Legal Specialist (Especialista Legal) - Bogotá (Hybrid)

Clara is the leading platform in Latin America for companies to execute and manage every payment operation. More than 50,000 leading and fast-growing businesses run on our corporate cards, bill pay, financing and B2B payments, and in 2025 the Financial Times named Clara the region’s fastest-growing company. We’re passionate about helping every company we work with become more effective—and, through that, raising the region’s competitiveness. We’re ~400 people, backed by Notable Capital, Coatue, Kaszek, monashees, DST Global, ICONIQ, General Catalyst and Goldman Sachs, among others.

What you'll do

• We're looking for a Legal Specialist to be a cornerstone of Clara's Legal team in Colombia. In this senior individual contributor role, you will navigate a complex, evolving regulatory landscape and handle high-stakes legal work with significant autonomy. You will serve as a trusted advisor to leadership and internal teams, owning the day-to-day legal operations of Clara's Colombia entity while ensuring local execution aligns seamlessly with our global standards across LATAM.

• Participate in high-stakes global financial transactions, including major loan facilities and capital markets deals.

• Structure and negotiate equity and debt financing rounds alongside venture capital and private equity stakeholders.

• Own Clara's regulatory compliance in Colombia, including financial sector requirements, AML/CFT obligations, and data protection frameworks.

• Manage communications, filings, and deadlines with regulatory bodies, and lead responses to administrative requests or inquiries.

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage commercial agreements, including client contracts, vendor agreements, NDAs, and strategic partnerships.

• Lead legal negotiations on product-related matters, partnering closely with Product, Sales, and Finance teams to enable business momentum while protecting Clara's interests.

• Collaborate with the Product team on the legal architecture of new financial products, ensuring regulatory risk is addressed at the design phase.

• Manage and protect Clara’s regional intellectual property portfolio, including trademark registrations and renewals.

• Maintain rigorous, up-to-date legal records and documentation across Google Drive, Slack, and internal systems.

• Identify and implement process improvements, leveraging N8N and AI tools to automate contract workflows, simplify research, and scale legal operations efficiently.

• Who you are

• We’re looking for someone who meets the minimum requirements to be considered for the role. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

• Must haves

• Law degree and valid license to practice law in Colombia.

• Minimum 5 years of legal experience in corporate, commercial, financial, or fintech law.

• Deep understanding of Colombian financial regulation, AML/CFT obligations, and consumer/data protection laws.

• Proven track record in complex commercial contract negotiation and structuring financial transactions.

• Experience in a high-growth fintech or technology environment, acting as a strategic business enabler.

• Working proficiency in English and Spanish.

• Experience or interest in AI tools to automate workflows.

• Excellent verbal and written communication.

• Adaptability to fast-changing environments.

• Proven role-specific execution and strong ownership.

• Nice to haves

• Direct experience advising regulated financial institutions or payment companies in Colombia.

• Familiarity with regional LATAM legal frameworks or cross-border financial transactions.

• Basic proficiency in Portuguese or a desire to learn it.

• Independent analytical skills using spreadsheets, SQL, or Python.

• A good sense of humor.

• Where we work

• This is a hybrid role: you'll split your time between the office, customers and home. We don't set a minimum number of office days for most roles — you'll spend time in the office naturally, and most days during your ramp-up or when your leader asks.

Why Clara

• A high talent-density team driven to make an impact in Latin America — low ego, high ownership.

• Competitive salary and stock options (ESOP) from day one.

• An annual learning budget and accelerated development paths.

• English is our working language, with Spanish and Portuguese every day.

How we work

• Clarity — Open and direct communication: we say what we mean and give context where it matters.

• Simplicity — If it can be simpler, it should be.

• Ownership — We own everything we do, end to end. When something needs to happen, we don't wait.

• Pride — We hold ourselves to a high standard, and it shows in what we deliver.

• ABC (Always Be Changing) — We adapt fast, embrace change, and keep learning.

• Inclusivity — Diverse ideas, stories and perspectives build a better Clara.

If you meet the must-haves, apply — the nice-to-haves are a bonus, not a requirement.