Funding Legal Counsel

Prodigy Finance - who are we?

Founded in 2007, Prodigy Finance is an international student lender that has helped over 45,000+ international master's students attend the world's top universities. To date, Prodigy has disbursed over $2.3 billion in funding to students from more than 150 countries.

Prodigy Finance is fueled by impact investors and other privately qualified entities who invest in tomorrow's leaders while earning a financial and social return. Prodigy's borderless lending model enables students to apply for a loan based on their future earning potential and not just their current circumstances and credit history.

What is the purpose of the Role?

The Funding Legal Counsel is responsible for all legal aspects of Prodigy Finance's funding activities. The role involves working at an energetic, rapidly expanding company and helping to build a product that makes a real difference in the world.

Key Accountabilities and Associated Activities:

• Provide legal advice and support on all equity-raising activities, including new capital and amendments to the current capital structure.
• Provide legal advice and support on structuring, negotiating, and executing complex securitisation transactions with major banks, junior funders, and development finance institutions.
• Provide legal advice on structuring, negotiating, executing, and managing on-balance sheet secured corporate debt facilities.
• Monitor the terms of existing facilities, including amendments, restructures, and waivers, on an ongoing basis.
• Provide legal advice and support on the Irish-listed bond program, which includes ongoing disclosure and reporting issues.
• Oversee, manage, and appoint legal counsel for all finance transactions in the UK, US, SA, and internationally, as well as manage external legal fees.
• Conduct due diligence, negotiate deals, buy assets or shares, and execute M&A transactions when they arise.
• Ensure internal policies and procedures are known, upheld, and adhered to.
• Manage legal, regulatory, and reputational risk, and work with the Head of Compliance to ensure compliance with funding activities and FCA rules in the UK, as well as any other relevant global jurisdictions.
• Draft and review preliminary pre-transaction documentation, such as funding presentations, non-disclosure agreements, risk warnings, and disclaimers.

Qualifications Required:

• South African or English-qualified lawyer.
  

Experience Required:

• A minimum of five years of post-qualification legal experience at a law firm, a financial institution's finance team, or a corporate finance team, preferably in a lending institution.
• Experience at a senior level in banking and finance law.
• Experience managing large, multi-party finance transactions and keeping them on track by delivering against tight timelines.
• Being able to apply a sound knowledge of the law in a way that is commercial, innovative and solution-oriented.
  
• Experience in a broad range of capital-raising activities and structures, including blended finance and finance from family offices, individuals, and large financial institutions.

Knowledge, Technical Competency, and Skills:

• Strong communication skills.
• Strong team player with the ability to establish a high degree of credibility and earn trust at all levels of the business.
• Ability to apply a sound knowledge of the law in a way that is innovative, commercial, and solution-orientated.
• Ability to work hard under stressful conditions to bring transactions to completion against tight deadlines.
• Proactive, excellent at problem-solving, and shows initiative to overcome obstacles and tackle challenges that constantly arise in a growing, innovative business.
• An interest in global financial markets and an active following of financial trends and innovation is very helpful.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Confident and independent with the ability to take responsibility for decisions within broader capital markets, as well as finance and legal functions.
• Quick-thinking and commercially aware.
• Flexible, resilient, and energetic.
• Professional and discreet.

Performance Drivers:

• Bringing transactions through to completion and delivering outcomes against tight deadlines

Why join Prodigy Finance?

• Be a part of a pioneering global growth company.
• Experience the excitement and learn from being part of an incredibly fast-growing young company.
• Be pivotal in scaling the business by identifying smart solutions and partnering with tech at the heart of it.
• Enjoy the agility and flexibility offered by a startup culture. A sociable, relaxed and friendly work environment.
• We will help you make your mark. Make a real impact on the business and experience a steep learning curve with huge opportunities to grow and develop.
• Gain an inside perspective on the functioning of a venture-backed Fintech startup, backed by top VCs, learn day-to-day management and build functional expertise.
• Build a platform that helps to make a very real difference in the world.

The purpose, values and behaviours that drive our culture:

Our Purpose: To provide equal access to life-changing education globally

Our Values:

• We are doing something big here: We are doing something life-changing in the world. Something that changes the status quo. 
• Bigger than us: Our work here is bigger than us as individuals and our own egos. It's about doing the best work of our lives in service of the greater good. 
• Grow bravely together: We have a relentless desire to continuously improve and work together to evolve our business and ourselves. We are open to the new and always stay curious. 
• Keep pushing forward: What we are doing is not always easy. We embrace the challenge. We never give up at the first hurdle. We always keep moving forward. 

Our Behaviours:

• Judgement: Applying sound judgement to solve problems and prioritise opportunities leads to the best outcomes. We identify key issues, compare data, and choose effective solutions based on facts, constraints, and consequences. We focus on fewer, high-impact actions.
• Accountability: At Prodigy, accountability is personal. We take responsibility for our actions, decisions, and outcomes—both positive and negative. We own mistakes, refocus when needed, and hold ourselves and others accountable for achieving goals.
• Collaboration: We work effectively across teams, fostering learning and cooperation to achieve exceptional results. We listen actively, maintain strong relationships, and align personal contributions with team goals. Collaboration does not mean consensus-building.
• Leadership: Leadership exists at all levels. We influence our thoughts and behaviours to achieve both personal and company goals. We take collective responsibility, act as role models, and embody Prodigy's values.
• Biased to Focus Action: We prioritise doing the right things with urgency and decisiveness. Data and customer focus guide our actions. We embrace uncertainty, accelerate decision-making, and drive execution, learning, and momentum.
• Communication: Clear, effective communication is key. We proactively share relevant information, focus on desired outcomes, and use data to support our message. We articulate ideas well and listen actively.
• Continuous Improvement: We believe in constant progress. Every employee seeks ways to improve themselves, our product, and our processes. We favour rapid, incremental improvements over perfect design.
• Learning and Experimentation: Openness, curiosity, and a learning mindset drive success. Experimentation fuels discovery, helping us learn, adapt, and prepare for future challenges.

Join Prodigy Finance and play a pivotal role in achieving our mission of providing equal access to life-changing education globally.