Financial Lawyer - expertise in Cypriot law

Financial Lawyer - expertise in Cypriot law

Frankfurt, Germany​

The Financial Law Division of the ECB’s Directorate General Legal Services is seeking to appoint a Legal Counsel or Senior Legal Counsel. The position requires in-depth expertise and experience on financial law, as well as expertise on Cypriot law.

The Directorate General Legal Services advises on all legal aspects of the regulatory, contractual and institutional framework of the ECB and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), prepares legal instruments and addresses questions relating to the interpretation of the EU Treaties and secondary EU law. It prepares ECB opinions on draft EU and national legislation within its field of competence, and contributes to the definition of the legal position taken by the ECB vis-à-vis other EU institutions and in international fora. It also provides legal advice to the ECB’s management on administrative matters and represents the ECB in court.

The Financial Law Division advises on legal questions related to monetary policy (including the ECB’s lending operations and asset purchase programmes), financial regulation, foreign reserves and own fund management, financial market infrastructure (including TARGET2 and TARGET2-Securities) and statistics. The Division also represents the ECB in national and EU courts and it has been closely involved in work on the financial crisis.

The successful applicant will be entrusted with the following main tasks:

• Providing advice on issues relating to financial law, in particular the legal and contractual framework for monetary policy operations, foreign reserves and own funds management, financial statistics, market infrastructures and EU financial regulation;
• Supporting the Division’s management in the assessment and preparation of legal documentation pertaining to the work of the Division;
• Advising on matters of Cypriot law that are of relevance for the ECB, including in the context of post-programme surveillance; monitoring and reporting on legislative, regulatory and judicial developments in Cyprus that are in the ECB’s fields of competence; preparing ECB opinions on Cypriot draft legislation in the the ECB’s fields of competence; and acting as liaison with external Cypriot legal counsel as necessary;
• Preparing complex legal assessments in a multi-jurisdictional environment;
• Ensuring proper knowledge sharing and adherence to agreed business processes; and
• Contributing to any other relevant work of the Directorate General.

Qualifications and experience: Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies.

The following legal qualifications and experience: 

• A master’s degree in Cypriot law combined with at least three years of experience as a legal professional, OR
• A bachelor’s degree in Cypriot law and a master’s degree in the law of another EU Member State combined with at least three years of experience as a legal professional, including at least two years of professional experience practising Cypriot law, OR
• A master’s degree in the law of an EU Member State other than the Republic of Cyprus, or in EU law, combined with at least three years of professional experience practising Cypriot law;
• Ideally, membership of the bar in the Republic of Cyprus;
• The three years of experience as a legal professional constitutes a minimum requirement; applications are welcomed from candidates with a higher level of experience.
• A sound knowledge of financial law and laws relevant to central banking;
• Familiarity with financial market developments, and with financial products and infrastructures;
• A good knowledge of EU law, including knowledge of the European financial assistance framework;
• Experience with litigation would be an asset;
• An advanced command of English and Greek;
• A working knowledge of MS Office, in particular Word, Excel and PowerPoint;
• Knowledge of document management and archiving systems, such as OpenText Livelink, would be an asset;

The successful candidate will have the following behavioural competencies:

• Shows a high level of commitment, initiative and flexibility, and has the ability to work efficiently under pressure and to tight deadlines;
• Manages multiple assignments and tracks progress on numerous processes simultaneously;
• Is comfortable working alone on challenging assignments;
• Examines issues critically and analyses complex information from a variety of sources, and is then able to present results clearly; shares information, seeks the opinions of knowledgeable colleagues and keeps the relevant stakeholders informed;
• Handles sensitive information in a discreet manner, respecting confidentiality;
• Supports other members of the team without assuming responsibility for their work;
• Negotiates skilfully in difficult situations involving both internal and external parties, addressing conflict situations constructively and establishing mutually agreeable solutions;
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with legal and non-legal experts as well as with management at all levels, both inside and outside the organisation, in a multicultural environment;
• Understands the key organisational goals and the wider context in which the ECB works, and is knowledgeable about current and possible future policies, practices, trends and technology relating to the business unit and the organisation.

Further Information: Three-year fixed-term contract, with possible conversion to a contract of indefinite duration subject to individual performance and organisational needs.

To further enhance the diversity of its workforce, the ECB particularly encourages applications from female candidates.

The selection committee may place suitable candidates on a reserve list, from which candidates may be appointed to similar positions in the same or another business area. It may also be decided to fill the position(s) advertised in this vacancy notice with a suitable candidate or candidates from the reserve list resulting from a recruitment procedure for a similar position. Candidates will be informed accordingly if this happens. 

Applications are to be made in English and submitted using our online application form. 

An "Applicants' Guide" can be downloaded from our recruitment pages.The recruitment process may include a pre-screening exercise, a written exercise, a presentation and interviews.

Applications are accepted from nationals of Member States of the European Union.

The requirements laid down in the vacancy notice must be met by the closing date for applications.

This vacancy notice may be used to fill the same position again, or similar positions, within 12 months of the selection decision.

Closing Date for Applications: Mon, 7 Nov 2016