Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We help connect companies large and small with top independent talent from around the world. Simply put, our mission is to create economic opportunities so people have better lives.

Every year, more than $2 billion of work is done through Upwork by skilled independent professionals who want the freedom of working anytime, anywhere.

You'll join the award-winning Upwork Legal Team. We are a collaborative, business-minded, trusting and high-performing team that loves to work on state-of-the art legal issues and generate practical solutions to resolve and mitigate risk. The team has a passion for what we do that has been recognized in the industry. In 2016, we won The Recorder’s prestigious Legal Department of the Year (Emerging Companies) award.

Upwork is seeking an experienced compliance attorney to join our legal team. In this position, you will provide legal support to Upwork in financial services compliance covering federal, state and international regulations. You will help scale the program and ensure the company operates in compliance with applicable laws in the areas of financial crime risk (sanctions, AML, CFT, other illicit finance risk), anti-corruption/FCPA, payments and other FinTech regulations.

Your Responsibilities:

• Provide risk-based legal advice, including in the areas of financial crime risk (sanctions, AML, CFT, other illicit finance risk), anti-corruption/FCPA, emerging payments and other FinTech-related regulations.
• Advise on financial regulatory developments and drive Upwork’s compliance with new requirements.
• Develop and deliver training and guidelines to help business partners understand and address compliance issues, identify and evaluate business and risks, and find creative ways to mitigate them while achieving business goals.
• Manage Upwork’s relationship with financial services regulators and law enforcement agencies.
• Review and consult on provisions in agreements with customers, vendors and other third parties relating to financial crime risk, anti-corruption and payments compliance.
• Assist with AML, payments, and other finance-related process reviews and improvements, internal and external audits, and policy creation and implementation.
• Support responses to user complaints and regulatory inquiries.

What it takes to catch our eye:

• You have proven experience, preferably in both law firm and in-house environments, focusing on financial services compliance.
• Experience advising clients in one or more of the following areas:
• Anti-Money Laundering
• Payments Compliance
• Other Financial Services/Fintech Compliance
• Familiarity with banking or FinTech industries and issues related to financial services entities and bank and payment partners.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills, to explain complex concepts for a variety of audiences.
• Ability to provide practical, strategic and business-oriented legal advice.
• You are licensed to practice law, in good standing, in at least one state in the United States.
• You are passionate about Upwork’s mission of providing economic opportunity so people have better lives.
• You have a positive demeanor and a sense of humor. No job is too big or too small!

#LI-BH1 Come change how the world works.

At Upwork, you’ll shape talent solutions for how the world works today. We are a remote-first organization working together to create exciting remote work opportunities for a global community of professionals.  While we have physical offices in San Francisco and Chicago, currently we also support hiring of corporate full-time employees in 15 states in the United States. Please speak with a member of our recruitment team to determine whether you are located in a state in which we are hiring corporate full-time employees. 

Our vibrant culture is built on shared values and our mission to create economic opportunities so that people have better lives. We foster amazing teams, put our community first, and have a bias toward action. We encourage everyone to bring their whole selves to work and grow together through development opportunities, mentorship, and employee resource groups. Oh yeah, we’ve also got amazing benefits.

Check out our Life at Upwork page to learn more about the employee experience.   

Upwork is proudly committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we never discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.