Assistant General Counsel

S&P Global, Inc.; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care coverage

Generous paid time off

Retirement planning

Professional development programs

Job summary

S&P Global, Inc. in London is seeking an Assistant General Counsel to provide legal support across various business functions. The role involves drafting and negotiating contracts, advising on UK and EU financial regulations, and supporting corporate governance.

The ideal candidate will have 4-7 years of legal experience in financial services, excellent negotiation skills, and the ability to manage complex regulatory matters. This position offers a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years post‑qualification in‑house legal experience within a financial services institution.
• Strong background in negotiating and drafting complex commercial agreements.
• Experience engaging with regulatory bodies like the FCA and ESMA.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide variety of commercial agreements.
• Advise on regulatory developments and corporate governance matters.
• Support sales and advise on legal risks related to complex index licensing.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Commercial contracts expertise

Knowledge of UK and European financial regulations

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales

Tools

Legal research tools

Job description

About the Role

The position of Assistant General Counsel at S&P Dow Jones Indices supports a global legal, compliance, risk & government affairs team. The role provides legal advice and support to internal clients; drafts, reviews and negotiates contracts and other legal documents related to licensing indices, data licensing, joint marketing, consulting agreements, marketing material, and external legal resources. It also includes training employees on legal issues and contracting procedures.

The role covers the full spectrum of legal work arising in a regulated financial data and index business – from commercial contracts and intellectual property matters to regulatory advice, corporate governance and dispute management. The successful candidate will work closely with senior stakeholders across the business and will be expected to work with a high degree of autonomy.

What’s In It For You

• You will work in a dynamic, global, client‑facing environment and will have the opportunity to work independently as part of a legal team that provides crucial support to the organization.
• Excellent opportunities for growth and to work on a broad range of legal matters spanning regulatory, commercial and governance disciplines.
• Involvement in commercial transactions, ad‑hoc business projects, research, process review, innovation and information analysis.

Impact

• Serve as a trusted legal adviser to product, innovation and commercial teams.
• Help shape legal frameworks for index construction and licensing across financial markets.
• Provide legal advice on obligations under EU and UK financial regulations including the Benchmarks Regulation, UCITS, MiFID II, DORA, GDPR and related frameworks.
• Support governance documentation, regulatory submissions and engagement with supervisory authorities such as the FCA, EU National Competent Authorities and ESMA.
• Anticipate regulatory and legal developments affecting the index business and translate them into actionable business guidance.

Responsibilities

• Partner with business stakeholders to align product and commercial strategy and draft, review and negotiate a wide variety of commercial agreements on matters such as licensing indices for financial products (including insurance and bank hedging OTC products), index data subscription and distribution, inbound data and technology, custom calculation services, web‑based services, and consulting relationships.
• Advising on the creation and publication of thought leadership and marketing materials, factoring in various financial regulations that impact the business strategy.
• Provide regulatory interpretation and guidance on UK and European financial regulations (BMR, UCITS, MiFID II, DORA, GDPR) and monitor regulatory developments across these frameworks.
• Support interaction and engagement with policy and supervisory teams, including responding to regulatory consultations, preparing submissions and liaising with the FCA, ESMA, and other regulators.
• Support sales and other business teams across the UK, Europe and other regions globally, advise on legal risk and provide business‑oriented legal solutions related to complex index licensing, insurance and bank hedging OTC products.
• Advise on corporate governance matters, including board and committee support, governance frameworks, corporate secretarial matters and entity management.
• Collaborate with the S&P DJI Legal Team to provide strategic and legal input on matters across different business areas.
• Advise Compliance on the creation, maintenance and implementation of applicable policies and procedures (e.g., confidentiality, insider trading, compliance).
• Support requests for proposal (RFPs), customer due diligence/risk questionnaires and audits.
• Participate in special projects as assigned by manager.

What We’re Looking For

Basic Required Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor or barrister in England and Wales, or equivalent qualification in a European jurisdiction (Irish, Dutch, German or French). Dual qualifications are particularly welcome.
• 4–7 years post‑qualification in‑house legal experience within a financial services institution (asset manager, bank, index provider, exchange or financial data firm).
• Strong commercial contracts background with demonstrable experience negotiating and drafting complex agreements.
• Solid understanding of UK and/or European financial services regulation, with experience in BMR, UCITS or MiFID II/MiFIR.
• Experience interpreting regulations and providing clear, practical guidance to business stakeholders on regulatory obligations and developments.
• Experience engaging with policy and supervisory teams such as the FCA, ESMA or EU National Competent Authorities.
• Familiarity with data licensing, intellectual property principles and business technology.
• Excellent drafting and negotiating skills.
• Clear, confident communicator able to translate complex legal issues for non‑legal stakeholders.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage a high‑volume varied workload in complex environments with sound judgment and adaptability.
• Ability to recognise and accommodate internal and external client needs while protecting S&P DJI interests and mitigating liability risk.
• Comfortable operating across multiple jurisdictions and legal systems.

Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in corporate governance, including board and committee support, entity management and governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with DORA, GDPR and other pan‑European regulatory frameworks relevant to financial data and index providers.
• Experience with insurance‑linked or structured products.
• Experience working in or advising index providers, exchanges or benchmark administrators.

Return to Work

We encourage returners to apply and will actively support your return to the workplace as part of our Return to Work initiative, Restart.

Benefits

• Health & Wellness: Health care coverage designed for mind and body.
• Flexible Downtime: Generous time off to keep you energized.
• Continuous Learning: Access resources to grow your career and learn new skills.
• Invest in Your Future: Competitive pay, retirement planning, continuing education program with company‑matched student loan contribution and financial wellness programs.
• Family Friendly Perks: Benefits for partners and children with best‑in‑class domestic benefits.
• Beyond the Basics: Retail discounts and referral incentive awards.

For more information on benefits by country visit https://spgbenefits.com/benefit-summaries

Recruitment Fraud Alert

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Equal Opportunity Employer

S&P Global is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military veteran status, unemployment status or any other status protected by law. Only electronic job submissions will be considered for employment.

If you need an accommodation during the application process due to a disability, please send an email to [e-mail].

US Candidates Only: Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal.

Job ID: 329627 Posted On: 2026-07-01 Location: London, United Kingdom