Legal Counsel (VP) Financial Crime

Role: Permanent/ Full-time

Location: London

Corporate Title: Vice President

Salary: Competitive + Bonus + Benefits

Reporting to: Head of the Structured Finance

WFH: Hybrid model with flexible working policy, 2/3 days per week office-based

Direct Reports: N/A

About the Role:

Newly created VP Legal Counsel role within the Structured Finance Team of a leading Banking Group. As the Legal Counsel will act as legal advisor to the Bank and manage a broad range of work, and whistle-blowing investigations that require self-reporting and voluntary disclosures to a broad range of regulators across EMEA.

As the Legal Counsel will also support financial crime, sanctions matters and any regulatory and financial crime agency investigations and disclosures. You will also assist the team with any relevant projects and legal policies and procedures for this area.

The ideal person should be a qualified lawyer with experience working in the financial services industry. The position requires experience in self-reporting and voluntary disclosures as well as financial crime matters, risk advisory work, and sanctions.

Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Managing and advising on contentious regulatory investigations involving the Bank’s relevant regulators and financial crime agencies across the EMEA region.
• Advising on internal investigations and whistleblowing matters.
• Undertaking effective interviews and fact-finding for investigations.
• Develop internal policies and procedures in relation to investigations and whistleblowing matters.
• Assist in the investigation of potential breaches of internal policies
• Provide legal advice to members of the Group as and when needed.
• Deliver training and guidance relating to investigations, whistleblowing and financial crime matters.
• Proactively deal with questions of a legal nature which arise throughout the EMEA Region.
• Raise and escalate legal issues and risks with more senior members of the legal team.
• Proactively work to eliminate legal risk.

Skills, Qualifications and Knowledge:

• A qualified Lawyer or similar qualification.
• At least 4 years of relevant post-qualification experience as a rough guide.
• Experience in effectively handling regulatory matters, internal investigations and whistleblowing matters within the financial services industry.
• Experience in financial crime and risk advisory work AML, bribery, sanctions, fraud, tax fraud, trade licenses and regulatory breaches.
• Experience in self-reporting and voluntary disclosures to regulators.
• Ability to work effectively with external counsel will be required.
• Experience in interviewing for investigations and undertaking effective fact-finding.
• Ability to analytically review and prepare investigative reports.
• A good understanding of banking policies, procedures and products will be required.
• A willingness to learn about legal issues and how to manage legal risks.
• Ability to build good interpersonal relationships with stakeholders and to be a team player.
• Open and approachable and operate with autonomy.
• Able to participate in conferences, seminars and industry events where appropriate.
• Robust and confident to appropriately challenge and advocate change.

Our ambition is simple – to do our best for our people, clients and communities.

We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond – this starts with hiring the best talent without consideration of race, religion, colour, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or disability.