Commercial Counsel

Overview

Tempo is a layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for stable coins and real-world payments, born from Stripe’s experience in global payments and Paradigm’s expertise in crypto tech.

Tempo’s payment-first design provides a scalable, low-cost predictable backbone that meets the needs of high-volume payment use cases. Our goal is to move money reliably, cheaply, and  north star is simplicity for users: fintechs, traditional banks, merchants, platforms, and anyone else looking to move their payments into the 21st century.

We're building Tempo with design partners who are global leaders in AI, e-commerce, and financial services:
Anthropic, Coupang, Deutsche Bank, Door Dash, Mercury, Nubank, OpenAI, Revolut, Shopify, Standard Chartered, Visa, and more.

We are looking for an experienced counsel to join our Legal team and serve as a strategic partner to our business. In this role, you will own the drafting, negotiation, and execution of a wide range of commercial agreements—including complex partnerships, integrations, enterprise deals, and vendor agreements. You will be a key player helping our business navigate our many relationships with both crypto-native organizations and Fortune 500 enterprises.

But as one of the founding lawyers of the Legal Team at Tempo, you’ll have your hand in everything legal and will help out on a myriad of diverse and interesting tasks in addition to your primary focus on commercial agreements.

• Lead commercial contracting for Partnerships/BD, including drafting, reviewing, and negotiating everything from complex deals to NDAs.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to GTM leadership—helping evaluate deal structures, identifying risks, and offering pragmatic solutions aligned with business goals.
• Develop contract management processes, templates, playbooks, and negotiation frameworks to improve speed and consistency.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to resolve issues related to IP, privacy, security, open-source software, and more.
• Support broader legal initiatives including outside counsel management and other operational needs.
• Monitor developments in crypto, fintech, and tradfi to advise the business on trends and evolving legal standards.
• Anything else that needs doing!

• J.D. and admission on at least one U.S. state bar
• 8+ years of legal experience, including substantial time in-house or working directly with clients at a high growth startup or technology company
• Deep experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements with both startups and enterprise customers
• Strong familiarity with crypto, blockchain, fintech, or digital assets
• Ability to balance legal risk with practical business judgment

• Collaborative communicator who can quickly translate legal issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyers
• Thrives in a fast-paced working environment with rapidly shifting needs
• Highly curious with a growth mindset
• Scrappiness; willingness to roll up sleeves and pitch in on things both inside and outside of areas of expertise/job description.