Senior Legal Counsel (Interim)

Crown Agents Bank is a vastly growing and regulated UK bank that connects emerging and frontier markets to the rest of the world, using FX and payments technology. We are transforming the way payments and FX move through emerging markets, reducing friction so that more money gets to those who need it. Emerging markets payments are usually challenging, expensive, unreliable and opaque. Our solutions help fix these pain points. Ultimately, we connect traditionally hard-to-reach regions to global financial infrastructure, giving access to the best prices and the fastest, most reliable settlement.

FX and cross-border payments are often complex and expensive, especially when operating in emerging markets. Crown Agents Bank (CAB) wraps its deep and trusted relationships and strength of network around innovative digital capabilities, and cross-border transaction banking solutions to enable fintech, corporates, governments, development organisations and banks to move money to, from, and across often hard-to-reach markets.

Role purpose

SVP providing up to 6 months resource cover for a parental leave within the team. Reporting to the General Counsel, focusing on wide-ranging matters affecting CAB, playing a key role in strategic and complex BAU work across the corporate group.

Role responsibilities

Crown Agents Bank specialises in cross-border payments and FX for hard-to-reach markets. Our mission is to connect hard-to-reach markets to the global economy so money can move where it’s needed. Our client base includes some of the world’s largest banks, fintechs, NGOs, governments and supranational organisations.

CAB’s Legal function is ambitious, agile, curious and purpose-driven. We work closely with the business to become trusted advisors who deliver thoughtful, pragmatic guidance that supports the business in achieving its goals around the world. Our work is meaningful and challenging – from helping some of the world’s largest international institutions access critical markets during a crisis, to supporting product rollout in new jurisdictions around the world, no two days are the same.

CAB is seeking a dynamic Interim Senior Legal Counsel to join the team for a parental leave cover (up to 6 months) to play a key role in ensuring CAB delivers on its mission statement to move money where it’s needed. The Interim Senior Legal Counsel will:

• Take day-to-day ownership of the rollout and provision of new banking products to CAB’s global customer base;
• Be a subject matter expert partnering closely with CAB’s Front, Middle and Back Office teams, driving forward business initiatives from a legal and regulatory perspective – this doesn’t mean always knowing the answers or being an SME on everything, but knowing how to find answers, quickly build an understanding and confidently provide clear and pragmatic guidance on novel issues is crucial;
• Advise on the development of a continually evolving product set, proactively identify associated risks and recommend mitigation strategies to deliver across challenging markets globally;
• Advise on regulatory matters including license and the evolving regulatory landscape across multiple jurisdictions, working closely with the Group’s Risk and Compliance teams;
• Partner with the business on the structuring and implementation of strategic partnerships and initiatives, as delegated by the General Counsel;
• Take a lead role in advising on legal matters across the wider organisation.

Qualification

Qualified solicitor in UK, US or a common law jurisdiction.

Experience

• 8-15 years PQE
• Experience in-house in a banking environment with an understanding of wholesale banking products and related risks
• Working knowledge and/or experience working with a wide range of banking products, such as securitisations, trade finance, lending, treasury products, stablecoin and digital assets
• Experience working on legal and regulatory matters across emerging markets is highly desirable
• Experience working on licensing and permissions, CRR analysis, and structuring strategic deals and solutions off the back of this is a plus.

Skills

• Strong negotiation skills, and experience across a range of products, deals and international counterparties
• Commercial mindset – able to see the big picture while protecting the business from key risks
• Capable of communicating complex legal concepts across the business, and proactively communicating with the other members of the legal team
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, changing environment 
• Able to tackle novel problems, research and understand new legal issues and products quickly
• Capacity to take ownership of matters, knowing when to take decisions and when to escalate
• Creative problem solver who remains calm under pressure and who can effectively prioritise
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and to tolerate change and ambiguity
• A talent for drafting legal documents in clear and plain English
• An interest in building out functional and operational improvements to the legal team’s approach, streamlining interactions between the business and the legal team and seeking to reduce friction and develop processes for self-service where appropriate
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills: excellent English is a necessity; other languages used across many of our markets (such as French, Spanish, Arabic) an asset

Hybrid working