General Counsel

General Counsel

Experience: 8+ Years Location: New York, NY (Hybrid)Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer

Company Overview:   RQD* is a modern clearing firm that offers clearing, custody, and execution solutions designed to meet the needs of today's dynamic market participants. Built entirely on cloud-native, real-time technology, RQD can quickly and seamlessly enhance its platform, adapt to regulatory changes, and offer a more efficient implementation that scales as clients grow. In addition to portfolio margin, RQD supports U.S. equities, options, ETFs, and other securities, catering to broker-dealers and FinTechs, including RIAs, that service retail, institutional, and active traders, foreign financial institutions, and proprietary trading firms. RQD Clearing is proud to be backed by our current investors, ABN AMRO Bank and Nyca Partners, and we are currently in the process of finalizing our Series B round of funding.   This is an opportunity to work for a fintech start-up and to be an integral part of growing a broker-dealer from the ground up. As a small, hardworking team, we pride ourselves on our entrepreneurial culture and cross-team collaboration.   Position Overview: 

RQD is seeking a General Counsel to serve as the company’s senior legal executive and a trusted advisor to the CEO, Board of Directors, and leadership team.

This role requires deep, hands-on experience with SEC and FINRA regulation applicable to broker-dealers, particularly carrying, clearing, and custody businesses. The General Counsel will advise on regulatory strategy, examinations, commercial agreements, product development, corporate governance, financings, employment matters, disputes, and global regulation.

This is a highly practical and hands-on role. The successful candidate must be able to analyze complex regulatory issues, make clear recommendations, and work closely with Compliance, Risk, Operations, Technology, Finance, and commercial teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as RQD’s senior legal advisor on SEC and FINRA rules applicable to broker-dealers, clearing firms, carrying firms, and custody businesses.
• Advise on customer protection, net capital, margin, books and records, supervision, regulatory reporting, clearing arrangements, custody, and financial responsibility requirements.
• Support new products and business initiatives, including securities lending, fully paid lending, portfolio margin, overnight trading, digital assets, tokenized securities, and international client arrangements.
• Lead or oversee SEC and FINRA inquiries, investigations, and enforcement matters.
• Partner with Compliance and Risk on client activity, account restrictions, customer exits, low-priced securities, market manipulation concerns, omnibus accounts, and cross-border activity.
• Negotiate and draft clearing, custody, brokerage, securities-lending, technology, vendor, strategic partnership, and other complex commercial agreements.
• Advise on corporate governance, Board matters, financings, strategic investments, acquisitions, and other corporate transactions.
• Oversee employment matters, litigation, claims, investigations, subpoenas, privacy, cybersecurity, intellectual property, and outside counsel.
• Build scalable legal processes, templates, policies, and approval frameworks.
• Identify and communicate material legal and regulatory risks to senior management and the Board.

Required Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing in at least one U.S. state bar.
• Approximately 8 or more years of relevant legal experience.
• Significant experience advising SEC- and FINRA-regulated broker-dealers.
• Deep working knowledge of the regulatory framework applicable to carrying, clearing, custody, or self-clearing broker-dealers.
• Direct experience with SEC, FINRA, exchange, or other securities-regulatory examinations or investigations.
• Strong knowledge of broker-dealer financial responsibility, customer protection, supervision, margin, books and records, and clearing obligations.
• Experience advising senior executives and Boards of Directors.
• Experience negotiating sophisticated financial-services or technology agreements.
• Ability to provide practical, independent advice without excessive reliance on outside counsel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience as a General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, or senior regulatory counsel at a regulator, clearing firm, broker-dealer, exchange, ATS, custodian, market maker, fintech, or other regulated securities business.
• Experience working at the SEC, FINRA, an exchange, or another securities regulator.
• Familiarity with SEC Rules 15c3-1, 15c3-3, 17a-3 and 17a-4, Regulation T, FINRA margin rules, and applicable clearing-agency requirements.
• Experience with securities lending, fully paid lending, portfolio margin, options, omnibus accounts, foreign financial institutions, digital assets, or tokenized securities.
• Experience supporting capital raises, private equity investors, and high-growth companies.

What We Are Looking For:

• A true securities-regulatory expert who understands how clearing firms operate in practice.
• A practical, commercially minded lawyer who can distinguish material risk from theoretical risk.
• Strong judgment and the confidence to provide direct advice in high-stakes or ambiguous situations.
• Someone who can say “no” when necessary, while remaining focused on finding a compliant path to “yes.”
• The ability to explain complex legal and regulatory issues in plain English.
• A low-ego, intellectually honest leader who takes ownership and works well across functions.
• A builder who wants to create a legal function that can scale with the business.

  Why RQD?

We're changing the clearing and custody space for the better, and we're always seeking driven, talented individuals who can help us on that journey. Working alongside our team of clearing professionals means you'll advance your career while helping some of the world's foremost financial institutions transact more efficiently. Best of all, you'll join a firm that is deeply committed to its people, its clients, and the industry at large.

As our senior legal leader, you'll play a pivotal role in that journey — working directly with our CEO, Board, investors, regulators, clients, and industry partners to help shape the future of modern clearing, custody, securities lending, and market infrastructure. You'll influence new products, client structures, and regulatory strategy at a defining stage of our company's growth, all while receiving competitive compensation, equity participation, and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits: 

• UnitedHealthcare medical coverage (multiple plan tiers, including HDHP options) — company covers 90% of premium costs, effective your first day of employment. Dental and Vision included.
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• Paid Time Off — 20 accrued vacation days/yr, 6 sick days/yr (with carryover), 2 personal days/yr, and 1 volunteering day/yr
• 401(k) with a strong employer match — 100% match on the first 4% of employee contributions, immediately vested

The salary range for this position is $250,000 – $300,000. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors. The role is eligible for an annual discretionary performance bonus and equity compensation.  Salary Range$250,000—$300,000 USD

RQD is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.