VP, Operations & Strategic Advisory Counsel

Morgan Stanley; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan Stanley is seeking an experienced attorney to support the Global Operations Legal Advisory team. You will advise on regulatory matters, draft and negotiate agreements, and partner with Compliance, Risk, and Technology to enable strategic initiatives. This role provides exposure to senior stakeholders and complex financial operations.

Ideal candidates have a J.D. and 5+ years in financial services regulation or corporate transactions, with strong communication and risk-based problem

Qualifications

• J.D. and bar admission in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 5+ years of legal experience in financial services or regulatory matters.
• Experience drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.

Responsibilities

• Advise Operations management and business stakeholders on legal and regulatory issues affecting financial operations.
• Analyze, interpret, and communicate laws, regulations, and regulatory developments impacting the firm's activities.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, Technology, and business colleagues to support strategic initiatives and new products.
• Provide practical, risk-based legal advice to governance forums and decision-makers.
• Support global projects involving operational, regulatory, and infrastructure considerations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial and financial services agreements.
• Develop expertise in one or more substantive areas and serve as a resource to internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with colleagues across regions and practice groups.

Skills

Legal analysis

Regulatory knowledge

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Contract negotiation

Team collaboration

Education

J.D.

State Bar admission

Tools

MS Office

Legal research tools

Job description

Operations & Strategic Advisory Counsel

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 43 countries.

As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence and strong team ethic. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career - a place for people to learn, to achieve and grow. A philosophy that balances personal lifestyles, perspectives and needs is an important part of our culture.

Professionals within Legal and Compliance provide a wide range of services to our business units. They might help to structure a complex and sensitive cross-border transaction; advise on a new product introduction; develop a training program or defuse an investor dispute. They preserve the firm's invaluable reputation for integrity and protect the firm from sanctions with policies and procedures that meet regulatory requirements around the world. They also strive to maintain cooperative relationships with governmental policy makers and the regulatory and self-regulatory agencies that govern the firm's businesses.

The Global Operations Department provides necessary operational support to all business lines, with processes that include trade clearing and settlement, securities custody and segregation, cash clearing and management, statements and confirmations.

The Global Operations Legal Advisory team advises the Firm's Global Operations organization and business units on legal and regulatory matters affecting the processing, safeguarding, movement, and servicing of financial assets and transactions.

The team works closely with Operations, Compliance, Risk, Technology, and business stakeholders on a wide variety of strategic initiatives involving financial market infrastructure, customer asset protection, custody and asset servicing, payments, digital assets, and emerging operational frameworks. This is a highly collaborative practice that combines regulatory advisory work, strategic counseling, and selected transactional support. Attorneys on the team regularly engage with colleagues across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions, providing exposure to a broad range of global financial services issues.

This attorney will provide practical legal advice to Operations stakeholders, management committees, and business partners on regulatory requirements, legal risk, governance matters, and business initiatives.

The successful candidate will work across a variety of legal and regulatory topics affecting financial operations, including customer asset protection, securities processing and settlements, payments, corporate actions, financial market infrastructure, digital assets, and related areas. Prior experience with all of these subjects is not expected.

The attorney will also support selected transactional matters, including the review, drafting, and negotiation of agreements supporting Morgan Stanley's operational infrastructure and services. This role offers significant opportunity to develop subject matter expertise, work directly with senior stakeholders, and become a trusted advisor on complex business and regulatory matters.

Responsibilities

• Advise Operations management and business stakeholders on legal and regulatory issues affecting financial operations.
• Analyze, interpret, and communicate laws, regulations, and regulatory developments impacting the firm's activities.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, Technology, and business colleagues to support strategic initiatives and new products.
• Provide practical, risk-based legal advice to governance forums and decision-makers.
• Support global projects involving operational, regulatory, and infrastructure considerations.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial and financial services agreements.
• Develop expertise in one or more substantive areas and serve as a resource to internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate with colleagues across regions and practice groups.

What We're Looking For

We are seeking an attorney who is intellectually curious, practical, collaborative, and interested in helping complex businesses navigate evolving legal and regulatory environments.

Successful candidates will typically demonstrate

• Strong legal analysis, research, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain complex legal concepts to non-lawyers and senior stakeholders.
• Sound judgment and a practical, business-oriented approach.
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder-management skills.
• Initiative, ownership, and a willingness to learn new subject matter areas.
• Ability to manage multiple matters in a fast-paced environment.
• Interest in financial services, financial regulation, technology, and operational processes.

Preferred Experience

• Financial services regulation, such as banking, broker‑dealer, investment adviser, or investment management regulation.
• Regulatory, compliance, or enforcement matters.
• Corporate, commercial, or transactional legal work.
• Payments, fintech, custody, securities processing, capital markets, or financial market infrastructure.
• Technology, digital assets, or emerging financial products.
• In‑house legal, government, regulatory agency, law firm, or financial institution experience.

Qualifications

• J.D. and admission to practice in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
• 5+ years of legal experience.
• Candidates with fewer years of traditional legal experience may be considered when paired with meaningful financial services, compliance, regulatory, operational, or industry experience.

Why This Role

This position provides a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of law, regulation, operations, technology, and business strategy at a leading global financial institution. Attorneys in this role gain broad exposure to senior management, complex regulatory issues, and transformative initiatives shaping the future of financial services.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years. Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work‑life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about‑us/global‑offices into your browser.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background. Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross‑section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people‑opportunities/eeo.