The Role
As Head of Banking Law, you will serve as N26's principal legal authority on German and European banking regulation, providing strategic counsel to senior leadership and business units. This is a pivotal role at the intersection of banking law, regulation, and business strategy within one of Europe's most dynamic fintech environments.
You will oversee litigation and settlement strategy across the Greater Europe region, design scalable governance frameworks, and ensure the organisation remains fully compliant and audit-ready as we expand into new products and markets. You will also play an important role in developing and mentoring a high-performing legal team.
What You Will Be Doing
- Serving as N26's lead subject matter expert on German banking law, payments regulation, and broader financial services legislation.
- Directing litigation and dispute resolution strategy, including the management of significant proceedings at Landgericht level and above.
- Coordinating litigation matters across the Greater Europe region in close collaboration with external counsel, with responsibility for strategic direction and settlement decisions.
- Advising senior leadership and business units on the legal dimensions of new products, strategic partnerships, and market initiatives.
- Developing and implementing legal policies and governance frameworks that support compliant, scalable growth.
- Participating in high-stakes contract negotiations alongside key customers, vendors, and financial partners.
- Acting as point of contact for regulatory authorities, including BaFin and Bundesbank, and proactively managing regulatory inquiries and audit processes.
- Leading, coaching, and mentoring a team of legal professionals, supporting their development and enabling them to deliver excellent work.
What You Bring
- Full qualification as a German lawyer with a minimum of 8 years' post-qualification experience, ideally gained within a law firm, regulated fintech, digital bank, or established financial institution.
- Ideally, certification as a specialist lawyer for banking and capital markets law (Fachanwalt für Bank- und Kapitalmarktrecht).
- Deep expertise in German banking and financial regulation, with a thorough understanding of the current and evolving regulatory landscape.
- Significant experience in developing and executing complex litigation strategies, including end-to-end dispute management.
- A strong track record of navigating regulatory investigations and compliance matters with sound judgement and discretion.
- A solid understanding of corporate governance principles and how legal functions integrate within broader enterprise risk management frameworks.
- Fluency in both English and German.
Who You Are
- A clear, confident communicator who builds trust and fosters genuine collaboration across functions and seniority levels.
- Someone who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment and approaches challenges with composure, resilience, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
- A strategic thinker with strong commercial awareness and the highest standards of personal and professional integrity.
- A leader who is committed to operational excellence within the legal function and who champions continuous improvement.
- A natural mentor and coach who takes genuine pride in developing others and building strong, capable teams.
What’s in it for you
- Accelerate your career growth by joining one of Europe’s most talked about disruptors 🚀.
- Employee benefits that range from a competitive personal development budget, work from home budget, discounts to fitness & wellness memberships, language apps and public transportation.
- As an N26 employee you will have access to a Premium subscription on your personal N26 bank account. As well as subscriptions for friends and family members.
- Additional day of annual leave for each year of service.
- A high degree of autonomy and access to cutting edge technologies - all while working with a friendly team of peers of diverse nationalities, life experiences and family statuses.
- A relocation package with visa support for those who need it.
Who we are
N26 has reimagined banking for today’s digital world. Technology and design empower everything we do and it’s how we are building the global banking platform the world loves to use.
We've eliminated physical branches, paperwork, and hidden fees for an elegant digital experience and supreme savings. Giving people the power to live and bank their way is what gets us out of bed in the morning and inspires the work that we do.
We are headquartered in Berlin with offices in multiple cities across Europe, including Vienna and Barcelona, and a 1,500-strong team of more than 80 nationalities.
Sounds good? Apply now for this position.
Equal Opportunities:
We recognize that our strength lies in our people and the varied perspectives they bring to our workforce. We strive to build talented and diverse teams to drive our business success and empower our people to reach their full potential.
We genuinely welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, neurodiversities, and ages. We're committed to creating an inclusive workspace where everyone feels valued and respected, free from harassment and discrimination. If there's anything you need to make the application process work for you, please let us know by reaching out to candidate.exp@n26.com.
Visit our website to learn more about Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at N26.