Head of Legal - Product, Privacy & Regulatory

PQE Partners are working with a leading global technology business looking to appoint a Head of Legal to its Sydney team.

This is a broad, senior legal role with primary responsibility across Product, Privacy and Regulatory, alongside oversight of wider legal matters across the business.

The organisation operates globally in a fast-moving, highly innovative sector and is continuing to invest in new technology, data and analytics products. The legal team is lean and closely embedded with Product, Engineering and senior leadership, giving the Head of Legal significant autonomy and direct exposure to key decision-makers.

A major focus of the role will be working with Product and Engineering from the early stages of product development – helping the business understand what it can build, navigating complex legal and regulatory issues and influencing product design and strategy rather than simply reviewing products at launch.
Working closely with the executive team and stakeholders globally, you will:

• Lead legal support across Product, Privacy and Regulatory matters.
• Partner closely with Product and Engineering from ideation and design through to development, launch and ongoing operation.
• Advise on complex privacy, data protection and data governance issues, including privacy-by-design.
• Navigate a broad range of regulatory matters which may include payments, financial services, digital assets, AML/CTF, sanctions, online safety and AI.
• Provide clear, commercial advice on new products, technologies and business models where the regulatory position may be evolving or uncertain.
• Advise on broader commercial, corporate and operational legal matters as required.
• Work closely with founders, executives and senior stakeholders on strategic legal and risk issues.
• Help shape the legal function, including its structure, processes and future growth.

You will be an experienced lawyer with a strong background advising technology or other product-led businesses.

Ideally, you will bring:

• Genuine product legal experience, with evidence of working directly with Product and Engineering during the ideation and design stages of technology products.
• Strong privacy and data experience, with the ability to personally own complex issues rather than relying on specialist support.
• Broader regulatory experience gained within technology, fintech, financial services, digital platforms or another highly regulated environment.
• Experience operating within a fast-growth, scale-up or similarly dynamic business where you have needed to work autonomously and across a broad remit.
• The confidence and judgement to give clear, pragmatic advice where there may not be an obvious legal or regulatory answer.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders.
• A hands-on approach and willingness to move between strategic issues and the detail when required.

You do not need to be an expert across every regulatory area, nor do you need previous experience within the organisation's specific sector. Of greater importance is a strong grounding in product, privacy and data, combined with the ability to quickly understand emerging regulatory issues and translate them into practical commercial advice.

This is not a traditional, highly structured Head of Legal role. The legal team is lean, the business moves quickly and the successful candidate will need to be comfortable operating with significant autonomy and ambiguity.

In return, there is genuine scope to influence both the direction of the business and the development of the legal function, with direct exposure to founders and senior leadership and the opportunity to help shape and grow the team over time.

The business offers a highly competitive remuneration package, including long-term incentives, alongside hybrid working from its Sydney CBD office.