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…