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Deputy General Counsel - Institutional
Ethena Labs
Legal
Remote
Posted on May 30, 2025
Who We Are:
Ethena Labs is at the forefront of the next wave of DeFi, dedicated to building products for modern finance. Ethena is a synthetic dollar protocol built on Ethereum that provides a crypto-native solution for money, USDe, alongside a globally accessible dollar savings asset, sUSDe.
Our core mission is to provide truly crypto-native financial solutions that are globally accessible and bridge the gap between TradFi and the digital asset economy. We believe in transparency, efficiency, and empowering both individuals and institutions with greater control over their assets.
What we are Doing:
Ethena Labs is actively building and deploying a suite of groundbreaking products designed to address key challenges and unlock new opportunities within the digital finance landscape.
Our flagship product, USDe, is a synthetic dollar backed by digital assets, and takes the novel approach of using a delta-neutral hedging strategy to maintain its peg. This provides a truly scalable and censorship-resistant digital dollar.
Building upon USDe, we offer sUSDe. sUSDe provides crypto-native rewards generated from funding rates in derivatives markets, offering an alternative to existing products tethered to the traditional financial system.
Furthermore, we are actively developing solutions to facilitate institutional adoption of digital assets. In partnership with Securitize and Blackrocks BUIDL fund, USDtb provides a more traditional, asset-backed stablecoin option, leveraging established financial infrastructure to appeal to institutional clients. Expanding on this, iUSDe is designed specifically for traditional financial institutions, incorporating necessary compliance features to enable them to access the crypto-native rewards our protocol generates, in an institutional-friendly manner.
Finally, our most ambitious undertaking to date is Converge, our joint blockchain initiative with Securitize. This hybrid blockchain is designed to be the nexus where DeFi meets the needs of CeFi and TradFi. Converge aims to be a primary issuance layer for tokenised assets, integrating seamlessly with existing DeFi protocols to provide institutions with an environment to participate in the decentralised economy.
Through these offerings, Ethena Labs is not just creating new financial products; we are building the foundational infrastructure for a more open, efficient, and interconnected global financial system.
Join us!!
The role will ideally be USA based
The Role
Ethena has set itself the task of REAL expansion into the Institutional and TradFi market space. “The Deputy General Counsel - Institutional” will serve as the primary general counsel for all initiatives related to the vertical. This role involves overseeing and managing the day-to-day legal matters, informing & structuring strategy, and coordinating with both internal & external stakeholders. You’ll be expected to fully own the responsibility for this side of Ethena's business, operating with significant autonomy, effectively managing the interests of multiple stakeholders while ensuring alignment with the company's overall vision and objectives. This position reports to the General Counsel, but the level of responsibility and ability is expected to be on par with a lead legal role.
What You’ll Do
- Spearheading legal operations for Ethena's institutional expansion of Crypto offerings
- Serve as the senior legal advisor and business partner, anticipating legal issues and proactively managing risks in complex institutional transactions and partnerships.
- Ensure business operations are compliant with applicable laws, proactively manage regulatory change, and liaise with regulatory bodies as needed
- Lead complex negotiations and draft sophisticated agreements related to institutional operations. e.g., investment agreements, strategic alliances, joint ventures etc
- Provide deep legal expertise in the design, structuring, and lifecycle management of institutional financial products and partnerships
- Implement frameworks for legal risk identification, assessment, and mitigation.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration with compliance, finance, risk, HR, product, and external counsel, building consensus and driving alignment across departments
- Act decisively in high-pressure or crisis scenarios, such as regulatory investigations, litigation risk, or reputational issues
What We’re Looking For
- Experience with digital assets and relevant issues, including product structuring and launch
- Deep knowledge of regulation for financial services, investment management, banking, securities, and the like
- Proven ability to develop and lead legal strategy for institutional business units and manage legal risk.
- Extensive experience leading complex negotiations and drafting sophisticated agreements related to institutional operations.
- Expertise in the design, structuring, and lifecycle management of institutional financial products and investment vehicles.
- Experience in implementing frameworks for legal risk identification, assessment, and mitigation, and advising on governance matters.
- Strong track record of effective cross-functional collaboration and building consensus across departments.
- Strong commercial awareness and ability to translate complex legal concepts into actionable business strategies.
Why Ethena Labs?
Join a forward-thinking, crypto-native company with a mission to revolutionize decentralized finance.
Work alongside a passionate and innovative team that values collaboration and creativity.
Enjoy a flexible, remote-friendly work environment with opportunities for growth and learning.
If you subscribe to the mission of separating the dollar from the state, then we want to hear from you!
We look forward to receiving your application and will be in touch after having a chance to review.
In the meantime, here are some links to more information about Ethena Labs to help you check us out: