Markets Legal - Head of Americas Spread Products (MD)

Citi • New York, NY

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Markets Legal Head of Americas Spread Products is a senior management-level / Managing Director (MD) role, responsible for leading the Americas Spread Products Legal team and providing support to those businesses within Markets. This role is based in Citi’s New York head office, and will have regional responsibility for the leadership of the Markets legal team comprising approximately 16 FTE and supplemented by contractors and secondees (as necessary), supporting the Spread Products businesses in the Americas. The Markets Legal Department is a global team organized around product groups and associated business lines. The Markets Business provides world-class products and financing solutions for corporations, governments, and institutional investors through Citi’s market leading underwriting, sales and trading, and distribution capabilities. A key part of the coverage of this critical and core Citi global business is centered within the Markets Legal Team. Comprising around approximately 330 permanent legal staff located across different parts of the world, the Markets Legal team working in tandem with Enterprise and Country legal colleagues, provide a wide range of services, support and advice to multiple global and country Markets business and related functional areas, including general advice, transaction negotiation, document drafting and execution, as well as oversight of regulatory developments and requirements. The Markets business areas covered include the core product groups of Equities, Rates, Markets Treasury, FX, Spread Products and Commodities. In addition, the Markets Legal Team provides advice and support to product, legal and functional colleagues and to Citi’s governance forums and entity management with respect to different global booking vehicles.

Requirements

• 15+ years of relevant industry experience, including an in-house legal role, with extensive managerial experience and demonstrated ability in leading large, complex, or novel bespoke structured transactions.
• Excellent technical skills and analytical ability.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Good presentation skills, especially in communicating with senior management at a financial institution.
• Good public speaking and communication skills.
• Sound judgement and decision-making skills.
• Proven ability to apply sound judgement while managing complex subject matter and issues.
• Experience in managing a large, geographically diverse teams across multiple cultures.
• Comprehensive knowledge of US laws and practices.
• Relevant management experience required to lead a team of lawyers in support of the Business
• High level of technical expertise in most of the below: Financing and securitisation in its various forms – MBS, CRE and other asset backed products such as CLOs. Derivatives – structured credit and CDS together with loan and bond trading. Knowledge of regulations and law impacting all the different areas of the Business
• Ability to lead and develop a team under pressure and prioritise appropriately.
• Ability work collaboratively with the Markets Legal Management team and, in particular, with the International Spread Products head based in London to ensure global coordination and consistent legal risk management of global products (e.g. Credit derivatives).
• Ability to handle multiple complex and confidential matters under time and pressure.
• Effective negotiation skills and ability to maintain effective relationships at executive levels.
• Excellent leadership, interpersonal, organizational and relationship management skills.
• NY legal qualification required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in working with regulators/regulatory bodies is preferred.
• Awareness an familiarity with Latin American laws and practises is useful.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Legal team for the Business, providing support and guidance on all Legal-related matters affecting the Business.
• Provide Legal risk management, legal advice, and transaction management supervision of the legal team supporting the Business, including being the senior decision-maker for legal risks impacting the Business.
• Play an active role in career development and people-related matters across Legal, including a direct role in talent review, promotion, ratings, and compensation.
• Managing the team of lawyers who support the Business and have responsibility for their performance and career development.
• Serve as a strategic partner to Business seniors and key advisor to Business stakeholders, functional partners (e.g., Risk, Compliance) and the Legal Management Council (LMC).
• Be the legal lead guiding Legal's support to the seniors of the Business and other senior functional partners on strategic projects, new regulatory requirement and legal developments relevant to the Business.
• Key contributor to overall strategy, establishing direction and planning for the needs of the legal team supporting the Business.
• Participating and actively leading the strategy of Markets Legal with the senior management team of Markets Legal.
• Anticipate, evaluate, and appropriately respond to developments in local and international laws and regulations that impact the Business; assist the Business in evolving to meet marketplace and client needs.
• Manage and develop relationships with outside counsel including ways to improve efficiency whilst maintaining expense discipline.
• Manage and coordinate external legal service provider relationships where appropriate, including managing several relationships with external legal counsels.
• Provide solutions-oriented legal support and assistance within the Legal Function and Business in accordance with strategic business needs and applicable regulatory and legal requirements.
• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency, as well as effectively supervising the activity of others and creating accountability with those who fail to maintain these standards.

Benefits

• medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k)
• life, accident, and disability insurance
• wellness programs
• paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed