Senior Employment and Litigation Counsel, Varo
$170-230k
Fee-free online banking platform
Open for applications
Fee-free online banking platform
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
$170-230k
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To improve the financial health of our customers through better technology and total transparency.
Role
Who you are
- J.D. with top academic credentials
- Admitted and in good and active standing to practice law in California or Utah
- 7-9+ years’ extensive experience in employment law and litigation experience at a major law firm
- Benefits experience, including advising senior leaders and benefits professionals on a range of ERISA, fiduciary compliance, plan governance, and legal compliance matters and related plan documentation
- Executive compensation experience in-house and/or at a major law firm
- Track record of working efficiently with a client-service focus in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
- Strong negotiation skills and ability to interact with legal and business leaders internally and externally
- Process-oriented a with desire for constant improvement and development of best practices
- Hard-working and a self-starter with the ability to operate independently with minimal supervision in a fast-paced environment and meet tight deadlines
- Strong integrity and commitment to ethics
What the job involves
- Varo is seeking an exceptional attorney to support our Human Resources and business partners on employment law matters in Varo’s locations, providing pragmatic, risk-weighted advice on a broad range of employment, benefits and related compliance matters
- Advise and support Varo Human Resources and business partners on employment-law related matters, including hiring, performance management, terminations, discrimination, harassment, accommodations, leaves of absence, wage and hour issues, incentive compensation, benefits (including plan design, implementation, administration and communications), employee investigations, restructuring initiatives and corporate development (M&A) activity
- This role will also support non-employment litigation and oversee third-party claims affecting Varo’s business
- Maintain subject matter expertise and actively monitor new laws, regulations and decisions affecting the substantive legal areas above and provide strategic advice to the Legal team
- Draft and negotiate offer letters and employment-related agreements, including severance, separation, restrictive covenant, retention and other employment-related agreements; draft employee-facing policies, handbooks and other resources
- This role involves leading and handling cutting-edge and complex legal projects and matters
- Assist in designing and leading training events on employment law and benefits matters
- Manage arbitrations, pre-filing demands, including investigating claims, communicating with opposing counsel and negotiating resolution
- Draft and/or review pre-litigation and litigation documents, including correspondence with opposing counsel, pleadings and mediation/arbitration statements
- Manage outside counsel handling both employment and non-employment litigation, including management of budgets, directing litigation strategy, and reviewing pleadings and other documents
- Support employment-related aspects of mergers, acquisitions, strategic investments and divestitures, including due diligence and related integration efforts
- Advise and counsel on both day-to-day issues as well as strategic and systemic initiatives
- Respond to attorney demand letters and agency matters, including government-initiated inquiries and audits
Our take
The traditional banking system leaves many US citizens underserved, with some minority groups struggling to access accounts. Varo is one of many companies offering no-fee, high-interest accounts, as it takes on the traditional banks - with additional features such as a rewards program and access to early paychecks.
With many young customers distrustful of traditional banks, Varo has capitalised on this sentiment and grown to serve more than 7 million customers. It has a number of competitors such as Chime and Step, and it's also in competition with established traditional brick-and-mortar banks. However, as the first consumer fintech to be granted a national bank charter in the US, the company is at the front of the fintech revolution with a path to future success.
In response to economic uncertainty, the bank was forced to take cost-reduction measures throughout 2022. The effect has been positive, with a drastic reduction in its burn rate, which had been a primary concern. One point of interest is a shift in marketing strategy that has seen Varo focus more on growing the number of customers using it as their main bank, as opposed to growing overall user numbers. The company also has a new tech unit named "Varo Tech".
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-12% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 8 rounds)
Feb 2025
$29m
SERIES G
Feb 2023
$50m
LATE VC
Total funding: $1.1bn
Company benefits
- Health, dental, vision insurance
- Free life coaching and counseling
- 401k
- Office snacks and drinks
- Flexible PTO
- Company and team outings
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Colin Walsh
(CEO)Former EVP at American Express. Has also worked in banking at Wells Fargo, Visa, Executive Networks, and Lloyds.
Salary benchmarks
We don't have enough data yet to provide salary benchmarks for this role.
Submit your salary to help other candidates with crowdsourced salary estimates.
Share this job
View 11 more jobs at Varo