Role Description & Key Responsibilities
We are looking for an exceptional lawyer to join us as Head of Legal, EU DAC. FNZ EU DAC is an investment firm authorized in Ireland under MiFID, and is one of FNZ’s major platform hubs for its European business, its clients and supplier contracts.
Our Head of Legal will need a solid background in financial services and will have experience of a high growth working environment. The role is multi-jurisdictional as EU DAC is based in Ireland, and governed by the Central Bank of Ireland, but it has multiple branches across Europe. The Head of Legal will covers a broad range and variety of regulatory, contractual and governances matters across the multiple business lines under the EU DAC umbrella.
The role’s primary function is to act as a source of independent advice to the EU DAC business. This role will bring commercial, product, regulatory and governance expertise to the Irish business to support its operations, the delivery of the existing customer pipeline and the strategic expansion in terms of product, customers and geographic footprint.
The ideal candidate is someone who has a passion for delivering complex legal projects, an analytical mindset and curiosity, as well as excellent organisational and managerial skills. This candidate can navigate a complex, multifaceted, fast paced business and can link in with multiple teams across the business to generate the best legal and commercial outcomes for FNZ.
Key Responsibilities:
Provide legal advice on regulatory and legal matters with respect to its MiFID authorisation and Central Bank of Ireland requirements.
Advise the EU DAC Ireland business on contractual and commercial aspects surrounding its operations, including its growth agenda, new customer pipeline and the extension of its existing regulatory authorisations.
Work collaboratively with the European and global legal teams and cross-functionally with internal stakeholders, in particular Risk and Compliance.
Draft, negotiate and manage a wide range of commercial and strategic contracts with clients, suppliers and partners, at the outset and during the life cycle of these contracts, including complex master services agreements.
Liaise with, and manage, specialist external counsel, and distil and coordinate advice for senior management and non-legal audiences
Work with other European legal colleagues, develop and implement contract templates and contract-related process improvements for the EU DAC entities.
Support the drafting and maintenance of Group inter-company outsourcing agreements in compliance with relevant outsourcing guidelines.
Support the Chair of the Board, the CEO and the Company Secretarial team on board matters and other governance queries.
Excelling at leadership while also undertaking executional work to handle significant and complex legal matters with short turnaround times
Evaluate and report on potential risks and opportunities, develop mitigation or enhancement strategies, and coordinate the stakeholders.
Experience required
Admitted as a solicitor/barrister in Ireland or equivalent bar admission with exposure to the Irish regulated environment, in a commercial/financial services environment in private practice, for a big four or in-house in the financial services or fintech sector.
Experienced in the regulated financial services sector in Ireland and the EU, having good knowledge of Irish and ideally European financial services law, its regulatory framework and how this affects contractual regulations, operations, and outsourcing.
Strong contract review and drafting skills combined with a practical approach to contract negotiation and ability to influence and provide direction on complex agreements, in particular, technology contracts in the financial services industry (SaaS, business process outsourcing, managed services, master services agreements, and SLAs).
Personal Attributes
Team player and self-directing, energetic and resilient, curiosity with a flair for cutting-edge technology; strong communication and interpersonal skills, articulate, and delivery focused with strong commercial acumen and strategic awareness
Sound judgment, composure under pressure and a collaborative mindset; confidence in making decisions where there is ambiguity or incomplete information
Ability to work collaboratively and autonomously in a fast-paced dynamic environment and to manage the work efficiently. Enthusiasm for taking on new responsibilities, even if outside areas of expertise.
About FNZ
FNZ is committed to opening up wealth so that everyone, everywhere can invest in their future on their terms. We know the foundation to do that already exists in the wealth management industry, but complexity holds firms back.
We created wealth’s growth platform to help. We provide a global, end-to-end wealth management platform that integrates modern technology with business and investment operations. All in a regulated financial institution.
We partner with the world’s leading financial institutions, with over US$2.2 trillion in assets on platform (AoP).
Together with our clients, we empower nearly 30 million people across all wealth segments to invest in their future.