Corporate Legal - Office of the Secretary - Assistant Vice President

The Office of the Secretary (“OTS”), which sits within the Firm’s Legal function, partners with senior management, control groups, lines of business and corporate units to promote effective governance of the Firm. OTS operates primarily through teams located in New York City, London and Hong Kong. In EMEA, OTS has a presence in London, Dublin, Luxembourg and Frankfurt.

As a Corporate – Legal – Office of the Secretary – Assistant Vice President in Legal department you will support the delivery of corporate governance and company secretarial services to the Firm’s subsidiaries that operate within EMEA. You will also act as a strategic business partner to senior stakeholders within EMEA, including boards and other senior executives, providing advice on corporate governance and company secretarial matters that relate to EMEA legal entities, and leading on material communications with board directors. You will work closely with other Company Secretary’s within the EMEA OTS team in delivering the strategic and operational objectives of OTS.

Job Responsibilities

• Provide proactive advice to the EMEA boards and senior management on corporate governance matters that relate to legal entities that operate within the business.

• Oversee and deliver day-to-day corporate governance and company secretarial services in respect of EMEA legal entities, including board/board committee governance and legal entity management.

• Monitor changes in corporate legislation and the financial services regulatory environment and take or recommend action as appropriate.

• Oversee and coordinate information flows to EMEA legal entity boards and board committees, by proactively driving the agenda-setting process with the relevant board or committee Chair and partnering with relevant stakeholders on the preparation of board and committee meeting/briefing materials.

• Lead and deliver against ad hoc projects and/or corporate transactions that may arise, working with multiple stakeholders.

• Act as an effective channel of communication for EMEA legal entity board members, with a particular focus on non-executive directors.

• Oversee and coordinate board member onboarding, induction and ongoing training, in conjunction with relevant stakeholders within EMEA.

• Lead and deliver change and best-practice uplift projects and drive cross-EMEA governance enhancement initiatives, implementing improvements to board/committee governance, legal entity management, and governance standards in line with regulatory requirements and internal policies.

• Coordinate global/regional responses to external change by monitoring legislative and regulatory developments and translating them into actionable governance improvements and communications to relevant boards and stakeholders.

• Develop effective working relationships with team members within OTS, demonstrating the Firm’s core values as a colleague.

Required qualifications, skills and capabilities

• Strong degree-level academic background.

• Part/Fully Qualified Company Secretary, Corporate Governance Professional or Corporate Solicitor with a a relevant experience.

• Extensive experience working with boards and board committees, including agenda-setting, coordinating information flows, and managing communications with board directors (with meaningful exposure to non-executive directors)

• Proven track record of driving corporate governance best practice and delivering change, including setting direction, influencing and aligning stakeholders, and executing to completion

• Strong understanding of how changing law/regulation impacts corporate governance in the financial services industry, and ability to translate that into practical governance enhancements.

• Demonstrated experience delivering cross-border/cross-entity governance change initiatives

• Experience partnering with senior management, control groups, and global peers to deliver strategic and operational objectives in a high-performing corporate secretariat environment

• Impeccable integrity / Balanced and measured, Adaptable approach / Self-motivated and goal-oriented and ability to work independently and work well as a part of a wider team

• Strong written and verbal skills, and an effective communicator with maturity to deal effectively at all levels of the organisation

• Able to prioritise, handle time pressure and manage multiple projects at the same time, with flexibility to adapt to and manage shifting expectations appropriately

• Good judgment, self-awareness, tact and discretion

Preferred qualifications, skills and capabilities

• Experience gained working in other regulated financial services, asset management or insurance organisations.