Position                                   : Vice President, Banking Legal Advisory
Department                              : Group Legal
Direct Supervisor (Solid)         : Executive Vice President, Banking Legal Advisory In-Direct Supervisor (Dotted) : N/A

Job Purpose Summary:

The incumbent will contribute towards the adequacy and effectiveness of the Relevant Areas legal function within the
bank, with particular focus on activities at Head Office level/in Doha.

The incumbent will ensure accurate legal advice is provided to all the Relevant Areas business areas by all the legal functions operating throughout the bank, but with particular focus on activities at Head Office level/in Doha. Assist in negotiating all major banking product agreements to which the Group becomes a party including corporate and retail loans.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities by Dimensions:

Shareholder & Financial:
- Continuously seek to reduce/control the external legal spend of the Group while maintaining a prudent level and quality of advice as required by the needs of the Group.
- Assist with the requirements of the Group’s legal departments located outside Qatar where assistance from head office is required.
- Continuously highlight the high legal risk issues confronted by the Group arising from potential/existing contracts/agreements, changes in relevant legislation (where not handled by Compliance) and take adequate and timely mitigating actions to safeguard the Group’s interest.
- Contribute to the creation of Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”) for performance monitoring and quality measurement purposes for Group Legal and monitor their achievement on periodic basis.
- Implements KPI’s and best practices for the Banking Advisory Legal.
- Promote cost consciousness and efficiency and enhance productivity, to minimise cost, avoid waste, and optimise benefits for the Group.
- Act within the limits of the powers delegated to the incumbent and delegate authority to the respective staff and monitor exercise of the same.
- Demonstrate clear understanding of the important factors behind the bank's financial & non-financial performance.

Customer (Internal & External):
- Ensure that Group Legal is among the most highly regarded service providers within the Group.
- Liaise with external legal consultants appointed by the Group and provide them with required information.
- Providing legal advice to the business and other departments/units on any issue whenever needed.
- To assist customers in all their queries on Bank’s product and seek solution to their requests.
- Maintain activities in accordance with Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with internal departments/units to achieve improvements in turn-around time.
- Build and maintain strong/effective relationships with related departments/units to achieve the Group’s objectives.
- Provide timely/accurate data to external/internal Auditors, Compliance, Financial Control and Risk when required.

Internal (Processes, Products, Regulatory):
- Review and revise the existing policies and procedures for the domestic and overseas operations serviced by Group Legal to ensure these reflect current practices and changes in relevant laws/ regulations (where same is not handled by Compliance).
- Plan, direct and manage the activities of assigned professional and non-professional personnel in Group Legal. Delegate assignments and provide counseling and guidance in the performance of their work.
- Monitor the local / international regulatory environment, as applicable, and assess the impact of related changes on the overall Group risk profile (where same is not handled by compliance).
- Assist all business areas with the preparation of template documentation where the volume of transactions justifies this.
- Approves (with or without external legal consultants) documentation where standard documentation is not available, or where deviations from standard documentation are required.
- Ensure provision of well-researched legal advice to all departments within the Group on matters relating to Group's transactions.

