About the Role:
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The Head of Middle East Legal provides senior legal leadership to the company’s custody and fund administration services in the Middle East and offers related entity governance and regulatory advice. This role does not encompass the company’s investment management business in the region. As the in-house subject matter expert on global custody and related investment servicing products, you will negotiate large contractual mandates and address client disputes. Additionally, you will advise on evolving industry best practices and associated legal and regulatory standards, as well as product-level regulatory requirements relevant to locally regulated subsidiaries and branches of a US global systemically important bank.
This position is crucial for effectively counseling on legal and regulatory considerations while contributing to solutions that align with the company’s strategic priorities. Strong communication skills with senior executives and the ability to collaborate across jurisdictions, departments, and with other legal professionals are vital for successful execution of this role.
The role reports to the SVP Head of Investment Services EMEA Legal and the EVP Head of International Legal. The company’s presence in the Middle East includes locations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Oman, and is expanding within the region. This position will be based in our Abu Dhabi branch in ADGM and will require regional travel to support strategic transactions and new entries in the region, including regulatory permissioning.
Key Responsibilities include:
- Counselling the executive management team in Saudi Arabia and the UAE on strategic decision-making and growth opportunities, covering local governance and regulatory expectations and best practices.
- Leading regulatory and governance counselling to country and region management, legal entity boards, compliance, and company secretarial functions.
- Managing legal support for all client commercial contracts related to the company’s Investment Services, Alpha, CRD, Wealth, and Global Delivery organizations in the Middle East, along with applicable regulatory considerations.
- Providing advice on outsourcing, the management of client disputes, internal investigations, and regulatory remediation programs.
- Navigating jurisdictional differences in investment servicing legal and regulatory requirements.
- Managing, developing, and engaging a team of legal professionals, with a strong emphasis on talent development.
- Ensuring timely reporting of relevant risks, developments, and events to senior leadership in the Legal Division and local management.
- Managing outside counsel and associated expenses.
- Liaising directly with regulatory and governmental agencies regarding the interpretation and application of regulations relevant to the company’s regional businesses, including licensing applications.
- Communicating with stakeholders such as executives, industry peers, and regulators about investment servicing topics.
- Developing relationships with peers in the financial services industry and external counsel, representing the company in industry forums.
Qualifications:
- A recognized subject matter expert in legal issues related to global custody, collective investment schemes and vehicles, commercial outsourcing, or asset management.
- Extensive senior-level experience with expertise in regulatory and governance matters, along with a demonstrated management and leadership background.
- Proven interpersonal and communication skills.
- Experience in stakeholder management, risk assessment, and prudent counseling.
- Highly organized with strong problem-solving abilities.
- A law degree from an accredited university and admitted to practice in a major international financial center.
We believe in the strength that diverse backgrounds and experiences bring to our workforce. While the vacancy details what we need, we encourage applicants who share a passion for change and innovation, view the bigger picture, make data-driven decisions, and work collaboratively as part of a team to apply.
Benefits:
- Inclusive development opportunities.
- Flexible work-life support.
- Paid volunteer days.
- Vibrant employee networks that foster connectivity and collaboration.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we consider all qualified applicants for all positions without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, disability, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, marital status, domestic partnership or civil union status, familial status, military and veteran status, and other characteristics protected by applicable law.
