Senior Director, Corporate Counsel

Senior Director, Corporate Counsel

Financial Services

Location: Bethesda, MD or New York, NY

We have an immediate need for a Senior Director, Corporate Counsel for a leading exchange traded fund firm that’s on the cutting edge of next generation financial products; including ETFs, commodity pools, crypto, mutual funds, and more!

This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Director, Corporate Counsel to grow your career within the Financial Services vertical, while working with some of the most bleeding edge products in the industry!

About the Role:

The Senior Director, Corporate Counsel will report directly to the General Counsel. This role will work closely with senior management to provide legal guidance and support the ongoing business activities and strategic initiatives.

Specifically, this role will be a key member of the Legal Department responsible for providing sophisticated legal advice and support on a broad range of corporate and other matters, including drafting and negotiation of complex commercial contracts, advising on corporate structure and governance, managing legal aspects of strategic transactions and investments, and overseeing licensing and other intellectual property matters.

Responsibilities:

• Deliver timely, pragmatic, and business-oriented legal counsel to senior management and across all levels of the organization.
• Identify and evaluate legal and business risks to support strategic decision-making.
• Structure, draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of complex contracts, including key vendor and service provider agreements, licensing agreements, and technology agreements.
• Provide guidance on organizational structure and governance matters.
• Manage the legal aspects of special corporate transactions, potentially including strategic partnerships, acquisitions, restructurings and financings.
• Working closely with the CFO and tax counsel, provide guidance on federal and state tax issues impacting the business.
• Provide legal guidance to the CHRO on employment, compliance, and other corporate matters.
• Draft and negotiate ISDA, FCM, repo, securities lending, and related collateral account agreements.
• Oversee the intellectual property portfolio, including negotiation of index and data license agreements, and support of the trademark, copyright, and patent filings.
• Support business development and product development initiatives by providing proactive legal input and guidance.
• Independently initiate projects, drive process improvements, and enhance the Legal Department’s efficiency and effectiveness.
• Manage and coordinate with outside counsel to optimize resources and achieve favorable outcomes.

Qualifications:

• Juris Doctor (JD) degree and membership in good standing with a state bar.
• 15+ years of relevant legal experience in the asset management industry in a sophisticated in-house environment or law firm.
• Demonstrated expertise in structuring, drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts.
• Demonstrated expertise in corporate governance and transactions.
• Proven ability to creatively resolve complex legal issues in a proactive manner that fosters business interests and advances company goals.
• Experience managing and leveraging internal and external resources to maximize outcomes.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Sound judgment with the ability to assess legal Issues and business risk.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to meet deadlines and adjust priorities for multiple clients based on changing needs.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ability to multi-task with attention to detail.
• Excellent planning, organizational and analytical skills and ability to follow through independently.