Legal Counsel

About the Company

Capi helps businesses in Africa pay their international suppliers quickly and efficiently. Capi started with Y-Combinator Summer 2023 program, coming out of it successfully and since then we’ve raised over $18m across Seed and Series A (Q4 2024) and are on a fast growth trajectory globally with almost 80ppl; we’ve recently hit a milestone as we crossed $1BN in annualized volume and $10m in annualized revenue for the first time!

Working with SMEs in Africa is opening the door for us to have an economical impact on African markets by allowing businesses to pay suppliers and partners through our platform - we are currently live across Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Kenya, and Mali, with many more coming soon.

Our team is made up of approx 75 people across 7 countries; we are a group of a highly-ambitious, get-it-done people, who like to work hard on something that has a tangible impact in the world. And we’re looking for more people to join our team!

As Capi’s second full-time legal hire, you will be a foundational member of our growing Legal & Compliance team. You will partner with the business to find creative, pragmatic, and legally sound solutions to complex problems.

From advising on payments and financial services regulation across our markets, to negotiating key banking partnerships, to engaging with regulators, your work will be varied, fast-paced, and impactful. You’ll collaborate closely with the Head of Legal and cross-functional teams to secure licenses, launch new products, and scale into new markets.

To succeed you’ll need to thrive on tackling problems you’ve never encountered before, remain curious and adaptable, and always seek the solution that balances business ambition with legal integrity.

• Regulatory advice on products & strategic partnerships

  • Provide forward-looking legal advice across payments, financial services regulation, commercial contracts, intellectual property, data privacy, and related corporate matters.

  • Help structure new products and partnerships so they are both innovative and compliant.

  • Negotiate partnerships with banking partners and key service providers behind Capi’s product

  • Advise on intellectual property, data privacy, and other regulatory compliance issues

• Market Expansion & Licensing

  • Assist on license applications and regulatory partnerships in new markets, across Europe and Africa.

  • Draft and adapt AML/CFT and other regulatory policies to suit different legal contexts.

  • Alongside the Head of Legal and Capi’s in-market teams, build trusted relationships with regulators by implementing robust legal frameworks and processes across the Capi Money group.

• Corporate, commercial & employment legal advice

  • Assist the Head of Legal on corporate governance topics (both as part of regulatory licensing applications and as part of business as usual)

  • Assist the Head of Legal on debt and equity fundraising

  • Draft and negotiate commercial contracts

  • Support People team with employment law matters across Europe and Africa.

• Coordination

  • Coordinate with external counsel where specialist expertise is needed, ensuring advice is both practical and cost-effective.

• Qualified lawyer; open on total years of experience, however 2+ years in-house ideal

• Experience in both private practice and in-house settings.

• Top-tier law firm training strongly preferred.

• In-house experience at a high-performance company (ideally VC-backed or high-growth fintech/tech).

• Fluency in French and English

• Work experience in financial services regulation strongly preferred.

• Experience working in or with emerging markets, particularly West & Central Africa, is a plus.

• Curiosity and resilience when facing unfamiliar challenges.

• Creativity and pragmatism in solving novel legal problems.

• Willingness to travel to our markets up to once per quarter.

• You see legal not as a blocker but as a strategic business partner.

• You put yourself in the shoes of your clients and look for solutions that make their lives easier while safeguarding Capi’s interests.

• You have an appetite for working in a fast-paced and changing environment.

• You are a clear communicator who can simplify complex issues for non-legal stakeholders.

• You are collaborative and approachable, with the ability to build trust quickly.

• You are data- and process-minded: you value transparency, clarity, and continuous improvement and are adept at using data to inform decisions.

• You are a reflexive user of AI to enhance your legal abilities and are at ease using collaborative IT tools such as Notion and Google Suite (GSheets, GDocs, GSlides etc).

• Be a builder: As one of our earliest legal hires, you’ll shape how the Legal & Compliance function grows and how it is perceived—transforming it into a trusted partner and enabler of the business.

• Regional & global impact: You’ll work on cutting-edge fintech and financial services challenges across Africa and Europe, with direct exposure to partners, Capi leadership and regulators.

• High-growth environment: Join a fast-scaling, innovative company where legal isn’t an afterthought but a driver of strategic decisions.

• Continuous learning: Work on diverse legal problems across multiple jurisdictions, with opportunities to expand your expertise and take ownership quickly.

• Reporting to Head of Legal (who in turn reports directly to CEO), you’ll form part of the growing Legal & Compliance team at Capi

• Location: Paris or London - this is a full-time position with competitive salary, share options, and benefits

• This role requires at least 3 days a week in the office, the London office is in a WeWork near Old Street station in Shoreditch, and the Paris office is in a WeWork in the 9th arrondissement on Avenue Trudaine

• Ideal Start date: January 2026 (we are aware that a notice period may need to be fulfilled and can adjust accordingly)

• Competitive benefits
  

Read through our company's mission and values here!

Capi is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds. We’re all about building a diverse, inclusive team at Capi. Whoever you are, we’d love to hear from you. If there’s anything you need to make the interview process easier—whether it’s accessibility support, a different format, or just a heads-up about what to expect—just let us know, we’re happy to help.