Sr Legal Counsel, Sustainable 1 and Environmental Solutions

S&P Global; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a seasoned legal professional to support their Commodity Insights division. This role involves managing a dedicated team, negotiating key contracts, and advising on regulatory compliance in a dynamic environment. You'll collaborate with various internal teams, providing legal insights that drive business success. The position offers a unique opportunity to enhance your negotiation and project management skills while working on impactful projects in the energy transition and sustainability sectors. Join a forward-thinking company where your expertise will contribute to innovative solutions and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with 10+ years of commercial law experience.
• Strong knowledge of contract and intellectual property law.
• Experience in ESG and regulated business support.

Responsibilities

• Manage a small team of legal and paralegal professionals.
• Negotiate and draft various commercial contracts.
• Advise on regulatory matters and support business operations.

Skills

Commercial Law

Regulatory Compliance

Contract Negotiation

Interpersonal Skills

Project Management

ESG Knowledge

Education

Qualified Lawyer

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Adobe

Outlook

PowerPoint

Contract Database System

Job description

About the Role:

Grade Level (for internal use):

13

The Team: In this role, you will support the Head of Commodity Insights Legal – Exchange, Market Relationships & Innovation within the Energy Transition, Sustainability & Services business line of S&P Global Commodity Insights. You will be a key partner to Sustainable 1 and Environmental Solutions, collaborating with legal, risk, compliance, commercial, product, and business colleagues, including senior management, to address ESG and Environmental Registry related matters.

The Impact: You will respond to internal client inquiries and provide valuable support in handling legal and regulatory matters. This includes negotiating and drafting contracts, responding to RFPs, and assisting with special projects related to legal, contract, compliance, risk, communications, and marketing policies and procedures. You will also manage a small team of legal and paralegal professionals.

What’s in it for you: You will work in a dynamic, client-facing environment with opportunities to apply and develop negotiation and drafting skills, regulatory compliance expertise, and project management skills. You will gain technology and operational knowledge, governance development experience, and the chance to work independently and as part of a global team.

Responsibilities:

• Managing a small team of other legal and paralegal professionals.
• Supporting S&P Global Commodity Insights’ global Sustainable I and Environmental Solutions businesses, including serving as the primary point of contact and liaison for any issues relating to these global businesses, both internally and externally, negotiating key client contracts and supporting your team members in their negotiation of international contracts, advising on regulatory matters, working with key internal stakeholders in the review of operations and projects affecting these businesses.
• Negotiating, drafting and advising on commercial contracts, product licenses, vendor agreements, confidentiality agreements, software licenses, and amendments.
• Working as part of a team to respond to RFPs.
• Working directly with internal and external clients in the contract negotiation process, including ensuring that the business complies with laws, company’s processes and guidelines.
• Assisting senior attorney and senior paralegal in developing, managing, communicating and training on appropriate policies and procedures, including in areas concerning regulatory, compliance, risk, anti-trust, marketing, privacy, and communications.
• Advising the business on important legal issues facing the Sustainable 1 and Environmental Solutions businesses, including regulatory, antitrust, intellectual property and trade secrets law.
• Providing support in advising the business on emerging legal and regulatory risks.
• Developing, maintaining, and updating boilerplate/standard forms as needed and in response to changing markets and industry trends and practices.
• Ensuring that the S&P Global Commodity Insights’ intellectual property and general practices are protected, and liability and risk exposure are mitigated.
• Managing outside counsel as appropriate.
• Participate in and/or lead projects, including due diligence activities related to acquisitions and divestiture.
• Advising on legal issues relating to new product offerings and provide ongoing legal support with regard to existing products and product modifications.
• Utilising legal knowledge and skills to manage and mitigate the risk of disputes.

Qualifications/Experience:

• Qualified lawyer with at least 10 years Post Qualified Experience (PQE) of commercial law experience, preferably in-house and with technology and regulatory expertise.
• Working experience in ESG, the financial and environmental services industry.
• Prior experience operating within and supporting a regulated business.
• Strong working knowledge of contract, intellectual property law and an understanding of the international laws of the applicable jurisdictions.
• Excellent EQ and interpersonal skills, with strong verbal and written communication abilities.
• Has a can-do attitude, able to work under pressure, tight deadlines and to manage the expectations of clients and salespeople.
• Strong verbal/written communication and business writing abilities.
• Ability to work independently while being a team player who brings a positive attitude to the workplace and works collaboratively across functions and departments.
• Motivated self-starter with the ability to learn quickly and handle multiple and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to details and ability to work effectively in line with changing priorities.
• Strategic, emotionally intelligent thinker with an ability of instilling trust and confidence in cross-functional and cross-divisional team members and stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in managing a team is preferable.
• Advanced knowledge and experience of Microsoft applications, including Word, Excel, Adobe, Outlook, and PowerPoint as well as familiarity with a contract database-type system.
• Project Management experience.

Right to Work Requirements (relevant to US candidates):

This role is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States.

Equal Opportunity Employer

S&P Global is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race/ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military veteran status, unemployment status, or any other status protected by law.