VP Commercial & Technology Legal Counsel based in Manchester or Birmingham for a Leading UK Bank

VP Commercial & Technology Legal Counsel based in Manchester for a Leading UK Bank

The Role:

Legal Counsel responsible for Technology/General Commercial  agreements (for example, with suppliers and partners) &  supporting the bank’s  technology function across a wide range of projects.

Key Accountabilities

• All aspects of advising on procurement of goods, services and software and commercial partnerships , including liaising with other Legal teams and non-legal specialists
• Build relationships with stakeholders across the Bank to provide them with Legal support in CIT’s areas of expertise
• Work with external counsel and manage them where necessary
• Actively contribute in the development of training for business and support areas and for other members of the legal function on legal risk issues within the relevant regulatory scope, including production of legal bulletins and seminars to business areas on topical legal issues and management of legal risk
• Proactively share know-how and experience within the team and more widely within the Legal Function
• Lead and participate in initiatives designed to further the bank’s Citizenship, Diversity & Inclusion, Environmental & Social Governance agendas and other similar function-wide or Bank-wide programmes
• Effectively participate in and influence the development of processes, policies and procedures to manage and mitigate Legal risk and increase the efficiency of the team
• Help to manage and develop colleagues through training, mentoring and supervision.

Stakeholder Management and Leadership

The successful candidate will be capable of developing relationships with a range of stakeholders across the bank.   These would be likely to include: Procurement, Technology, various business teams and business-facing (“front office”) Legal teams. They will be able to work with a diverse range of colleagues, both in longer term partnerships and on shorter term ad hoc projects, and will have demonstrable people management skills. They will be able to manage a wide ranging and regularly changing workload. They will be able to manage external counsel and may have the opportunity to line manage more junior lawyers.

Candidate Profile

• Qualified Legal Counsel / Foreign Lawyer
• Comprehensive experience in advising on complex commercial/technology matters, with strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to work independently and take ownership for phases or projects.
• Strong advisory and analytical skills and experience (whether in-house or in private practice).
• Collaborative team player and excellent communicator who contributes and generates innovative ideas and acts in an inclusive manner, involving team members in gathering data and making decisions.
• Ability to advise clearly under pressure and exercise judgement to mitigate commercial and legal risk and facilitate business objectives within a controlled environment.