Description:

Role Overview

The Senior Legal Counsel Banking & Finance will lead and provide expert legal support on complex, high-value banking and finance transactions, including bilateral and syndicated loans, structured finance, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters, and specialist banking products.

As a senior member of the Legal Division, this role will act as a trusted legal advisor to business and leadership teams, represent the bank in high-level engagements with clients, regulators, industry bodies, and internal stakeholders, and play a key role in strengthening the banks legal, regulatory, and risk governance framework.

This position requires deep transactional expertise, strong regulatory understanding, and the ability to operate at strategic and execution levels within a complex banking environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Banking & Finance Transactions:

Lead and advise on complex financing transactions, including:

- Bilateral and syndicated lending

- Structured and project finance

- Cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions

- Trade finance and specialist banking products

- Draft, review, and negotiate loan agreements, security documents, inter-creditor arrangements, guarantees, and ancillary documentation.

- Provide legal structuring support for new and innovative banking products.

Regulatory & Risk Advisory:

- Provide expert legal advice on banking laws, regulatory frameworks, and compliance requirements.

- Support interactions with regulators and supervisory authorities on transactional and regulatory matters.

- Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and regulatory risks associated with transactions and business initiatives.

Stakeholder & Client Engagement:

Represent the bank in high-level meetings and negotiations with:

- Corporate and institutional clients

- Regulators and government bodies

- Industry associations and external counsel

- Act as a key legal partner to business heads, product teams, credit, risk, and compliance functions.

Governance & Leadership:

- Contribute to legal policy development, transaction governance, and internal approvals.

- Review and approve legal aspects of major transactions and strategic initiatives.

- Mentor and guide junior legal counsels and team members.

- Support internal committees and senior management with legal opinions, risk notes, and transaction briefings.

Key Result Areas (KRAs):

- Successful execution of high-value and complex banking transactions with strong risk mitigation

- High quality and timeliness of legal documentation and advisory

- Effective management of regulatory and legal risks

- Strong stakeholder satisfaction across business, regulators, and clients

- Contribution to strengthened legal governance and transaction standards

- Development and mentoring of legal team capability

Key Requirements:

Qualification & Experience:

- LLB / LLM from a reputed university; admission to the Bar preferred.

- 10 to 15 years of post-qualification experience in Banking & Finance legal roles, preferably with:

- Leading law firms (Banking & Finance practice) and/or

- In-house legal teams within banks or financial institutions

Proven experience handling complex, cross-border and syndicated financing transactions.

Technical Expertise:

Strong command over:

- Banking and financial laws

- Loan documentation and security structures

- Cross-border financing and multi-jurisdictional matters

- Regulatory frameworks applicable to banks and financial institutions

- Experience with structured finance, project finance, and specialist products is a strong plus.

Leadership & Professional Skills:

- Strong negotiation, drafting, and advisory capabilities.

- Excellent stakeholder management and executive presence.

- Ability to operate independently and influence senior business and risk leadership.

- High standards of professional judgment, integrity, and confidentiality.

Why This Role:

- High-impact role within a leading banking institution.

- Exposure to marquee domestic and cross-border transactions.

- Direct engagement with senior leadership, regulators, and institutional clients.

- Opportunity to shape transaction strategy and legal governance at enterprise level.