Spencer & Trent Recruitment is working with a fastest growing bank that is looking for a General Counsel to join the company on a permanent basis. You will be working from their London office 3 days a week and 2 days from home.

Duties include:

• Serving as the in-house legal expert across all aspects of the Bank’s activities, with a focus on retail and SME banking
• Providing clear, pragmatic legal advice to internal stakeholders on a broad range of matters including lending, corporate, commercial, regulatory and employment
• Acting as a trusted advisor to the Board and Executive Team, including attending governance committees and presenting key legal insights
• Leading legal support on lending transactions, including bridging and real estate finance, working closely with the Credit and Product teams
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating complex loan and security documentation (e.g. facility agreements, debentures, inter-creditor agreements)
• Advising on transaction structuring, due diligence, deal execution and associated regulatory considerations
• Supporting the management of the existing lending portfolio, including restructurings, amendments, waivers, and enforcement actions where required
• Ensuring compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies, keeping pace with changes in the legal and regulatory landscape
• Providing specialist advice on UK financial services regulation, with reference to the PRA/FCA regimes, Consumer Duty, SMCR and associated obligations
• Drafting, review and negotiate a range of commercial contracts, including technology and third-party supplier agreements, ensuring terms reflect legal and regulatory requirements
• Developing and maintaining legal frameworks, precedents, policies and internal procedures appropriate for a regulated financial institution
• Support engagement with regulatory authorities including the FCA, PRA and the Financial Ombudsman Service
• Work alongside the Compliance and Risk teams to identify and mitigate legal and reputational risks and ensure effective governance

Experience needed:

• Qualified solicitor (England & Wales) with at least 10 years’ PQE, preferably gained in a top-tier law firm and/or in-house at a regulated financial institution
• Demonstrable experience in retail and/or SME lending
• Strong working knowledge of UK banking regulation and regulatory frameworks, including FCA/PRA requirements
• Experience advising on transactional lending documentation and negotiating with borrowers and external legal advisers
• A hands-on, commercially savvy approach to risk management
• Ability to communicate complex legal matters in a concise and accessible manner to a range of internal stakeholders
• Strong team player, collaborative mindset
• Excellent communication and organisation skills
• Ability to work well under pressure, efficiently and organised
• Experience leading a team

Salary and Benefits:

• £100,000 – £110,000 DOE
• Yearly Discretionary Bonus
• 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays
• Monday to Friday – 35 hours per week
• Private medical cover
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Contributory pension scheme

For further details on this new and exciting opportunity, please apply today

At Spencer & Trent, we value diversity and are committed to promoting equality. We want to assure you that the language used in this advert is not intended to exclude or discriminate against anyone, in line with the Equality Act 2010. We warmly welcome applications from all parts of society and are happy to discuss any adjustments or additional support you might need throughout the application process.

Due to the anticipated high volume of applications for this advertisement, it is with regret that we may only be able to contact applicants successful in being shortlisted. If you do not hear within 7 days, you have unfortunately not been successful on this occasion. However, your application for this or any further roles may mean that we are able to contact you when additional vacancies become available. Should you not want this to be the case, please feel free to contact us directly to ensure we are aware of your wishes.

For the purposes of the Conduct Regulations 2003, when advertising permanent vacancies Spencer & Trent is acting as an Employment Agency, and when advertising temporary/contract vacancies we are acting as an Employment Business.