# Associate Director – Legal

- Link: https://100xfounder.com/job/zeta-associate-director-legal-45c63e/
- Published: 2026-07-27T16:13:37+05:30
- Author: Ishaan Vardhan

### About Us

### Build the future of banking.

[Zeta](https://www.zeta.tech/in/) is a next-generation banking technology company
providing cloud-native, fully stackable processing and core banking platforms for
issuers. With a focus on scalability, compliance, and innovation, Zeta empowers 
financial institutions to modernize their technology infrastructure and deliver 
secure, seamless digital banking experiences.

### Our Impact and Growth

Our impact runs at real-world scale. Today, **over 25 million cards are live on 
Zeta-powered platforms across 7 countries, supported by a passionate team of 1,700
+ Zetanauts** across India, the US, EMEA, and Asia. Backed by** SoftBank Vision 
Fund, Mastercard**, and other reputed strategic investors, we reached a valuation
of **$2 billion** in Jan 1, 2025.

### Our Product Lines

Our focus is on establishing product lines that focus on key outcomes by addressing
real customer pain points, modernizing legacy systems, and strengthening core fundamentals.
As a result, our systems and platforms support a wide range of banking and payments
capabilities, including:

1. **Tachyon**, our cloud-native banking stack built for population-scale systems

2. **Cipher**, our unified authentication platform for secure, high-volume banking
environments

3. **Digital Credit as a Service**, enabling banks to launch credit lines on UPI

4.** Elena**, our intelligent and conversational AI platform for banking

5. **Pixel**, India’s first digital-native credit card, launched in partnership 
with **HDFC Bank**, for whom we also revamped their **PayZapp **mobile app: Winner
of the **Celent Model Bank Award for Payments Innovation 2024**

6. **Sparrow**, the leading card experience for non-prime cardholders in the US

…and more across cards, payments, lending, and core banking.

### Our Culture and Values

We are an engineering-first organization that values ownership, bias for action,
and long-term thinking. Together, we solve some of the hardest problems in banking
tech. Our culture is built around trust, collaboration, and creating the conditions
for you to drive impact proportionate to your potential. Reinforcing our commitment
to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace, we have been consistently recognized
as a **Great Place to Work**.

**If you want to build cutting-edge banking tech that enables banks to serve millions
reliably, securely, and at a population scale, Zeta is your playground.**

Learn More About Zeta

If you would like to learn more about how we have grown and evolved over the years,
[**watch our journey here**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8RZCTbRzw8). You can
also explore [**our website**](https://www.zeta.tech/in/) and follow us on [**LinkedIn**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/zetasuite/)**,**
[**Instagram,**](https://www.instagram.com/lifeatzeta)[**YouTube**](https://www.youtube.com/@Zetasuite)**,
and **[**X**](https://x.com/zetasuite?lang=en)**.**

### About the Role

Zeta is seeking a Associate Director – Legal to serve as a strategic advisor within
its legal team, supporting the company’s banking, payments, and technology business
as it scales across India, the US, the UK, and other global markets.

This is a high-impact, product-facing role for a seasoned banking and finance lawyer
who can operate at the intersection of financial services regulation and cutting-
edge technology, ensuring Zeta’s products, partnerships, and client programs are
designed and delivered in a manner that is legally sound and regulator-ready. Reporting
into Zeta’s India legal leadership and partnering closely with Product, Compliance,
and Risk teams, the role carries significant autonomy and visibility — requiring
an individual who can independently own matters end to end, negotiate directly with
banks, NBFCs, and technology partners, run and manage a team of capable lawyers,
and help shape the legal function of a fast-growing, high-growth fintech at the 
core of India’s digital banking transformation.

### Responsibilities

### Product and platform legal support

 * Deliver day-to-day legal counsel across Zeta’s banking technology stack, covering
   card issuance, transaction processing, lending and loan management, core account
   and ledger functionality, and Digital Credit-as-a-Service and Credit Line on 
   UPI (CLOU), BNPL, and EMI-conversion products.
 * Advise product and engineering teams on the regulatory implications of platform
   features, including card management, real-time authorization and settlement, 
   digital lending, account lifecycle management, instrument lifecycle management(
   physical and virtual cards, tokens, and QR), transaction switching, and fraud
   and dispute management.

