Zina Deldar – Affirm

As the senior director and associate general counsel of global employment for Affirm, Zina Deldar plays a vital role in shaping how one of the world’s most innovative fintech companies engages with its people. Since joining the company in November 2019 as the first employment lawyer in Affirm’s history, Deldar has helped build a robust legal employment function while guiding the company through massive growth, international expansion, and a workplace transformation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zina Deldar | Affirm | Senior Director, Associate General Counsel for Global Employment

Today, Affirm operates as a remote-first company with nearly 2,200 employees across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. But that flexibility didn’t happen overnight—or without intricate legal considerations. From developing Affirm’s first employment law framework to navigating complex international regulations and designing thoughtful employee connection strategies in a distributed world, Deldar has been in the trenches every step of the way.

Affirm is a fintech company on a mission: to deliver honest financial products that improve people’s lives. Best known for pioneering a new “pay-over-time” model that offers consumers a smarter, more flexible, and more transparent alternative to credit cards, Affirm continues to disrupt traditional payment networks by focusing on transparency, consumer control, and trust. This ethos carries through not only to its merchant, consumer, and partner relationships, but also to how it treats its employees—known affectionately as “Affirmers.”

“Our company values are centered on people—our consumers, partners and colleagues,” Deldar tells Vanguard magazine during an interview in April. “That’s more than just a talking point. It’s reflected in everything from our benefits offerings to how we approach remote work and mentorship.”

Affirm’s benefits go above and beyond traditional corporate packages, with stipends that can be used for wellness, including grocery and meal delivery support, and generous leave entitlements. These unique offerings are both a recruiting tool and a reflection of the company’s values.

“When you’re building an employment legal function, understanding the culture and employee experience is just as important as understanding the law,” Deldar adds. “We’re here to be strategic legal partners. That means aligning with the company’s mission, people programs, and business goals.”

From litigation to leadership

Deldar’s path to Affirm was shaped by nearly a decade in private practice at Paul Hastings, where she specialized in employment law and represented high-growth and multinational companies in litigation and counseling. Her decision to transition in-house was driven by her desire to be more embedded in the business.

“The work I loved the most was when I was deep in the trenches with my clients, really understanding the context of their business, working closely with in-house legal teams and HR professionals,” she explains. “Eventually it hit me—if that’s what I’m most excited about, I should be in-house full-time.”

After earning her undergraduate degree from Carleton College and her JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School, Deldar began her career in Chicago and helped build the culture of Paul Hastings’ new office there. A proud Southern Californian by origin, she now brings the same energy and community spirit to Affirm’s legal team.

“I love employment law and employment lawyers—we’re a great batch of humans,” she jokes. “It’s one of those areas where the work touches every part of the employee lifecycle, from hiring to offboarding. There’s always something new, and it always involves people.”

Scaling with strategy

Affirm’s transition to a remote-first company began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when companies everywhere were forced to rethink how and where work happens. For Deldar and her team, the shift raised dozens of legal and practical questions: Can employees move anywhere? What are the regulatory implications of new locations? How do we support team building and mentorship without a shared physical space?

“We weren’t just going to open ourselves up to the entire globe,” she says. “Legal considerations depend on where someone works, and we had to navigate all that thoughtfully.”

Affirm now has a lean but mighty employment legal team. Together, they cover Affirm’s operations in North America, Europe, and any new markets Affirm decides to enter.

“Wherever we go, our people go too,” says Deldar. “Expanding into new territories is exciting, but every country brings a new legal landscape. We have a company blueprint—our values, our programs—but every time, we have to figure out how to make it all fit together in a compliant and culturally aligned way. That’s where the fun comes in.”

Affirm classifies about 98 percent of its roles as remote, but being remote-first doesn’t mean being disconnected. The company intentionally brings teams together, particularly as they grow across regions. Whether thoughtful offsites, early career cohorts with in-person mentorship, or function-specific planning initiatives, the focus is always on meaningful connection.

“Zoom is great and productive, but you do lose those moments to get to know someone outside of work tasks,” Deldar explains. “Our leadership team is really thoughtful about when and how to bring people together. Making those moments valuable is a real effort, not just checking a box.”

Building for the future, together

Affirm’s growth shows no signs of slowing, and Deldar is energized by what lies ahead. From evolving international legal frameworks to shaping people programs and supporting cross-functional collaboration, the legal function she’s built is deeply ingrained in the company’s DNA.

“We’re still small, still scrappy, still ambitious. That’s what makes it exciting to come to work,” she says. “There’s always something new to tackle. I like to think we haven’t stopped evolving.”

Leadership at Affirm, Deldar adds, has done a strong job of communicating vision and direction. Regular all-hands Zooms and transparency from senior leaders help every employee, regardless of location, see how their work fits into the larger picture.

“You feel invested. You feel like you’re a part of something,” Deldar says. “And that matters when you’re working in a distributed environment.”

That sense of shared mission, combined with a commitment to agility, flexibility, and people-first principles, continues to guide Deldar’s team as it navigates new legal challenges and opportunities.

“There’s still so much more to build,” she says. “We’re helping the company grow in a way that aligns with its values and supports our Affirmers—wherever they are in the world.”

When she’s not negotiating employment policies or guiding remote work strategies, you might find Deldar on the pickleball court—her latest passion. “The pickleball community is fantastic,” she laughs. “It’s a blast.”

Like her day job, it’s about connection, agility and finding joy in the moment.