Senior Legal Counsel Ethics

Fédération Internationale de Football Association; Miami (FL); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Continuous learning

401(k) retirement contributions

Vacation leave

Job summary

FIFA is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel for Ethics in Miami to autonomously conduct ethics proceedings, investigate complex cases, and draft authoritative rulings. You will liaise with FIFA departments, prepare witness statements, and support the Ethics Committee with rigorous legal analysis and documentation.

A law degree (Bar) and sport-law qualifications are required, with 6–8 years in similar roles. You will work in a dynamic, international environment, coordinating with compliance and

Qualifications

• Excellent legal drafting and presentation skills in English.
• Proficiency in drafting in Spanish or French is an asset.
• Knowledge of football governance and FIFA regulations.
• Experience in FIFA’s Disciplinary and Ethics proceedings.
• Ability to analyze financial data and forensic accounting reports.

Responsibilities

• Conduct autonomously ethics proceedings following FIFA Code of Ethics.
• Investigate ethics cases, review financial records, and apply forensic techniques.
• Draft communications to interested/accused parties within proceedings.
• Prepare witness interviews and statements with cross-department coordination.
• Support Ethics Committee with case files, analyses and draft decisions.
• Prepare meetings with the chair and committee members.
• Assess legal aid requests and witness protection in ethics contexts.
• Draft final reports and assess testimonial evidence for probative value.
• Analyze FIFA precedent and CAS jurisprudence to support reports.

Skills

Legal drafting

Analytical thinking

Communication

Teamwork

Adaptability

Attention to detail

English proficiency

Education

Law degree (Bar Exam)

Post-Graduate in Sport Law

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Jira

Job description

Senior Legal Counsel Ethics

Department: Judicial Bodies

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Miami

Description

We govern the beautiful game and ensure it's run with transparency and integrity.

Join our team in Miami and support us on our mission.

THE POSITION

These are your key tasks:

• Conducting autonomously ethics proceedings in accordance with the FIFA Code of Ethics;
• Investigating ethics proceedings, including the review and analysis of financial records, the use of forensic audit techniques, and the development of financial investigative strategies;
• Drafting communications and request for information to the interested/accused parties within an ethics proceeding;
• Supporting the preparation of witness interviews and witness statements, and, when necessary, coordinating such tasks with other departments or external experts within the context of ethics proceedings;
• Liaising with FIFA departments and subject‑matter experts to secure support for FIFA Ethics Committee matters;
• Supporting the relevant chairperson and members of the Ethics Committee by preparing case files, legal analyses, and draft decisions to facilitate effective deliberations;
• Assisting the relevant chairperson of the FIFA Ethics Committee in the preparation of meetings;
• Assessment of legal aid requests, witness protection, witness/victim’s psychological support, and when necessary, coordinating such tasks with other departments or external experts within the ethics proceedings;
• Drafting final Reports within an ethics proceeding;
• Analyzing testimonials and other documentary evidence, including financial and audit records, to weigh its credibility and probative value within the context and standards of the FIFA Code of Ethics;
• Conduct legal analysis of FIFA precedent and CAS jurisprudence to support the drafting of final investigation reports and Ethics Committee decisions;
• Drafting decisions of the Adjudicatory Chamber;
• Contributing to the ongoing development of workflows, templates, and best practices to ensure efficiency and consistency;
• Identify and recommend measures to prevent violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics and promote the safeguarding and integrity of football worldwide;
• Close collaboration and support to the Head of Department in creating efficient ethics proceedings (i.e. determining processes, workflow, template creation, etc.);
• Ensuring a worldwide recognition of the activity of the Investigation Department and the Judicial Bodies Subdivision;
• Assistance in preparing any report related to the activities of the ethics department, including newsletters, status reports, etc.;
• Holding and participating in workshops with FIFA employees, member associations or confederations on Judicial Bodies‑related issues.

YOUR PROFILE

We work hard at FIFA. We are dedicated, ambitious and innovative.

For all roles, we seek talented people with an entrepreneurial spirit and a global mindset.

The specific competencies we require for this position are:

• Excellent legal drafting and presentation skills in English;
• Proficiency legal drafting in Spanish or French is an asset;
• Good knowledge of football governance as well as of FIFA’s regulations, and proven experience in FIFA’s Disciplinary and Ethics proceedings;
• Ability to conduct analysis and draw out conclusions;
• Strong ability to analyze financial data, audit findings, and forensic accounting reports to detect and understand irregularities;
• Excellent editorial skills;
• Good planning and organisational skills;
• Solid IT‑know how;
• Ability to work unsupervised and precisely;
• Ability to work well under pressure and to respect deadlines;
• Good analytical skills;
• Conscientiousness, accuracy and quality;
• Punctuality;
• Proactive approach;
• Rigorous and consistent, particularly when handling large amounts of documents;
• Team player with good interpersonal relations;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Cooperative and team‑oriented mindset, fostering transparent communication and knowledge sharing;
• Motivated, autodidact, dynamic and proactive personality;
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities;
• Agility;
• Ability to adapt to an international and multicultural environment;
• Pleasant and empathetic;
• Law University degree (Bar Exam);
• Post‑Graduate in Sport law is an asset;
• Training or certification in white‑collar investigations (including forensic accounting, CPA, CFE, etc.) or prior experience in an audit firm is an asset;
• Minimum 6-8 years of experience in similar positions, dealing with disciplinary and ethics regulations matters in a sports governing body;
• Experience handling cases of misappropriation of funds, bribery and corruption, and working alongside compliance, finance teams, or external auditors, is a strong asset;
• Native/C2 in English;
• Proficiency in any other FIFA language (F / ES) is an asset;
• Proficient in Word / PowerPoint / Excel/Jira;
• Ability to leverage AI tools to enhance investigative efficiency while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with applicable legal and ethical standards.

PERKS & BENEFITS

The biggest benefit of a career at FIFA is the privilege to work for the beautiful game and create something that matters.

Alongside that privilege, we also offer some extra perks and benefits:

Health insurance: We offer generous medical, vision, and dental insurance coverage.

Continuous learning: We care about your development and encourage internal mobility, offering a variety of training and education to help achieve it.

Retirement: We offer generous 401(k) employer contributions.

Vacation: Maintain a healthy work/life balance with a generous vacation allowance.