Deputy General Counsel, Strategic Partnerships

About the role

This senior legal role focuses on providing strategic counsel for OKX's institutional business, which includes custody, trading, prime services, and strategic partnerships. The successful candidate will be responsible for defining the legal structures that support the growth of these areas, navigating a regulatory landscape that is still developing. This involves advising on multi-jurisdictional compliance and complex cross-border transactions.

A key aspect of the position is to serve as the primary legal authority for all strategic institutional partnerships and trading arrangements. This includes creating the contractual infrastructure, templates, and guidelines necessary for efficient, high-volume deal execution. The role also requires conducting legal due diligence on institutional counterparties and fostering relationships with clients and external counsel throughout the deal process.

Success in this role means translating intricate legal and regulatory issues into actionable guidance for product, engineering, and executive teams. The Deputy General Counsel will also lead, mentor, and expand a legal team, cultivating a culture that is rigorous, pragmatic, and collaborative. This position is central to enabling OKX to scale its institutional offerings responsibly within the crypto market.

The salary for this role ranges from $240,000 to $360,000, with the final offer dependent on relevant experience, skills, and market location.

Skills that matter here

• cryptocurrency law: This role requires substantial expertise in cryptocurrency law, including token classification and exchange regulation, to advise on product structuring and compliance.
• digital assets law: The Deputy General Counsel will apply knowledge of digital assets law to areas like custody structures and DeFi, ensuring legal soundness for institutional offerings.
• regulatory compliance: Advising on multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance, including understanding various regulatory regimes, is central to architecting legal frameworks for global operations.
• contract negotiation: The role involves architecting contracting infrastructure and leading negotiations for strategic institutional partnerships and trading arrangements.
• team management: The Deputy General Counsel is expected to lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing legal team, fostering a collaborative work environment.

Who this role suits

• A legal professional with at least 10 years of post-qualification experience from a top-tier law firm or in-house at a leading financial institution.
• Someone with demonstrable, deal-level exposure to strategic institutional trading, prime brokerage, custody, or structured products.
• An individual who has successfully built, managed, and developed legal teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
• A communicator with exceptional negotiation, written, and oral skills, capable of advising at the C-suite level.

From the employer

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Serve as the lead legal authority on all strategic institutional partnerships and trading arrangements, including custody, exchange integrations, prime brokerage, staking, co-investments, and alliances.
• Advise on complex cross-border transactions, crypto product structuring, and multi-jurisdictional regulatory compliance, including token classification and securities law.
• Architect the contracting infrastructure, templates, playbooks, and fallback positions, that enables high-volume, high-consistency institutional deal execution.
• Own end-to-end legal due diligence on institutional counterparties, and build senior-level relationships with clients, counterparties, and external counsel across the deal lifecycle.
• Translate complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, commercially actionable guidance for product, engineering, and executive teams.
• Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing, multi-disciplinary legal team while fostering a rigorous, pragmatic, and collaborative culture.

What We Look For In You:

Must Haves

• Active membership with a U.S. state bar, or equivalent.
• 10+ years of post-qualification legal experience, with a demonstrable track record at a top-tier law firm and/or in an in-house role at a leading financial institution.
• Substantial hands-on expertise in cryptocurrency and digital assets law, including token classification, custody structures, exchange regulation, and DeFi.
• Meaningful, deal-level exposure to strategic institutional trading, prime brokerage, custody, or structured products.
• Demonstrated experience building, managing, and developing legal teams in a high-velocity, growth-oriented environment.
• Exceptional negotiation, written, and oral communication skills, with the judgment and gravitas to advise at the C-suite level.

Strongly Preferred

• Working knowledge of multiple regulatory regimes most relevant to our business (MiCA, SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, FCA, VARA, FSRA, or equivalent).
• Experience closing cross-border institutional agreements under time pressure.
• Prior experience designing scalable legal processes, playbooks, and fallback frameworks.

Perks & Benefits:

• Competitive total compensation package
• L&D programs and Education subsidy for employees' growth and development
• Various team building programs and company events
• Wellness and meal allowances
• Comprehensive healthcare schemes for employees and dependents

OKX Statement: The salary range for this position is $240,000 to $360,000. The salary offered depends on a variety of factors, including job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location. In addition to the salary, a performance bonus and long-term incentives may be provided as part of the compensation package, as well as a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered.