General Counsel

At Sunrise Banks we are committed to a culture of trust and transparency that welcomes all.

POSITION SUMMARY

The General Counsel serves as the top legal advisor to the Bank and its fintech payments business, providing strategic, pragmatic counsel on all legal, regulatory, and risk matters. This role acts as a trusted partner to executive leadership, safeguarding the organization while enabling responsible growth aligned with its CDFI mission.

The General Counsel is a hands-on role that oversees all legal operations, including banking, fintech payments and partnerships, contracts, regulatory compliance, and litigation, and is responsible for managing a few staff and external counsel.

This role is critical to enabling the Bank's dual mission: delivering inclusive financial services as a CDFI while scaling innovative fintech and payments capabilities responsibly. The General Counsel ensures the organization can grow confidently within a complex and highly regulated environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Strategic Legal Leadership

Serve as primary legal advisor to the Executive Team and Board on banking, payments, and corporate matters

Advise on enterprise risk management from a legal perspective. Providing proactive, solution-oriented legal guidance that balances risk with business objectives

Design legal strategies that align with the Bank's CDFI mission and regulatory obligations in order to minimize legal exposure and resolve matters efficiently

Select, engage, and manage outside counsel across specialty areas controlling spend and setting expectations for responsiveness and outcomes

Establish scalable contract standards and governance practices

Lead and develop a small, high-performing legal team (one attorney and one paralegal)

Foster a collaborative, pragmatic, and service-oriented legal function

Regulatory & Compliance Oversight

Advise on federal and state banking regulations (e.g., OCC, FDIC, CFPB) and payments-related regulatory frameworks

Provide legal oversight of compliance with consumer protection laws and CDFI requirements

Monitor regulatory developments and guide leadership on implications and required actions

Partner closely with risk and compliance teams to mitigate legal and regulatory exposure

Contracts & Oversight

Lead negotiation, structuring, and review of complex agreements, including:

Fintech partner agreements

Commercial agreements

Payments processing and program management contracts

Vendor and technology agreements, often partnering with Procurement

Provide counsel on contract risk, enforceability, and dispute resolution

Serve as lead legal advisor for fintech and payments business lines, ensuring compliance with evolving industry requirements

Advise on BaaS (Banking-as-a-Service), sponsorship models, and partner oversight frameworks

Support product development with clear, practical legal guidance

KEY COLLABORATORS

Integrator and Executive Team, Board, external counsel, procurement manager, relationship banking, fintech payments and partnerships, risk and compliance

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position supervises Paralegal.

Responsible for the hiring, performance management and development of these employees.

COMPETENCIES

Alignment w/Sunrise Core Values

Contributor Competencies

Business Acumen

Coaching

Compliance Management

Conflict Management

Employee Development

Leadership

Planning/Delegation

Problem Solving

Project Management

Resource Management

Relationship Management

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school; active license to practice law

12+ years of legal experience, with significant experience in banking or financial services

Deep expertise in banking regulation and supervision; Fintech and/or payments (preferred) and commercial contracts and complex negotiations

Proven ability to advise senior executives on complex, high-impact issues

Experience in a CDFI or mission-driven financial institution preferred

Familiarity with BaaS, embedded finance, and fintech partnership models preferred

Experience working in both regulated banking and entrepreneurial/growth environments preferred

Sound judgement with pragmatic, business-oriented approach

Ability to simplify complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance

High level of integrity and discretion

Collaborative leadership style with strong relationship-building skills

Comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving regulatory landscape as both a leader and an individual contributor

Superior skill set in the use of the following software applications: Microsoft Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Annual salary range DOQ: $173,351 $247,645 $321,938

Eligible Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, FSA, Life, AD&D, STD, LTD, Pet Insurance, PPL, PTO, PVT0, 401k and more. Visit www. sunrisebanks.com for more details.