- Ensure the maintenance of a database of the Group’s legal documentation.
- Provide legal opinions on new activities and products, on complex, and cross border transactions.
- Act within the limits of the powers delegated to the incumbent.
- Develop and implement adequate monitoring system from Group Legal’s perspective to ensure that bank’s interests are safeguarded. Work in close liaison with other units in the Group in identifying potential opportunities to develop a culture of Legal awareness across the Group.
- Continuous Improvement:
  - Set examples by leading improvement initiatives through cross-functional teams ensuring successes.
  - Identify and encourage people to adopt practices better than the industry standard.
  - Continuously encourage and recognise the importance of thinking out-of-the-box within the team.
  - Encourage, solicit and reward innovative ideas even in day-to-day issues.
Learning & Knowledge:
- Contribute to Group Legal’s training plan.
- Possess superior knowledge of the key terms of commercial transactions for loans (conventional or Islamic), and applicable Qatari/English law.
- Experience of translating strategic goals into high level “courses of action” that effect Group Legal’s goals.
- Transfer of knowledge to Qatari staff within the division.
- Proactively identify areas for professional development of self and undertake development activities.
- Seek out opportunities to remain current with all developments in professional field.
- Hold meetings with staff and assess their performance and your teams overall performance on a regular basis.
- Take decisive action to ensure speedy resolution of unresolved grievances or conflicts within the team members.
- Identify development opportunities and activities for staff and facilitate/coach them to improve their effectives and prepare them to assume greater responsibilities.
Legal, Regulatory, and Risk Framework Responsibilities:
- Comply with all applicable legal, regulatory and internal compliance requirements including, but not limited to, Group Compliance Policies and Procedures (AML & CTF, Sanctions Policy, Data Protection Policy, Fraud Control Policy, Whistle Blowing Policy, Conflict of Interest and Insider Dealing Policy).
- Understand and effectively perform Group Legal’s role under the Three Lines of Defence principle to identify measure, monitor, manage and report legal risks.
- Ensure systematic good outcomes for clients in accordance with Conduct Risk policy.
- Support the framework of RCSA, KRI, Incident reporting and remediation, as appropriate, in accordance with the Operational Risk Management requirements.
- Maintain appropriate knowledge to ensure full qualification to undertake the role.
- Complete all mandatory training provided by the Group, attain, and maintain the required levels of competence.
- Attend mandatory (internal and external) seminars as instructed by the Group.
Other:
- Ensure high standards of data protection and confidentiality to safeguard commercially sensitive information.
- Maintaining utmost confidentiality concerning customer and internal bank information obtained during the course of business and provide such information on a need to know basis only to Senior Management of the bank, Audit and Compliance functions, and relevant Regulators.
- Maintain high professional standards to uphold bank’s reputation and to strengthen its market leadership position.
- All other ad hoc duties/activities related to bank that management might request from time to time.

Education & Experience Requirements:

- Bachelor’s degree preferably with a Major in Marketing, Banking, Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration or Information Technology (related field of study).
- Admission to the professional bar, law society or attorney association of a recognized jurisdiction is required unless the candidate is from a jurisdiction, which does not permit such admission.

At least 12 years of relevant experience, preferably within a highly rated international bank and legal experience in the legal profession with a major financial institution/law firm.

Required Special Skills:

- Superior commercial and financial experience to be able to optimize the negotiating position of the Group.
- Superior knowledge of Qatar and English commercial laws as impact the financial sector.
- Superior knowledge of transactions terms as relate to financings.
- Thorough competence in several legal areas including banking transactions.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills (including report writing) in English and Arabic.
- Good interpersonal and presentation skills.
- Understanding of the relevant laws, regulations, and practices.
- Ability to make decisions and follow through with initiatives.
- Personal integrity and self-management.

- Planning, organising, and analytical ability.
- Results oriented.
- Strong analytical skills and the ability to communicate both verbally and in writing with all levels of management.
- Flexible team player and able to work and deliver under pressure.
- Ability to inspire and motivate others to gain commitment.
- Ability to put systems in place to ensure knowledge of international laws / regulations in the jurisdictions where the Group operates.

Operating Environment/Location:

- The referenced position will be in Qatar with visits to domestic and overseas entities as and when required/considered necessary.

Framework & Boundaries:

- Group’s overall strategic plan.
- Budgetary/ scorecard targets.
- Applicable policies and procedures.
- Delegated authorities as per the delegation of authority structure.

Communications & Working Relationships:

- Divisional/departmental personnel and all other related divisional/departmental personnel across the Group.
- External auditors, external professional associations/bodies etc. external legal consultants, lawyers and subject matter experts as and when required.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

- Directly Supervise (Solid): AVP Banking Legal Advisory, Senior Manager Banking Legal Advisory, Manager Banking Legal Advisory, Assistant Manager Banking Legal Advisory, Senior Associate Banking Legal Advisory and Associate Banking Legal Advisory.
- In-Directly Supervise (Dotted): N/A

VP-Legal Advisory