Cross Services Solutions & Business Strategies & Initiatives Head (CSS/BSI), Services Legal

Citigroup Inc.; London; On-site; GBP 200,000 +; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services company in London is seeking a highly skilled individual for the CSS/BSI Head role. This position requires managing a global team of lawyers, ensuring compliance, and fostering strategic initiatives. The ideal candidate must have substantial legal experience and demonstrate excellent leadership abilities. This full-time position encompasses a wide array of responsibilities impacting legal and business strategies.

Qualifications

• Significant legal experience, including managerial experience.
• Excellent written, verbal, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead global teams covering Client Solutions, BSI, Digital.
• Act as a key contributor to overall strategy and planning.
• Serve as the Global Assessment Unit Regulation Coverage Lead.
• Lead cross Services-wide business initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Interpersonal skills

Analytical skills

Strategic acumen

Job description

The Citigroup Services Legal Department (Services Legal) supports the Services Business, encompassing five primary product lines: Issuer Services, Investor Services, Liquidity Management Services, Payments and Trade, and Working Capital Solutions. These areas are crucial to the world's economic infrastructures, facilitating global movement of goods and services, treasury efficiency, and robust clearing systems, among other functions.

We are seeking a highly skilled and versatile individual to lead as the Cross Services Solutions and Business Strategies & Initiatives (CSS/BSI) Head. This role involves managing and leading a global team of 20+ lawyers and legal professionals. Reporting to the Global Head of Services Legal, this position encompasses a broad portfolio of legal, risk, and control work impacting the Services Businesses, the Services Legal Team, and the wider Citi Legal Department.

The successful candidate will be a key strategic partner to senior Services legal product heads, Services Business leaders, and supporting functions (including Services COO office, Services In-Business Risk & Control, New Activity Committees, Risk, and ICRM), collaborating closely with other Legal BSI colleagues. A strong understanding of the Services Business products, its strategic direction, regulatory profile, risks, controls, and clients is essential.

The role demands excellent facilitation and communication skills, with an aptitude for developing innovative approaches to knowledge consolidation, contract harmonization, governance practices, and leveraging new technologies to enhance lawyer effectiveness.

The CSS/BSI Head will be responsible for leading:

• Global teams focused on skilled contract-focused legal expertise.
• Business Strategies and Initiatives (BSI) activities for Services Legal.
• Strategic coordination of regulatory change, digital innovation, and e-commerce initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Development: Lead global teams covering Client Solutions, BSI, Digital, Platforms, Data, and E-commerce Initiatives. Facilitate team evolution and development grounded in sound legal principles, acting as a senior management reporting and escalation point. Oversee staffing, resource coordination, performance, compensation, career development, and personnel-related matters for the team.
• Strategic Contribution: Act as a key contributor to overall strategy, establishing direction and planning for the Services Legal team's needs. Collaborate with Product Legal and Business teams to implement strategic initiatives, including developing policies and managing procedures and controls within the MCA environment with Business, Risk, and Compliance partners.
• Regulatory & Compliance Leadership: Serve as the Global Assessment Unit Regulation Coverage Lead for matters where regulatory change directly impacts Services Legal's processes, engaging closely to manage associated compliance risk.
• Business Strategies & Initiatives Leadership: Lead Cross Services-wide business initiatives, such as supporting Marketing and regulatory change, to foster harmonized practices and procedures across the Services Business.
• Best Practices & Transformation: Work with key stakeholders across Services Legal and the wider Legal department to develop best practices, including transformation, technology, knowledge management, and digitization. This includes clarifying roles and responsibilities, supporting broader efficiency innovation, and career development.
• Business & External Representation: Represent Services Legal on Business committees (e.g., Documentation Governance Committees, Services Partnership & Innovation Origination Forum, Services AI Governance Forum), demonstrating conversance with Citi's standards and policies. Represent Citi externally with clients, government bodies, or other organizations.
• Strategic Investments Advice: Advise the Services Strategic Investments team on technology, contract lifecycle, innovation, and digitization initiatives.
• Specialized Legal Support (Including Digital and Innovation): Provide specialized legal and regulatory support for digital assets, tokenization, and third-party tech collaborations, partnering with business-specific product legal functions and enterprise regulatory legal teams. Support and direct the Services Legal Digital Task Force, promoting adoption of Citi's AI tools and expanding digital expertise.
• Collaboration & Influence: Collaborate effectively with subject matter expert legal colleagues and lead through influence.
• Risk Assessment & Management: Appropriately assess risk in business decisions, safeguarding Citi's reputation, clients, and assets. Drive compliance with laws, rules, and regulations, adhere to Policy, apply sound ethical judgment, and escalate/manage/report control issues transparently. Effectively supervise others and ensure accountability.

Qualifications

• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and relationship management skills.
• Significant legal experience, including managerial experience.
• Excellent written, verbal, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
• Strategic acumen.

Preferred Skills/Experience

• Familiarity with Services products and knowledge of international law and practices relevant to Services Legal.
• Knowledge of Citi Legal processes, technology, operations, risks, and controls.

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Job Family Group:

Legal

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Job Family:

Legal - Product

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Time Type:

Full time

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Most Relevant Skills

Please see the requirements listed above.

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Other Relevant Skills

For complementary skills, please see above and/or contact the recruiter.

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