Matter Labs is hiring a

Web3 Senior Counsel, Global Employment

Before you read the details of this role, there’s something you should know. At Matter Labs, we don’t see ourselves as a company, but as a highly aligned global team on a single mission: to accelerate the mass adoption of crypto for personal sovereignty. 

Our core technology – zkSync Era – is a layer 2 rollup that uses advanced cryptography called zero-knowledge proofs to scale Ethereum without compromising on security or decentralization. zkSync Era is EVM compatible, which means projects on Ethereum and other EVM-based blockchains can easily deploy on zkSync Era to take advantage of low gas fees and high transaction speeds.

With a total of $458 million in mission-driven funding, zkSync Era is the first EVM-compatible ZK Rollup to go live on testnet (February 2022) and be deployed on mainnet (October 2022). As we enter the endgame for Ethereum scaling, we are committed to full open source and building in public toward our stated mission [so that even if we fail, the community and the ecosystem will benefit from our contribution].

Read more about working at Matter Labs here. All positions are 100% remote (with the likelihood of optional travel to team and/or industry events). 

We are looking for a Senior Counsel, Global Employment to join our legal team. In this role you will report to the General Counsel and serve as the company’s principal in-house legal advisor on all aspects of global employment law. We are a highly international, distributed team and prioritize talent over location. We expect to have 150+ employees in 30+ countries by the end of the year. 

As our ideal candidate, you have significant experience in international employment matters, including in the crypto space. You are as comfortable driving projects as you are jumping in to help on other matters, regardless of the work to be done. You are a flexible and creative thinker with a business mindset and solution-oriented approach to delivering legal services. You are comfortable interacting and collaborating with a variety of internal partners and sophisticated clients. And you want to be part of a low-ego, high-performance company. 

This is a 100% remote position (with the likelihood of optional travel to team and/or industry events). 

What You'll Be Doing

• Covering all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law work globally (working with local counsel as appropriate) 
• Working with the People Ops team to provide legal support and advice on employee relations matters including remote working situations, independent contractor matters, grievances, performance management matters, separation agreements, etc.
• Working with the People Ops team on relocations, and on the impact on staff of office openings, temporary work arrangements, acquisition activities, etc.
• Advising the People Ops team in respect of any legal input required on compensation and benefits matters, including equity/tokens, etc.
• Working with the recruitment team on employment contracts for new hire candidates
• Advising and inputting on both global and local HR policies and initiatives
• Working with the General Counsel and People Ops team on staff-related regulatory matters such as personal trading, conflicts policies, etc.
• Proactively identifying, addressing and managing legal risk issues arising with employment law matters
• Develop and actively manage relationships with key internal stakeholders and external advisers
• Develop training and education sessions where relevant for People Ops and other stakeholders
• Liaising as necessary with external counsel

What We Look For in You

• Legally qualified to practice law in your jurisdiction 
• Comprehensive relevant employment law experience, ideally in both a top tier law firm and in-house legal experience  
• Previous experience of advising on compensation and benefits matters, in particular, on the application of remuneration regulations across EMEA, would be helpful (though not required)
• Crypto-aware. It’s OK if this is your first full time legal job in crypto, but it shouldn’t be your first experience in crypto 
• Cross-border experience. Crypto is global and so are our employees and partners. Must be able to move seamlessly between jurisdictions (engaging local counsel where appropriate)
• "Inbox zero" mentality critically important
• Cypherpunk mentality a plus
• Desire to take a leading role in shaping the future of a leading crypto project 
• Approachable / “good bedside manner” as a legal advisor and impeccable judgment  
• Able to operate on complex matters with limited supervision
• Able to engage a variety of stakeholders and collaborate effectively and capable of building and maintaining a network of effective working relationships
• Highly self motivated, flexible and proactive
• Excellent commercial awareness, with a pragmatic, solution based approach to issues, and an ability to think at a strategic, risk-focussed level
• Ability to influence and build relationships across organizational and geographic boundaries
• Fluency in English. Additional languages a plus
• Strong academic background from top tier academic institution 

At Matter Labs, you have the freedom to work how you want, when you want, and from where you want. We operate in small, focused teams, with no time tracking and minimum bureaucracy. Only results matter. We will provide you with anything you need to learn, grow, and be productive.

Our results-only environment means anyone who believes in our mission can join us, regardless of background, sexual orientation, race, gender, and age. Both our team and community are made up of people from different countries, cultures, ethnical and religious backgrounds. That's why, out of politeness and respect, we refrain from opinions on politics, religion, or sex at the workplace. 

We designed our culture of freedom and ownership to persist as we scale and to establish the base for a positive-sum community as we move toward full decentralization.

Apply now if this role sounds of interest and we aim to get back to you as soon as possible.