AVP | Legal Specialist | Direct Assignment|Securitization

Job Purpose

This position exists to help the Consumer Banking unit on legal and regulatory matters with focus on direct assignment, securitization, and strategic partnerships.

It will provide solutions to legal and regulatory challenges and create a robust legal framework for partnerships aimed at maximising customer acquisition, engagement, and transactions within the scheme of laws and regulations. Pragmatic solutions on legal issues of retail banking business of the Bank are few key deliverables for this position.

Key Accountabilities

· Anticipate and manage legal risk - Identify, evaluate, and address issues of legal risk in retail banking products & services (like credit cards, home loans, electronic banking services etc), securitization, co-lending, direct assignment transactions.

· Drafting and Negotiation - Independently design, draft, negotiate and approve legal contracts, letters of agreement, policies and other documents related to banking products and operational matters. Effectively manage outsourcing contracts and mortgages. Ability to innovate & standardize documents to make them customer friendly is crucial.

· Business Enabler - Provide pragmatic and effective legal advice using research and interpretation skills to achieve business objectives. As an expert of laws, provide consultative guidance for Bank's strategic goals, objectives, and partnerships.

· Think Strategically - Be a strategic contributor by proactively sharing legal updates and business opportunities emerging therefrom.

· Customer Focus - Participate in the development of transparent and legally sound processes, policies. Conduct risk reviews and develop procedures designed to reduce legal risk.

· Relationship led – Develop trust and strong relationships with internal stakeholders

Job Duties & responsibilities

• Develop good understanding of the products, internal processes, and customer journeys

• Focus on providing legal support to retail banking unit on securitization, direct assignment, partnerships, and co-lending deals

• Provide practical legal advice to business and support units to ensure that legal issues are identified and resolved, and that legal risk is adequately managed

• Provide day-to-day legal support in the form of advisory and legal documentation on partnerships for expanding distribution of retail banking products and services.

• Responsible to stay updated with latest developments in the field of technology, for sharing impact of major changes in law

• Responsible for providing guidance on handling customers complaints, vetting response to complaints to senior management, responding to notices from regulators/ authorities, vetting legal notices, etc.

• Always adhere to the legal risk management policies of the Bank and any prescribed legal standards.

• Identify and highlight legal risks appropriately while providing mitigating solutions.

• Able to adapt and respond to the fast changes in delivery of legal services and customer demands

Required Experience

• Must have independently worked on direct assignment and securitization transactions

• Experience in leading negotiations on complex partnerships

• Good knowledge of RBI guidelines and banking practices more specifically securitization

• Demonstrated history around drafting and negotiations

• Customer focussed

Education / Preferred Qualifications - Law graduate with at least 10 years PQE in a Bank/NBFC

Core Competencies

• Excellent diagnostic skills and rigorous approach to problem solving

• Excellent communication and negotiation skills at all levels, especially drafting & writing skills

• Excellent comprehension skills to understand and interpret industry data and economic trends

• Strong formal presentation skills to gain acceptance to solutions, both internally and externally

• Attention to detail & Tenacious

• Ability to think creatively and identify innovative solutions

• Should have a stable mindset to handle issues & also be able to think through a problem.

• Should be able to identify and forecast legal & compliance risks / rewards, in line with proposed business growth & find solutions

Technical Competencies

• Technical Expert with good knowledge of banking practices and financial services

• Strong technical ability & ability to grasp new technical areas of law very quickly

• Knowledge on all related laws in India especially laws governing RBI, SEBI, IRDA, AMFI, etc.

• General understanding of various applicable statutes/ laws

Work Relationship

• Close working relationship with business heads, product owners & internal support functions to sign off & ensure compliance for all products & services offered by DBS India.

• Establish a working relationship with Legal & Compliance team in India & Singapore