General Counsel
About Quidax
Quidax is Africa’s infrastructure layer for crypto. Over eight years, we’ve built a growing ecosystem that helps individuals and institutions securely trade, store, and transfer crypto, fast and reliably. We’re licensed, deeply rooted in the African market, and built for scale.
About the Role
We’re a regulated crypto company in a market where the rules are still being written. That makes Legal one of the most important blocks in the building.
As our General Counsel, you’ll own legal and regulatory at Quidax. Licences. Regulators. Contracts. Courts. Entities. You’ll keep us on the right side of the law, and help us move faster because of it, not in spite of it. You’ll make sure we always know what the rules are, what’s changing, and what it means for us.
You’ll own the legal side of every market we are in and will enter: licences, entities and local counsel. Our expansion lead will own the commercial plan. You’ll make sure it’s legally sound.
You’ll report to the COO, with direct access to the CEO and the Board.
Why This Role Is Compelling
You’ll lead Legal at a licensed, eight-year-old crypto company that regulators already take seriously
You’ll help shape how crypto gets regulated in Africa, not just react to it
Market entry is on the table, and you’ll lead the legal and regulatory side of it
A real seat at the table: direct line to the CEO and the Board on the calls that matter
A leadership team that sees Legal as a partner in building the business, not the department of no
What You’ll Be Owning
Regulatory Strategy, Licensing and Market Entry
Lead licence applications, renewals and variations with the SEC, the CBN and other regulators
Lead the legal and regulatory workstreams for new markets: licensing, entity setup, and choosing and managing local counsel
Lead our response to new regulations for non-security virtual assets, and keep track of how regulator’s oversight of crypto develops
Own sandbox applications, no-objection requests and licensing-related correspondence
Track new laws, regulations and circulars, and tell the business what they mean in plain English
Represent Quidax in regulatory consultations, industry associations, and policy and government engagement
Assess what each change means for Quidax, and brief leadership, Compliance and the teams affected
Keep a regulatory obligations register so we always know what we’re on the hook for
Advise on cross-border operations and intercompany arrangements across the group
Commercial and Product Counsel
Draft, review and negotiate our commercial agreements
Make sure third-party arrangements meet regulatory outsourcing and partnership rules
Work with Product to build new crypto products that are compliant from day one
Support Partnerships, Sales on deals and structuring new business lines
Review terms of use, risk disclosures, customer communications and marketing materials, including advertising rules
Law Enforcement, Disputes and Litigation
Advise on court orders, freezing orders, garnishee proceedings and information disclosure
Review and respond to requests from the EFCC, NFIU, Nigeria Police Force, courts and foreign agencies, and manage invitations to Quidax and its affiliates
Manage external counsel on all litigation, and keep the litigation register current
Advise on chargebacks, account freezes, wrong-recipient transfers and fraud recovery
Support Customer and Merchant Success on escalated customer complaints
Partnership with Compliance
Work with Compliance on Policy drafting and reviews.
Advise on escalated cases, including suspicious activity, sanctioned-jurisdiction exposure, frozen funds and restricted accounts
Support responses to regulatory examinations and remediation plans
Data Protection
Advise on compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and NDPC requirements, and data protection rules in any new market we enter
Advise on data processing agreements, cross-border data transfers and data subject requests
Corporate Governance and Company Secretarial
Advise on corporate structure for Quidax and its affiliates
Make sure registry filings, statutory registers and corporate records stay accurate and on time across every entity
Support Board governance
Tax and Finance Support
Work with Finance on tax compliance, transaction reporting and the tax treatment of our operations
Manage specialist tax advisers where needed
Leading the Legal Function
Own the legal budget and external counsel spend
Keep contract templates, the contract playbook, the contract repository and the legal knowledge base in shape
Train our people on the legal and regulatory things they need to know
Build and lead the Legal team as Quidax grows
The Biggest Challenge You’ll Tackle
We’d rather be upfront.
Crypto regulation in Africa moves fast and doesn’t always move clearly. You’ll often give advice before the rules are fully settled
Expansion plans are real, but they’re still taking shape. You’ll need to be ready before the business is, without overbuilding
You’ll be the most senior lawyer in the room, working alongside a Legal Counsel and an Associate. There’s no big legal team to hand things to, so you’ll need to be strategic and hands-on at the same time.
Law enforcement requests don’t book meetings. Some days, a freezing order will reshuffle your week
You’ll need to say “here’s how we can do it” far more often than “we can’t”
Who We’re Looking For
We’re looking for a senior lawyer who’s led legal and regulatory work in a regulated, fast-moving business, and who has worked across fintech, corporate and international projects.
Called to the Nigerian Bar, with 10+ years’ post-qualification experience
Significant in-house experience at a fintech, payments company, VASP, bank or similar regulated business, ideally leading the function
Hands-on experience with licence applications across more than one African jurisdiction
A track record of hiring and managing local counsel across several markets at once
Deep commercial contracting experience: you’ve negotiated with banks, payment partners and institutional counterparties, and won
Experience handling regulator relationships, examinations and law enforcement requests
Solid grounding in corporate governance, entity structuring and data protection
Clear, plain-English writer. Your memos get read, not skimmed
Commercially sharp. You understand how the business makes money and protect it without slowing it down
Calm under pressure, high integrity, low ego
Bonus:
Experience in crypto, digital assets or blockchain
Experience with regulators in other African markets
Company secretarial qualification (e.g., ICSAN or CIS)
Tax advisory experience
Reporting Line
You’ll report to our COO, with direct access to the CEO and the Board. You’ll work closely with Compliance, Finance, Product, Partnerships, Sales and Customer and Merchant Success.
Why Quidax
At Quidax, we’re building the future of finance in Africa through crypto. You’ll have the freedom to innovate, the space to lead, and the backing to build something that truly scales. If you’re ready to build an engineering org that delivers excellence at scale, let’s talk.
What’s In It For You
When you join Quidax, you’re not just taking a job, you’re jumping into a community that’s bold, remote-first, and building for the future. Here’s what you get:
Fair Pay + Ownership
Competitive salary based on your skills and experience; annual merit-based reviews to keep your growth visible and rewarded
Growth That’s Real
Annual performance reviews + clear promotion cycles; recognition for great work, from shoutouts to milestone rewards
Personal development fund (courses, books, conferences); study leave so you can keep learning
Work That Works For You
Fully remote forever + flexible working hours
Time Off That Respects Life
Unlimited paid time off + Nigerian national holidays
Parental, sick, compassionate, and life event leave — we show up for you
Connection That Feels Real
Quarterly remote team hangouts + annual offsite; interest-based communities (SIGs)
Regular engagement surveys — your voice matters
Health & life coverage in select locations
