Vice President, Legal Counsel (Derivatives Lawyer) 12 month FTC

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial group is seeking a Legal Counsel to join their EMEA Legal Department in London. This full-time position focuses on providing legal services for banking and securities transactions while supporting various strategic projects. The ideal candidate will be a qualified lawyer with at least five years of relevant experience, possessing strong skills in finance-linked hedging transactions and stakeholder management. The firm promotes diversity and inclusion, ensuring every employee's voice is heard.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer in the UK or equivalent jurisdiction with relevant experience.
• Strong technical understanding of finance linked hedging transactions.
• Experience managing senior stakeholders across multiple locations.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal services and advice on banking and securities transactions.
• Negotiate and draft legal documentation for various financial products.
• Manage disputes, litigation, and regulatory proceedings.

Skills

Qualified lawyer in the UK or equivalent jurisdiction

Strong understanding of finance linked hedging transactions

Demonstrate commercial awareness of market issues

Experience managing senior stakeholders

Effective client relationship management

Ability to explain complex legal concepts

French, German or Spanish language skills

Education

Qualified lawyer with at least five years post-qualified experience

Job description

Do you want your voice heard and your actions to count

Discover your opportunity with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) one of the worlds leading financial groups. Across the globe were 150000 colleagues striving to make a difference for every client organization and community we serve. We stand for our values building long-term relationships serving society and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world.

With a vision to be the worlds most trusted financial group its part of our culture to put people first listen to new and diverse ideas and collaborate toward greater innovation speed and agility. This means investing in talent technologies and tools that empower you to own your career.

Join MUFG where being inspired is expected and making a meaningful impact is rewarded.

OVERVIEW OF THE DEPARTMENT / SECTION

The Legal department provides legal services to and manages the legal risk for MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities (EMEA) and the MUSHD international business (collectively the Firm ).

Members of Legal are dual-hatted across MUFG Bank and MUFG Securities. Dual-hat employees will be expected to be entity neutral across all responsibilities to ensure that services are provided to both entities effective and without favour or detriment to the other entity.

PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONS OF THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT

• Provide legal services and legal advice to each international securities business and banking businesses
• Draft review and negotiate contractual documentation whether transactional or non-transactional
• Draft notes and other product documentation and arrange for issuance of such notes and products
• Draft review and negotiate ISDA documentation and related trading agreements and lending (syndicated or bilateral ECA financings LMA based or bespoke contractual arrangements)
• Draft review and negotiate trade finance credit lines and products as well as trade finance instruments
• Provide legal and execution advice in relation to transactions and new business
• Provide transaction management support for securities issues and financing transactions arranged or underwritten by an international securities business
• Provide support for internal projects (internal restructurings and / or regulatory driven)
• Evaluate legal risk to ensure business is conducted in a lawful and professional manner
• Identify and advise on the implementation of new laws and regulations
• Provide legal oversight of regulatory matters and government affairs
• Manage all disputes litigation regulatory proceedings and other contentious matters
• Manage and approve all use of law firms

NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS

None.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

We have an exciting opportunity for a Legal Counsel to join the MUFG EMEA Legal Department as a fixed term contractor based in London. The role will be primarily focused on supporting a key strategic project for the EMEA region but will also support other activities across the Global Markets and Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) Legal teams.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role the successful candidate will be providing services which cover MUFGs banking arm and securities business under a dual-hat arrangement. Under this arrangement the employee will act and make decisions on behalf of both the bank and the securities business subject to the same remit and level of authority and irrespective of the entity which employs them. Advise on participate in and implement Firm and International Business transactions proceedings actions projects and initiatives. This includes activity / projects to improve the delivery of legal services to the business and Firms clients. Advise on the legal regulatory and reputational issues and market developments arising in transactions and in the non-transactional aspects of the operation and business activities of the Firm and the International Business. Provide legal advice on strategic business initiatives and projects regulatory programs inter-affiliate activity and agency arrangements new and complex products and MUFGs operational risk management and controls framework including advising the business on best practice and solutions for the operational management of legal risk (including required governance structures frameworks risk mitigation strategies). Provide legal advice review draft and negotiate documentation and provide all related transaction management and project management for :

• complex finance linked hedging transactions for project finance acquisition finance leverage finance and mid-market business areas securitisation linked hedging any other structured hedging agreements governed by ISDA. FBF or CMOF agreements structured repos TRS equity and credit derivatives;
• review of loan agreements CTA STID / ICA and any other related and ancillary finance documents :
• flow derivatives repo and securities lending transactions including GMRA GMSLA ISDA CSA IM documentation and guarantees; and
• inter-affiliate agreements.

Implement document templates know-how and procedures. Participate in industry forums and working groups. Participate in working groups and committees of the Firm and the International Business. Manage the engagement of law firms and legal spend efficiently. Provide mentoring and support to junior members of the Legal team.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Functional / Technical Competencies :

• Qualified lawyer in the UK or equivalent jurisdiction of at least five years post qualified experience with relevant experience obtained either in private practice with a major law firm or in-house with another significant financial institution.
• Strong technical understanding of finance linked hedging transactions.
• Demonstrate commercial awareness of the latest market issues and regulatory changes.
• Demonstrable experience managing senior stakeholders across multiple locations.
• Ability to build effective and positive client relationships (internal and external) quickly and fully embrace the importance of client service.
• Ability to explain complex legal concepts to a non-technical audience.
• French German or Spanish language skills would be helpful but not essential.

PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills both written & verbal
• Effective operating in a team and matrix-oriented environment and ability to work with colleagues at all levels of seniority
• Proactive and enthusiastic with a can do attitude and with an inclination to drive change
• Results driven with a strong sense of accountability
• Team player with an international outlook
• Pragmatic curious and commercially minded
• Efficient working style reliable with a good sense of independency urgency and commercial acumen

We are open to considering flexible working requests in line with organisational requirements.

MUFG is committed to embracing diversity and building an inclusive culture where all employees are valued respected and their opinions count. We support the principles of equality diversity and inclusion in recruitment and employment and oppose all forms of discrimination on the grounds of age sex gender sexual orientation disability pregnancy and maternity race gender reassignment religion or belief and marriage or civil partnership.

We make our recruitment decisions in a non-discriminatory manner in accordance with our commitment to identifying the right skills for the right role and our obligations under the law.

Employment Type: Full-Time

Experience: years