### Contract drafting, review, and negotiation

 * Draft, review, and negotiate agreements with banks, financial institutions, card
   networks, and technology partners, including platform licensing, SaaS and managed-
   services arrangements, program-management agreements, and BIN or balance-sheet
   sponsorship deals underpinning Banking-as-a-Service and embedded banking offerings.
 * Structure co-brand, affinity, and fintech partnership arrangements, and draft
   and negotiate credit card, debit card, prepaid instrument, and co-branded card
   program agreements spanning retail, commercial, private-label, and secured card
   products.
 * Structure and paper credit lines, BNPL, and loan-installment features and related
   payment and settlement arrangements, and negotiate digital lending, co-lending,
   and lending service provider (LSP) agreements.
 * Draft, negotiate, and manage fintech partnership, third-party vendor, and platform
   licensing agreements, allocating responsibility, liability, and data-handling
   obligations across Zeta, its clients, and its partners.

### Regulatory advisory

 * Advise on RBI guidelines including the Digital Lending Directions, Credit Card
   and Debit Card Issuance and Conduct Directions, and Master Direction on Outsourcing
   of IT Services; NPCI regulations governing UPI and RuPay; and PPI rules under
   the Payment and Settlement Systems Act — tracking evolving developments and assessing
   their impact on Zeta’s products and programs.
 * Advise on card-network rules, grievance redressal frameworks, and partner bank
   agreement requirements for card and payments programs.
 * Advise on data privacy, cybersecurity, and data-localization requirements under
   the DPDP Act and IT Act, and on legal considerations relevant to maintaining 
   SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS certifications.
 * Provide legal input on regulatory filings, regulator queries and inspections,
   and legal risk assessments for new products and partnerships, and support the
   development of internal legal playbooks and templates.

### Broader legal support

 * While anchored in banking and finance law, comfortable providing practical legal
   support across other areas as they arise for a fast-growing technology business,
   including corporate, commercial, employment, and technology or intellectual property
   matters.

### Skills

 * **Regulatory and commercial acumen:** Commercially minded, pragmatic; translates
   complex regulation into clear, actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders.
 * **Stakeholder management and communication:**** **Strong communication and negotiation
   skills, sound and independent judgment, ability to counsel senior management 
   strategically.
 * **Execution and prioritization:** Highly organized and detail-oriented; manages
   multiple matters simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth setting; ability
   to leverage AI for legal work highly preferred.
 * **Team leadership and people management:** Ability to lead and manage a team 
   effectively.
 * **Ownership and adaptability:**** **Proactive self-starter, energized by ambiguity,
   comfortable in unfamiliar areas of law, takes ownership of outcomes, thrives 
   in a collaborative, product-driven culture at the frontier of banking and fintech.

### Experience and Qualification

 * LLB or equivalent law degree from a recognized institution; qualified to practice
   law in India. LLM is a plus.
 * 9–12 years of post-qualification experience as a banking and finance lawyer, 
   gained in a top tier law firm.
 * Hands-on expertise across digital lending, credit and debit cards, prepaid and
   co-branded card programs, payments, and fintech regulation.
 * Contract drafting & negotiation: Strong contract drafting, review, and negotiation
   skills across commercial, technology, and financial-services agreements.
 * Working command of RBI, NPCI, and PPI frameworks.
 * Experience advising on software license, SaaS, IT services, and IP licensing 
   matters; familiarity with Banking-as-a-Service; cross-border regulatory exposure.
 * Proven experience leading and managing a team, including handling administrative
   responsibilities alongside substantive legal work.

### Equal Opportunity

Zeta is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed 
to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applicants 
from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities to apply and believe that a diverse
workforce is key to our success