Senior Counsel

Moody's Investors Service; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global financial services provider in London is seeking an experienced corporate lawyer to support M&A and corporate legal matters within its credit rating agency business. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in corporate advisory and a valid law qualification in key jurisdictions. This position emphasizes cross-functional collaboration and strategic legal advice in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing multi-disciplinary projects.
• Ability to work under pressure and multitask.
• Self-starter with limited supervision.

Responsibilities

• Lead legal support on M&A and corporate projects.
• Provide support for MR’s affiliate relationships.
• Advise on internal corporate policies.

Skills

Corporate advisory experience

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Flexibility in commercial approach

Understanding of AI concepts

Education

Qualified lawyer in the UK or USA

8-10 years of experience in M&A

Strong academic record

Job description

At Moody's, we unite the brightest minds to turn today’s risks into tomorrow’s opportunities. We do this by striving to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to be who they are—with the freedom to exchange ideas, think innovatively, and listen to each other and customers in meaningful ways. Moody’s is transforming how the world sees risk. As a global leader in ratings and integrated risk assessment, we’re advancing AI to move from insight to action—enabling intelligence that not only understands complexity but responds to it. We decode risk to unlock opportunity, helping our clients navigate uncertainty with clarity, speed, and confidence.

If you are excited about this opportunity but do not meet every single requirement, please apply! You still may be a great fit for this role or other open roles. We are seeking candidates who model our values: invest in every relationship, lead with curiosity, champion diverse perspectives, turn inputs into actions, and uphold trust through integrity.

Skills and Competencies

• Demonstrable corporate advisory and transactional experience working in an international environment with globally distributed teams strongly preferred, preferably with experience managing multi-disciplinary projects and as M&A transaction lead
• Experience with CRAs or CRA regulation would be beneficial but not essential; experience in financial services would be very useful
• Collaborative partner who functions well as part of a team; strong interpersonal skills
• Experience in drafting and negotiation with strong attention to detail
• Flexible approach: commercial, able to take pragmatic and proportionate approach to transactions
• Able to approach legal issues in an innovative way to achieve corporate strategic objectives; able to quickly grasp diverse and sophisticated issues
• Basic understanding of artificial intelligence concepts, with curiosity and enthusiasm for learning how AI tools can be used to improve processes and drive efficiency. Interest in exploring AI systems and a willingness to develop awareness of responsible AI practices, including risk management and ethical use
• Able to work under pressure and provide results within established timeframes; able to multitask and prioritize effectively
• Self-starter willing to operate with limited supervision

Education

• Strong academic record
• Qualified to practice as a lawyer in one of the key jurisdictions in which Moody’s Ratings (MR) operates and has legal resources, such as the United Kingdom or United States of America
• A minimum of 8-10 years of proven experience in corporate and M&A matters gained at a leading law firm or in-house

Responsibilities

Experienced corporate lawyer is sought to fill a newly created position within the legal team supporting the MR credit rating agency (CRA) business, focusing on corporate legal matters such as M&A, integration, geographic expansion, affiliate relationships and other general business advice. This role will require significant cross-functional collaboration with our business partners and interaction with lawyers in other teams.

• Lead legal support on MR’s M&A, integration and geographic expansion / corporate legal entity projects working closely with colleagues in our Corporate Development and Regional Management teams. This position will have primary responsibility for any projects in the Americas region, but may also be involved in matters on a global basis
• Oversee MR’s affiliate relationships in the Americas region, provide support to the Global Head of MR Legal Corporate Practice Group (CPG)’s role on the governance body which has responsibility for oversight of MR’s global portfolio of domestic CRA affiliates, and assist local affiliate legal teams as needed
• Provide strategic, pragmatic and transparent advice to the global MR Research team
• Represent MR Legal Department on internal committees related to corporate/legal entity matters and provide legal support on MR matters to global Finance, Tax and Treasury teams
• Advise on the interpretation of internal policies and procedures supporting MR’s corporate activities
• Work closely with other members of the CPG and relevant business stakeholders drafting standard global process, guidance and template documents for corporate matters
• Collaborate closely with and manage external counsel on specific matters; assist with budgeting, billing and accounting for legal spend
• Special projects within the Legal Department which may arise from time to time

About the team The global MR Legal Team is dedicated to the provision of legal advice and guidance to the MR business in all parts of the world. The team acts as a pragmatic, enabling, solutions-focused partner to the MR business and management, whilst prudently managing risk.

#LI-Hybrid

Moody’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law.
Candidates for Moody's Corporation may be asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody’s Policy for Securities Trading and the requirements of the position. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.