About ESTO

Founded in 2017, we are a fast-growing fintech company on a mission to make shopping and financial decisions effortless. By combining smart technology with customer-first thinking, we enable people to pay flexibly and businesses to grow faster.

We believe finance should be simple, transparent, and built around real life. That’s why we continuously innovate to remove complexity and create seamless experiences- whether online or in-store.

As a team, we value ambition, ownership, and constant improvement. We move fast, think big, and build solutions that make a real impact on everyday lives.

About the role

We're looking for a Senior Legal Counsel to own regulatory compliance and legal advisory work across our Estonian operations. This is a senior, high-ownership role at the heart of our business. You'll be our primary point of contact with Estonia's key financial regulators, lead the implementation of major regulatory changes, and act as a trusted legal partner to our product, marketing, and commercial teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own, design, and continuously develop the company's compliance programme, taking end-to-end responsibility for ensuring the company meets all regulatory obligations applicable to a licensed creditor, including consumer credit regulation, advertising compliance, and AML/CFT requirements.

• Manage regulatory correspondence, supervisory inquiries, licence-related filings, and notifications, and serve as the primary point of contact with Estonia's key financial regulators.

• Lead the end-to-end implementation of significant regulatory changes, including the transposition of CCD II into our products, processes, and documentation, coordinating cross-functionally across product, operations, finance, and marketing.

• Monitor Estonian and EU regulatory developments and translate them into timely, actionable compliance guidance and business readiness plans ahead of regulatory deadlines.

• Act as the embedded legal partner throughout the product development lifecycle, from early concept to launch and iteration. Assess the legal and regulatory feasibility of new credit products, features, and customer journeys at the outset, and translate regulatory requirements into clear, practical product and process specifications.

• Review advertising materials, customer communications, and digital product flows for compliance with consumer protection rules, responsible lending obligations, and advertising compliance requirements.

• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including B2B and B2C standard contracts, technology and vendor arrangements, partnerships, and outsourcing agreements. Build and maintain standard contract templates and playbooks to increase speed and consistency across the business

• Explore and champion AI-powered legal tools to increase the efficiency and quality of our legal function, and help build a forward-looking legal team culture where technology and expertise work together.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Master's degree in law (Estonian or equivalent EU qualification) and 5+ years of legal experience with a strong focus on financial services regulatory compliance in Estonia

• Deep, hands-on knowledge of the regulatory framework applicable to licensed non-bank lenders in Estonia, including consumer credit regulation, advertising compliance rules, and AML/CFT obligations

• Demonstrated experience engaging directly with FI, TTJA, and/or the FIU/RAB

• Proven track record of translating regulatory requirements into actionable product and process specifications in a consumer lending or broader financial services context

• Demonstrated ability to track, enforce, and embed applicable regulatory requirements across the business, working collaboratively with internal stakeholders to ensure ongoing compliance is owned at the right level

• Strong project leadership skills, with experience driving complex, cross-functional projects and product launches from a legal and compliance perspective through to completion

• Experience acting as a legal and regulatory partner to product and marketing teams

• Strong commercial contract drafting and negotiation skills

• Experience managing external counsel, including scoping instructions, overseeing delivery, and managing costs

• A collaborative team player who works well across borders and functions, comfortable operating as part of a pan-Baltic team with colleagues in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

• Fluent Estonian and English (C2), both written and spoken

• Experience leading or playing a senior role in a major regulatory change programme (e.g., EU directive implementation or a significant supervisory framework change) is a plus

• Familiarity with AI-assisted legal tools is a plus

Why You’ll Love Working Here:

🏖️ Time off & flexibility

• 28 days annual leave + public holidays

• Flexible working hours and hybrid work model

• Paid sick leave

• Enjoy your birthday your way – take a paid day off 🎉

• 3 additional paid Wellbeing Days per year

💻 Work environment

• Modern, pet-friendly office in the heart of Tallinn

• Fully stocked kitchen (snacks, fresh fruit & drinks)

💪 Wellbeing & perks

• Monthly Stebby allowance for sports and wellness

📚 Growth & development

• Company-supported annual learning budget

• Clear career progression paths

🤝 Culture & team life

• Supportive and collaborative working culture

• A multicultural, international team with diverse perspectives

• Regular team events, offsites and social activities

• Freedom to bring ideas forward and make an impact

🌍 Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels welcome, has equal opportunities, and is treated fairly and with respect.