC, FINRA and IRS.
- Lead on Wintermute’s digital assets policy with leading crypto associations, federal and state regulators, and analyse, consider and comment on proposed bills as they are promulgated.
- Develop regulatory and operational strategy for new products in multiple jurisdictions in coordination with the business and product teams.
- Work independently and collaborate with internal stakeholders and external counsels to develop and maintain appropriate legal contracts and policies as suited for each business line.
- Coordinate and lead Wintermute’s response to regulatory inquiries, examinations or investigations emanating from the US as well as other cross-border regulatory matters as may be required.
- Other legal projects: get involved in a wide range of legal matters depending on skills, preferences and company needs, including trading negotiations, commercial disputes, employment, and corporate projects.
Skills Required:
- 5-10 years (US-qualified) experience as a practising financial markets regulatory lawyer gained in a top-tier US law firm. Additional in-house experience is preferred but not mandatory.
- Excellent knowledge of US securities laws, SEC / FINRA regulations and money transmission laws as it applies to proprietary trading firms as well as demonstrable experience dealing with regulatory agencies such as the SEC and FINRA.
- A strong grasp of contractual and commercial issues relevant to proprietary trading firms is strongly preferred (for e.g. experience with drafting and negotiating trading agreements and lending agreements).
- Experience working in a high-performance, dynamic and high-growth environment and leading complex regulatory projects, including considering the need for regulatory licences, preparation of regulatory licence applications and implementation of compliance and operational policies under tight deadlines, with input from internal stakeholders and external counsels.
- Ability to work closely with different stakeholders across time zones to roll out solutions firm-wide to drive the firm’s business objectives whilst being in compliance with its risk management policies and regulatory and compliance requirements.
- An inherent sense of self-motivation to take control and deliver on projects by being hands-on and identifying the right external resources to solve specific questions within a project.
- A healthy dose of common sense, the ability to be nimble and apply legal concepts to problem-solve in a US and non-US context, and willingness to adapt and learn quickly when faced with novel issues.
- Proven track record of working across functions and successfully launching regulated financial products.
- Good to have but not mandatory: Cross-border regulatory experience, in particular the UK and Singapore and / or prior in-house work experience in a regulated environment in the digital assets industry.
Join our dynamic team and benefit from:
- Working at one of the most innovative trading firms globally.
- Engaging projects offering accelerated responsibilities and ownership compared to traditional finance environments.
- A vibrant working culture with frequent team meals, holiday celebrations, gaming events, and company-wide outings, including our annual Wintermute weekend getaway.
- Great company culture: informal, non-hierarchical, ambitious, highly professional with a startup vibe, collaborative and entrepreneurial.
- A performance-based compensation with a significant earning potential alongside standard perks like pension and private Health insurance
Note:
- This role is currently fully remote. However, we anticipate that in the near future, there may be a requirement for in-office presence to support collaboration and team engagement.
- We prefer candidates based in New York but open to consider exceptional candidates within the East Coast region.