Associate Director - Legal

Mumbai / BangaloreFull-timeexecutive

OtherAssociate

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Quick Summary

Overview

About Us Build the future of banking. Zeta is a next-generation banking technology company providing cloud-native, fully stackable processing and core banking platforms for issuers.

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OtherAssociate

Zeta is a next-generation banking technology company providing cloud-native, fully stackable processing and core banking platforms for issuers. With a focus on scalability, compliance, and innovation, Zeta empowers financial institutions to modernize their technology infrastructure and deliver secure, seamless digital banking experiences.

Our impact runs at real-world scale. Today, over 25 million cards are live on Zeta-powered platforms across 7 countries, supported by a passionate team of 1,700+ Zetanauts across India, the US, EMEA, and Asia. Backed by SoftBank Vision Fund, Mastercard, and other reputed strategic investors, we reached a valuation of $2 billion in Jan 1, 2025.

Our focus is on establishing product lines that focus on key outcomes by addressing real customer pain points, modernizing legacy systems, and strengthening core fundamentals. As a result, our systems and platforms support a wide range of banking and payments capabilities, including:

1. Tachyon, our cloud-native banking stack built for population-scale systems

2. Cipher, our unified authentication platform for secure, high-volume banking environments

3. Digital Credit as a Service, enabling banks to launch credit lines on UPI

4. Elena, our intelligent and conversational AI platform for banking

5. Pixel, India’s first digital-native credit card, launched in partnership with HDFC Bank, for whom we also revamped their PayZapp mobile app: Winner of the Celent Model Bank Award for Payments Innovation 2024

6. Sparrow, the leading card experience for non-prime cardholders in the US

…and more across cards, payments, lending, and core banking.

We are an engineering-first organization that values ownership, bias for action, and long-term thinking. Together, we solve some of the hardest problems in banking tech. Our culture is built around trust, collaboration, and creating the conditions for you to drive impact proportionate to your potential. Reinforcing our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace, we have been consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work.

Learn More About Zeta

If you would like to learn more about how we have grown and evolved over the years, watch our journey here. You can also explore our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram,YouTube, and X.

About the Role

~1 min read

Zeta is seeking a Associate Director – Legal to serve as a strategic advisor within its legal team, supporting the company’s banking, payments, and technology business as it scales across India, the US, the UK, and other global markets.

This is a high-impact, product-facing role for a seasoned banking and finance lawyer who can operate at the intersection of financial services regulation and cutting-edge technology, ensuring Zeta’s products, partnerships, and client programs are designed and delivered in a manner that is legally sound and regulator-ready. Reporting into Zeta’s India legal leadership and partnering closely with Product, Compliance, and Risk teams, the role carries significant autonomy and visibility — requiring an individual who can independently own matters end to end, negotiate directly with banks, NBFCs, and technology partners, run and manage a team of capable lawyers, and help shape the legal function of a fast-growing, high-growth fintech at the core of India’s digital banking transformation.

Deliver day-to-day legal counsel across Zeta’s banking technology stack, covering card issuance, transaction processing, lending and loan management, core account and ledger functionality, and Digital Credit-as-a-Service and Credit Line on UPI (CLOU), BNPL, and EMI-conversion products.

Advise product and engineering teams on the regulatory implications of platform features, including card management, real-time authorization and settlement, digital lending, account lifecycle management, instrument lifecycle management (physical and virtual cards, tokens, and QR), transaction switching, and fraud and dispute management.

Draft, review, and negotiate agreements with banks, financial institutions, card networks, and technology partners, including platform licensing, SaaS and managed-services arrangements, program-management agreements, and BIN or balance-sheet sponsorship deals underpinning Banking-as-a-Service and embedded banking offerings.

Structure co-brand, affinity, and fintech partnership arrangements, and draft and negotiate credit card, debit card, prepaid instrument, and co-branded card program agreements spanning retail, commercial, private-label, and secured card products.

Structure and paper credit lines, BNPL, and loan-installment features and related payment and settlement arrangements, and negotiate digital lending, co-lending, and lending service provider (LSP) agreements.

Draft, negotiate, and manage fintech partnership, third-party vendor, and platform licensing agreements, allocating responsibility, liability, and data-handling obligations across Zeta, its clients, and its partners.

Advise on RBI guidelines including the Digital Lending Directions, Credit Card and Debit Card Issuance and Conduct Directions, and Master Direction on Outsourcing of IT Services; NPCI regulations governing UPI and RuPay; and PPI rules under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act — tracking evolving developments and assessing their impact on Zeta’s products and programs.

Advise on card-network rules, grievance redressal frameworks, and partner bank agreement requirements for card and payments programs.

Advise on data privacy, cybersecurity, and data-localization requirements under the DPDP Act and IT Act, and on legal considerations relevant to maintaining SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS certifications.

Provide legal input on regulatory filings, regulator queries and inspections, and legal risk assessments for new products and partnerships, and support the development of internal legal playbooks and templates.

While anchored in banking and finance law, comfortable providing practical legal support across other areas as they arise for a fast-growing technology business, including corporate, commercial, employment, and technology or intellectual property matters.

Regulatory and commercial acumen: Commercially minded, pragmatic; translates complex regulation into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders.

Stakeholder management and communication: Strong communication and negotiation skills, sound and independent judgment, ability to counsel senior management strategically.

Execution and prioritization: Highly organized and detail-oriented; manages multiple matters simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth setting; ability to leverage AI for legal work highly preferred.

Team leadership and people management: Ability to lead and manage a team effectively.

Ownership and adaptability: Proactive self-starter, energized by ambiguity, comfortable in unfamiliar areas of law, takes ownership of outcomes, thrives in a collaborative, product-driven culture at the frontier of banking and fintech.

LLB or equivalent law degree from a recognized institution; qualified to practice law in India. LLM is a plus.

9–12 years of post-qualification experience as a banking and finance lawyer, gained in a top tier law firm.

Hands-on expertise across digital lending, credit and debit cards, prepaid and co-branded card programs, payments, and fintech regulation.

Contract drafting & negotiation: Strong contract drafting, review, and negotiation skills across commercial, technology, and financial-services agreements.

Working command of RBI, NPCI, and PPI frameworks.

Experience advising on software license, SaaS, IT services, and IP licensing matters; familiarity with Banking-as-a-Service; cross-border regulatory exposure.

Proven experience leading and managing a team, including handling administrative responsibilities alongside substantive legal work.

Zeta is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities to apply and believe that a diverse workforce is key to our success