Director, Securities & Corporate Counsel

Posted 13 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
San Francisco, CA, USA
Hybrid
265K-310K Annually
Expert/Leader
Fintech • Software • Financial Services
Join our user-focused team on a mission to help people reach financial goals & protect privacy.
The Role
Lead securities and corporate legal work for a high-growth fintech, including public-company readiness, IPO execution, capital markets transactions, M&A, governance, equity compensation, SEC reporting, and general corporate matters. Partner with executives, finance, the board, auditors, bankers, and outside counsel while building legal and governance infrastructure for potential public-company status.
Summary Generated by Built In

Kikoff: The Fintech Powering Financial Security at Scale
Kikoff is a profitable, pre-IPO fintech company on a mission to empower everyone to achieve financial security. With record revenue growth in 2025 and a unicorn valuation, we've built a suite of products that help millions of people build credit, access liquidity, and save money.
We're scaling fast. Join us if you want to build something meaningful and help millions of people move forward financially.


Why Kikoff:

This is a consumer fintech startup, and you will be working with serial entrepreneurs who have built strong consumer brands and innovative products. We value extreme ownership, clear communication, a strong sense of craftsmanship, and the desire to create lasting work and work relationships. Yes, you can build an exciting business AND have real-life real-customer impact.

The opportunity

This is Kikoff's first dedicated securities and corporate counsel role. You will drive corporate and securities work, build the systems and discipline a public company requires, and be the in-house expert on financings, governance, and equity. If and when the company pursues an initial public offering, you will be central to it.

You will work directly with the Chief Legal Officer, the CFO and Finance team, the executive team, and the board. The legal team is small and deliberately senior, which means real ownership and very little hierarchy between you and the decisions that matter.

What you will do
  • Public-company readiness. Build the governance and disclosure infrastructure of a public company: disclosure controls and procedures, a disclosure committee, reporting calendars, board and board committee support, insider trading and trading-window policies, Section 16 and Reg FD frameworks, and a 10b5-1 program.
  • IPO execution. If the company pursues an offering, help run the working group: registration statement drafting and diligence, underwriter and auditor coordination, publicity and quiet-period discipline, comfort and opinion support, and the exchange listing process.
  • Capital markets and financings. Lead legal execution on equity and debt financings, warehouse and credit facilities, convertible instruments, secondary transactions and tender offers, and the diligence that accompanies them.
  • M&A and strategic transactions. Lead legal execution on acquisitions, investments, and other strategic transactions: structuring, diligence, drafting and negotiating LOIs, purchase agreements, disclosure schedules and ancillary documents, and post-closing integration support.
  • Corporate governance. Handle board and committee mechanics — agendas, materials, resolutions, minutes, charters, delegations of authority, D&O questionnaires, related-party transaction review, and entity governance across our subsidiaries and holding structure.
  • Equity compensation. Partner with Finance and People on option and RSU grants, 409A valuations, Rule 701 compliance, plan amendments and share reserves, and the design work required to move an equity program to a public-company footing.
  • SEC reporting. Once public, own the ongoing periodic-reporting cycle — Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and proxy materials — in coordination with Finance, Investor Relations, and external counsel.
  • General corporate. On a team this size, everyone carries breadth. Expect to touch commercial agreements, bank and vendor partnerships, intercompany arrangements, and the occasional problem that belongs to no one else.
What we are looking for
  • D. and active membership in good standing in a U.S. state bar; admitted in California or eligible to register as in-house counsel here.
  • 8–15 years of post-J.D. experience, with substantial securities and capital markets work at a leading law firm.
  • Fluency in the Securities Act and Exchange Act frameworks that govern private financings and public reporting, and the judgment to know which questions are genuinely hard.
  • Public company experience required, including hands-on involvement with SEC reporting and disclosure (e.g., 10-K/10-Q/8-K and proxy materials, as applicable) and familiarity with disclosure controls and related governance requirements.
  • A record of seeing complicated processes through to closing.
  • The ability to explain legal requirements and risk to people who are not lawyers, and to be credible with a CFO, an audit partner, and a banker in the same afternoon.
  • Comfort with ambiguity, incomplete information, and doing unglamorous work yourself. There is no one below you to hand it to. You will need to build new structure, not inherit it.
Preferred
  • In-house experience taking a company public, or serving on the company side of an S-1 working group.
  • Fintech, consumer finance, or high-growth technology experience.
  • Familiarity with bank partnership models, consumer lending or earned-wage access products.
  • Experience building legal and governance functions.
Base Range
$265,000$310,000 USD

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Kikoff Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.

Please reference the following for more information.

Skills Required

  • Juris Doctor degree
  • Active membership in good standing in a U.S. state bar
  • Admission in California or eligibility to register as in-house counsel in California
  • 8–15 years of post-Juris Doctor experience
  • Substantial securities and capital markets experience at a leading law firm
  • Fluency in Securities Act and Exchange Act frameworks
  • Public company experience, including hands-on SEC reporting and disclosure experience
  • Experience with Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and proxy materials, as applicable
  • Familiarity with disclosure controls and related governance requirements
  • Record of completing complex processes through closing
  • Ability to explain legal requirements and risks to non-lawyers
  • Ability to work effectively with CFOs, audit partners and bankers
  • Comfort with ambiguity, incomplete information and independently handling operational work
  • Experience taking a company public or serving on an S-1 working group
  • Fintech, consumer finance or high-growth technology experience
  • Familiarity with bank partnership models, consumer lending or earned-wage access products
  • Experience building legal and governance functions

Kikoff Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kikoff and has not been reviewed or approved by Kikoff.

  • Healthcare Strength Employer-paid employee medical, dental, and vision premiums are highlighted across postings and benefits pages. This materially lowers out-of-pocket costs and signals strong core coverage.
  • Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits Daily meals, snacks, fitness benefits, and substantial commuter support are prominently offered. These perks can meaningfully enhance day-to-day experience, especially for in-office or hybrid roles.
  • Retirement Support A 401(k) with company matching is included in the package. The presence of matching adds long-term financial value even as specific formulas are not publicly detailed.

Kikoff Insights

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The Company
HQ: San Francisco, CA
165 Employees
Year Founded: 2019

What We Do

Kikoff is a personal finance platform that offers the simplest credit-building solution out there: $0 fees, 0% interest, and no credit pull. Your credit score is the foundation of your financial health – yet most people don’t have the credit score they deserve. That’s why Kikoff built the most accessible and affordable credit-building solution – it’s also the fastest growing and the top-rated credit building mobile app. Kikoff works whether you’re new to credit or looking for an extra boost. Building credit is just the start; Kikoff is building a personal finance platform designed to help consumers achieve financial wellness. Driven by the co-founders’ and team’s personal experiences, Kikoff’s mission is to provide refreshingly fair, effective, and simple pathways to meet your financial goals. Kikoff is a Series B company and has raised over $42 million in total funding. Investors include Portage Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, GGV, Coatue, Core Innovation Capital, and basketball star Stephen Curry. Kikoff was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Why Work With Us

We are building an organization that maximizes growth and learning; we are invested in helping you grow and achieve what you want in your career. Our principles include a bias towards action, work in public, first principles thinking, intellectual honesty and extreme ownership.

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