Chief Legal Officer, EVP - State Street Investment Management

State Street • Boston, MA

7d

About The Position

The Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of State Street Investment Management (SSIM) is the chief legal officer and senior legal advisor to a global asset manager with more than $6 trillion in assets. Reporting jointly to the General Counsel of State Street Corporation and the Chief Executive Officer of SSIM, this role is a member of SSIM’s Executive Management Group and helps shape strategy, governance, growth, and risk management.

The Chief Legal Officer leads SSIM’s global legal function and advises on business strategy, products, distribution, transactions, regulation, and risk. The role combines legal expertise, commercial judgment, and global leadership to balance business objectives, fiduciary responsibilities, client needs, and regulatory expectations. It also leads legal talent and organizational development, manages the legal budget and external providers, and advances the function’s technology, processes, controls, and service delivery.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor or equivalent qualification, with active authorization to practice in a relevant jurisdiction.
• At least 20 years of legal experience, including senior leadership in financial services or another highly regulated industry.
• Deep knowledge of laws, regulations, and industry practices affecting global asset managers, investment products, distribution, fiduciary duties, and institutional clients.
• Proven success advising executive teams and boards on complex legal, regulatory, commercial, governance, and risk matters.
• Experience leading large global teams in a complex, matrixed organization and developing talent, succession, and culture.
• Track record of delivering practical business solutions while maintaining independent judgment and managing legal and regulatory requirements.
• Experience with major regulatory matters, strategic transactions, investigations, litigation, and complex commercial arrangements.
• Exceptional judgment, executive presence, communication, negotiation, and influencing skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a global systemically important financial institution or similarly complex organization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal legal advisor to the CEO, Executive Management Group, and senior leadership on SSIM’s strategy, business, clients, products, and operations.
• Advise on growth, product innovation, market expansion, partnerships, acquisitions, joint ventures, and other major initiatives.
• Translate complex legal and regulatory developments into practical, commercially focused guidance, and constructively challenge decisions to balance commercial objectives with legal, fiduciary, and reputational risk.
• Lead SSIM’s global legal function and set legal strategy in support of its business objectives and obligations.
• Advise on investment management regulation, fund governance, distribution, fiduciary duties, products, client matters, technology, transactions, and commercial arrangements.
• Oversee legal support for regulatory examinations, investigations, litigation, enforcement, strategic transactions, product launches, and market expansion.
• Monitor global regulatory developments and engage regulators, industry bodies, policymakers, and other external stakeholders as appropriate.
• Maintain a global framework for identifying, assessing, escalating, mitigating, and reporting material legal risk.
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Audit, and other control functions to strengthen risk management and governance, and escalate material legal, regulatory, and reputational risks to appropriate leadership and governance bodies.
• Serve as a senior leader within State Street Legal and contribute to enterprise strategy, governance, and decision-making.
• Partner across business lines and corporate functions to promote collaboration and consistent management of legal risk.
• Advance Legal Department priorities across talent, operating model, technology, knowledge management, and service delivery.
• Promote collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and excellence across SSIM and the broader Legal organization.
• Lead and develop a high-performing global team of attorneys and legal professionals; build succession, professional development, and leadership capabilities.
• Align legal resources across geographies and disciplines with business priorities and regulatory demands.
• Manage the SSIM legal budget, financial objectives, outside counsel, and external providers.
• Use technology, data, process improvement, and knowledge management to improve service, efficiency, and scalability.
• Ensure the legal function operates with strong controls, governance, accountability, and service quality.

Benefits

• Retirement savings plan (401K) with company match.
• Insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and optional additional coverages.
• Paid time off including vacation, sick leave, short-term disability, and family care responsibilities.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program.
• Eligibility for annual performance-based incentive awards, excluding certain sales roles subject to sales incentive plans.
• Eligibility for certain tax-advantaged savings plans.
• Inclusive development opportunities, flexible work-life support, paid volunteer days, and employee networks.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree