Product Counsel, Upgrade
$200-230k
+ Equity
Offering responsible credit to mainstream consumers
Job no longer available
Offering responsible credit to mainstream consumers
1001+ employees
Job no longer available
$200-230k
+ Equity
1001+ employees
Company mission
To help our customers move in the right direction with responsible financial products that put more money in their pocket.
Role
Who you are
- The successful candidate will have relevant subject matter expertise and be skilled at translating legal requirements into actionable plans, working collaboratively across business groups to drive successful outcomes that meet customer needs, business objectives and legal requirements
- J.D. and membership in the California Bar in good standing, or eligible to register as in-house counsel with the California Bar
- 6+ years advising financial institutions/fintech companies as a lawyer at a leading law firm and/or in-house legal department
- Innate curiosity, desire and ability to learn rapidly
- Resiliency and comfort serving as a trusted business partner
- Quick adopter of new and evolving technology
- A team player with a sense of humor and self awareness
Desirable
- BigLaw and fintech startup experience
- Product advising experience in multiple consumer financial products
What the job involves
- Upgrade’s growing Legal team is seeking an Product Counsel to focus on providing legal guidance and driving projects relating to a variety of product-related initiatives
- You’ll work cross-functionally as we develop new products and advise on legal risk and regulatory compliance and legal agreements and disclosures required in connection with new products
- The legal issues you'll encounter are cutting edge and always evolving
- Serve as subject-matter expert on laws and regulations applicable to our products (cards, loans, etc.) and partner with relevant business teams to drive product initiatives to completion
- Review new products and features from early stages of development through launch by assessing legal risks while providing practical legal advice
- Advise our Product, Marketing, Engineering and other business groups on all matters relating to product initiatives, including to recognize and mitigate legal issues related to products and marketing collateral, as well as drafting legal agreements and disclosures
- Anticipate issues, proactively manage risks, prioritize workload as necessary to meet deadlines in a fluctuating and sometimes ambiguous legal and business environment
- Own your projects with a can-do attitude and a willingness to jump in where needed to help out the team – no job is too big or too small – and some may not exactly fit in the four corners of this job description
Our take
Most credit cards don't encourage the owner to pay down their debt. The longer it takes to pay off the balance, the more money lenders are set to make. Upgrade is an online lender and card issuer doing things differently. The company offers personal loans and credit cards, but with a fixed instalment structure and a set number of equal payments. This ensures the balance reduces every month.
The company believes this model reduces default rates, as borrowers are forced to pay down rather than maintain their debt, and it encourages a greater commitment to repay the balance. Further, by combining the ease of a Visa card with the fixed payments and decreased rates of a personal loan, Upgrade sets itself apart from competitors.
In 2021, Upgrade launched its mobile banking and debit card to onboard new customers and increase loyalty. The fixed-rate nature of the company's cards is expected to be of use to customers in future years in an environment of rising rates. Off the back of impressive growth milestones in 2025, the company raised $165 million in Series G funding, raising its valuation to $7.3 billion, a comfortable position for a future IPO.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
18% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Oct 2025
$165m
SERIES G
Nov 2021
$280m
SERIES F
Total funding: $712m
Company benefits
- Stock option plan
- 100% paid coverage of medical, dental and vision insurance
- Flexible PTO
- Opportunities for professional growth and development
- Paid parental leave
- Health & wellness initiatives
Company HQ
Financial District, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Renaud Laplanche
(Co-Founder & CEO)After an MBA at London Business School, Renaud spent 5 years as an Associate at Clearly Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and co-founded MatchPoint. They then left Oracle after a year to co-found Lending Club in 2006 and co-founded Upgrade in August 2016.
Adelina Grozdanova
(Co-Founder & Head of Investor Group)Adelina started their career with 6 years at Morgan Stanley after a degree at Princeton. They left banking in 2012 to join Lending Club as VP, and after 3 years co-founded Upgrade, serving as Head of Investor Group since 2016.
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