The Mission

Direct Lending is a fast-growing, award-winning lending fintech on a mission to empower people’s lives with simple and responsible financing. Having built a sustainable, profitable foundation, we are now entering a scaling-up phase. Our roadmap is clear: scale our needs-based financing, grow our revenue 5X and become IPO-ready by 2030.

As we scale, the legal and regulatory landscape grows more complex. We are looking for a Legal & Compliance Manager to safeguard the company’s interests across every dimension — from contracts and regulatory compliance to customer disputes and collection matters. Reporting to senior management, you will be the trusted legal counsel who ensures we grow fast without cutting corners.

Why Join Direct Lending?

• Be the Legal Backbone of a Scaling Fintech: This is not a back-office compliance role. You will shape the legal framework that underpins our growth, product launches, and eventual IPO.
• Breadth and Depth: From drafting commercial agreements to advising on collection strategy and customer rights, you will work across the full spectrum of legal and compliance matters in money lending.
• Grow with the Company: As Direct Lending scales, so does the scope of this role. The right candidate will have the opportunity to build out the legal and compliance function and potentially lead a team.

Your Core Responsibilities

1. Contracts & Agreements

• Draft, review, and finalise all legal contracts and agreements — including loan agreements, vendor contracts, partnership agreements, and NDAs — ensuring they protect the company’s interests.
• Negotiate contract terms with counterparties, balancing commercial objectives with legal risk.
• Maintain a central repository of all executed agreements and track renewal and expiry dates.

1. Regulatory Compliance

• Institute and maintain a comprehensive compliance matrix covering all applicable laws and regulations.
• Track regulatory changes and proactively advise the business on their impact, ensuring the company stays ahead of compliance obligations.
• Develop and update internal policies, SOPs, and compliance training to embed a culture of compliance across the organisation.

1. Legal Advisory — Business & Customer Matters

• Provide timely legal advice on new business initiatives, product structures, and partnerships to ensure they are legally sound and compliant.
• Advise on customer complaints resolution, ensuring responses are fair, legally defensible, and aligned with customer rights under applicable regulations.
• Act as the go-to legal resource for internal stakeholders on day-to-day operational legal questions.

1. Collection & Litigation

• Provide legal guidance on debt recovery strategies, ensuring collection practices comply with all regulatory requirements and protect the company’s reputation.
• Manage and oversee litigation matters, including instructing and coordinating with external counsel where necessary.
• Advise on escalation pathways — from demand letters to legal proceedings — and recommend the most cost-effective course of action.

What Success Looks Like

• Airtight Contracts & Agreements: All legal contracts and agreements are thoroughly reviewed, finalised, and executed in a manner that safeguards the company’s interests — with no loose ends.
• Robust Compliance Framework: A comprehensive compliance matrix is in place and actively tracked, ensuring zero regulatory surprises and full adherence to all applicable legislation.
• Sound Customer Complaint Resolution: Customer complaints are resolved with legally sound, fair, and well-documented responses that protect both customer rights and the company’s position.
• Effective Collection & Litigation Management: Collection matters are handled with clear legal strategy, minimising bad debt exposure while maintaining regulatory compliance and the company’s reputation.

Who You Are

• Legal background with a degree in Law (LLB or equivalent). Admission to the Malaysian Bar or relevant legal qualification is an advantage.
• 5–6 years of hands-on experience in the money lending or financial services industry, with a strong track record in handling legal and compliance matters.
• Deep working knowledge of Malaysia’s lending and financial services regulatory landscape, including the Consumer Credit Act 2025, Moneylenders Act 1951, Islamic Financial Services Act 2013, Capital Markets & Services Act 2007, Consumer Protection Act 1999, Personal Data Protection Act 2010, AMLA 2001.
• Proven contract drafting and negotiation skills — you can draft clear, enforceable agreements and negotiate effectively with counterparties.
• Experience with debt recovery and litigation management — you understand the full lifecycle from demand letters to court proceedings.
• Strong communicator who can translate complex legal concepts into clear, actionable advice for non-legal stakeholders.
• Commercially minded — you understand that legal exists to enable the business, not to block it. You find solutions, not just risks.

Ready to be the legal backbone of a fast-growing fintech?

Apply now and help us scale responsibly on the road to IPO.