Payments Legal Counsel - VP

Job Purpose

To ensure that the payment activities are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and to help the bank manage legal risks associated with these activities.

Key Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of best‑practice legal strategies for risk management and compliance.
• Provide legal advice and support to the bank’s payment‑related activities, including merchant acquiring, card issuance, cross‑currency payments, payment systems and mobile payments.
• Represent the bank in legal proceedings related to payment services, such as litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations.
• Create and review legal documents such as payment services agreements, cardholder agreements and other payment‑related agreements to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and negotiate with counterparties where relevant.
• Proactively identify, communicate and provide legal advice on applicable laws, rules and regulations (LRRs).
• Keep up to date with changes to LRRs in the relevant coverage area.
• Ensure that LRRs are effectively allocated to, and adequately reflected within, the relevant policies, standards and controls.

Role Responsibilities

Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management, on functional and cross‑functional areas of impact and alignment. Manage and mitigate risks in support of the control and governance agenda. Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls. Provide a comprehensive understanding of organisational functions to contribute to achieving the business goals. Collaborate with other areas of work to keep up to speed with business activity and strategies. Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thinking and complex alternative comparison. Perform in‑depth analysis with interpretative thinking to define problems and develop innovative solutions. Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills.

Leadership Expectations

If the position includes leadership responsibilities, the individual should demonstrate the following behaviours: Listen and be authentic, Energise and inspire, Align across the enterprise, and Develop others. For an individual contributor, the role requires subject‑matter expert status, guiding technical direction, leading collaborative multi‑year assignments, training and coaching less experienced specialists, and influencing business outcomes.

Key Qualifications

• Qualified solicitor with experience in payments or related legal practice.
• In‑depth knowledge of and experience advising on the Second Payment Services Directive and the Payments Service Regulations.
• Experience providing advice on foreign exchange products.
• Detailed understanding of Strong Customer Authentication requirements and the relevant Regulatory Technical Standards.
• Considerable communication and influencing skills – verbal and written (technical and non‑technical).
• Strong analytical judgement, self‑starter and integrity.
• Prior in‑house experience is highly valued.
• Understanding of the Consumer Credit Act.
• Considerable commercial focus.
• Willingness to undertake varied tasks and expand knowledge into other areas.

Location

Role can be based in Northampton, Glasgow, Manchester or Birmingham.