Senior Associate – Banking and Finance

Buddle Findlay; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading law firm in New Zealand is seeking a commercially minded Senior Associate for its Christchurch team. The role involves working on financial regulatory compliance and transactional banking matters. Candidates should have significant banking and finance experience, ideally 6+ years' PQE, and a strong knowledge of NZ regulatory frameworks. The firm offers professional development and a supportive work culture, promoting flexible working practices and wellbeing initiatives.

Benefits

Health insurance benefits

Flexible working practices

Professional development opportunities

Social events and charity initiatives

Qualifications

• 6+ years' PQE with a mix of transactional and regulatory compliance experience.
• Strong drafting and advisory skills.
• Ability to run matters independently.

Responsibilities

• Advise on Financial Markets Conduct Act and other regulations.
• Draft and review compliance documentation.
• Support clients with conduct and corporate compliance.

Skills

Banking and finance experience

Knowledge of NZ regulatory regimes

Drafting and advisory skills

Client management

Commercial judgement

Mentoring junior lawyers

Job description

Overview

The opportunity

Join Buddle Findlay’s Christchurch banking and financial services team. The team advises a broad range of financial institutions - including New Zealand and offshore banks, building societies, credit unions, non‑bank lenders and deposit takers, insurers, brokers, remittance providers, issuers of FMCA products, and local authorities. Our team provides specialist advice across regulatory compliance and prudential supervision, financial markets and conduct, financial advisers and service provider regulation, consumer credit, personal property securities and anti‑money laundering.

The team is led in Christchurch by banking and finance partner Jan Etwell, who has deep experience in financial regulatory compliance and transactional banking. The team specialises in consumer credit, financial adviser and financial service provider regulation and financial markets regulation including product disclosure and compliance.

Why Buddle Findlay?

• Work on high‑profile, technically complex banking and finance matters across New Zealand and offshore clients, supported by market‑leading partners and opportunities to build specialist expertise
• Strong focus on professional development and career progression, including mentoring, training, secondments and support for continuing legal education and NZ professional obligations
• A team that backs you – you will work closely with colleagues across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, in a culture where your ideas are valued and your growth is a priority.

What you will do

We are seeking a commercially minded Senior Associate to join Jan and her team in Christchurch. You will work on a mix of financial regulatory compliance and transactional banking matters.

This will include:

• Advising on the Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMCA), Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act (CCCFA), Anti‑Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT), Personal Property Securities Act (PPSA), Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act (FSPA), Non-bank Deposit Takers Act (NBDT) and other relevant regimes
• Advising banks, non‑bank lenders, insurers and other financial institutions on regulatory compliance, governance and prudential requirements under the Reserve Bank framework
• Drafting and reviewing product disclosure, compliance programmes, financial adviser and service provider documentation, and regulatory submissions
• Acting on secured lending transactions, PPSR filings and intercreditor arrangements.
• Supporting clients with conduct and disclosure obligations, consumer credit issues and corporate compliance and governance matters.

What matters to us

You will have a genuine commitment to delivering high-quality, client-focused advice, a collaborative approach to working with clients and colleagues.

You will also have:

• Significant banking and finance experience - ideally 6+ years’ PQE with a mix of transactional and regulatory compliance experience
• Demonstrable knowledge of NZ regulatory regimes (RBNZ prudential framework, FMCA, CCCFA, AML/CFT, PPSA, FSPR)
• Strong drafting, advisory and client management skills, commercial judgement and the ability to run matters independently and mentor junior lawyers
• Comfortable working collaboratively across teams and with partners to deliver technically excellent and commercially practical advice.

What we offer

A career with us gives you the opportunity to work with a wide range of people that are motivated to help shape the future of business in New Zealand. We offer a range of benefits that enable you to be the best you can be, such as opportunities for ongoing professional and personal development, flexible working practices, health insurance benefits, social events, charity initiatives and wellbeing-focused programmes.

To apply

You don’t need to tick every box – a willingness to learn and develop is also important to us. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

Please send your CV and a short cover letter to our talent attraction specialist [e-mail]

We look forward to hearing from you about your aspirations as a commercial lawyer and we hope that could be at Buddle Findlay.

Together we grow, Ka tipu tahi tatau.