Head of Legal Digital Assets

Barclays UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial institution is seeking a Director, Head of Legal Digital Assets in London, to manage legal aspects of digital initiatives. The role demands expertise in compliance, strategic influence, and leadership within the legal framework. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with laws, developing governance frameworks, and direct involvement in regulatory discussions. Ideal candidates will have a law degree and significant experience advising on digital assets and money initiatives, facilitating the bank’s innovation within a regulated landscape.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in legal frameworks surrounding digital assets.
• Proven ability to lead teams and influence organizational strategies.
• Strong communication skills to interact with various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support for digital asset initiatives.
• Shape Barclays' strategy for digital assets.
• Monitor regulatory developments and manage legal risks.

Skills

Legal expertise in digital assets

Understanding of compliance and regulations

Leadership and strategic influence

Analytical problem-solving

Education

Law degree

Job description

We have an excellent opportunity for a Director, Head of Legal Digital Assets to join our Legal team. This is a permanent role, based in London.

About the Role

• Provide expert legal support for digital assets and digital money initiatives, ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies while enabling innovation in a regulated environment.
• Work closely with Group Strategy to help shape and develop Barclays' overall strategy for digital assets, embedding legal considerations into strategic planning and execution.
• Act as principal legal adviser on digital asset frameworks, business models, and technology solutions, collaborating across functions to influence strategic initiatives.
• Monitor and interpret global regulatory developments, identifying and mitigating legal and reputational risks associated with digital asset activities.
• Lead external advocacy on digital asset regulation and innovation, engaging with policymakers, regulators, trade bodies, and industry stakeholders to influence the regulatory landscape and represent Barclays' position.
• Develop governance frameworks and internal policies to support digital asset initiatives, ensuring alignment with Barclays' risk appetite and obligations.
• Deliver training and thought leadership on legal and regulatory issues in digital assets, and represent Barclays in industry forums and cross-functional committees.

Purpose of the role

To ensure that the payment activities are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to help the bank manage legal risks associated with these activities.

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of best practice legal strategies for risk management and compliance.
• Legal advice and support to the bank's payments-related activities including merchant acquiring, card issuance, cross currency payments, payment systems and mobile payments.
• Representation of the bank in legal proceedings related to payment services, such as litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations.
• Creation and review of legal documents such as payment services agreements, cardholder agreements, and other payment-related agreements to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations and, where relevant, negotiate with counterparties.
• Pro‑active identification, communication, and provision of legal advice on applicable laws, rules and regulations (LRRs). Keeping up to date with regards to changes to LRRs in the relevant coverage area. Ensuring that LRRs are effectively allocated to, and adequately reflected within, the relevant policies, standards and controls.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide.
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long‑term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions.
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub‑function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up‑to‑date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L - Listen and be authentic, E - Energise and inspire, A - Align across the enterprise, D - Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship - our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset - to Empower, Challenge and Drive - the operating manual for how we behave.