Senior Legal Counsel

Senior Legal Counsel – FNZ (India) Department: Commercial Legal + India Legal
Location: Gurugram, India Reports to: General Counsel APAC Experience: 10+
years’ experience in commercial contracting with demonstrated senior advisory
and governance responsibility Role Purpose The Senior Legal Counsel will support
FNZ’s India and APAC business by delivering authoritative, enterprise‑level
legal advice, with a strong focus on corporate governance, legal risk
management, and senior stakeholder advisory, alongside complex commercial
contracting. The role requires a confident senior lawyer who can independently
assess risk, articulate trade‑offs, and advise business leadership on how to
progress in complex, ambiguous, or high‑pressure situations. This role acts as
the senior legal presence in India, supporting India Leadership by ensuring
appropriate legal, governance, and risk leadership for FNZ’s India operations,
and by influencing decision‑making at the management and regional leadership
level. While commercial contracting remains an important component, this role is
not intended to be a pure transactional execution role and requires the ability
to step back from documentation to provide forward‑looking judgement, risk
framing, and clear recommendations. Key Responsibilities Provide senior legal
advisory support to India and APAC leadership on matters involving corporate
governance, legal risk, regulatory interpretation, and complex decision‑making.
Contribute to India‑specific legal governance frameworks, policies, escalation
protocols, and reporting to align with APAC/Global Legal standards. Draft,
review, and negotiate complex, high‑value, and strategically important
commercial contracts, but with accountability for overall risk outcomes rather
than document execution alone, including technology and platform services
agreements, SaaS, outsourcing and managed services, supplier, licensing, and
strategic partnership arrangements. Own and lead discussions on legal and
contractual risk, including when matters are ambiguous, precedent is unclear, or
business urgency is high. Take responsibility for intra-group agreements between
FNZ entities, including both regulated entities and non-regulated entities
across our global business , with attention to governance, authority matrices,
and regulatory expectations. Act as a trusted senior advisor to business
leaders, providing clear, structured, and persuasive advice that balances
commercial objectives with legal and regulatory risk. Partner closely with
business, risk, compliance, information security, and operations teams to
deliver decisive, solution‑oriented legal advice, including in grey or ambiguous
scenarios. Identify, assess, and manage legal and contractual risks, exercising
sound judgment, taking ownership of recommendations, and escalating issues with
clear options and rationale. Support regulatory and compliance matters impacting
FNZ’s operations, including financial services regulation, data protection,
employment law, outsourcing, and operational resilience. Support and manage
junior members of the team, providing clear direction, coaching, and quality
oversight to build capability and accountability. Demonstrate the ability to
combine technology‑enabled efficiency with senior legal judgment rather than
relying solely on process or automation. Legal Technology, AI & CLM Leverage CLM
and legal technology tools as enablers, not substitutes, for senior legal
judgement, ensuring that technology‑driven processes are aligned with FNZ’s risk
appetite and governance standards. Experience & Capabilities At least 10+ years’
post‑qualification experience with a meaningful portion spent in senior in‑house
advisory roles or leading law firms. Strong background in commercial contracting
combined with visible experience advising leadership on high‑risk or high‑impact
matters. Demonstrated executive presence, with the ability to credibly engage,
challenge, and influence senior stakeholders. Proven capability to translate
complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, structured advice and decisive
recommendations. Evidence of strong judgement, confidence, and ownership when
navigating grey areas, rather than relying on process, precedent, or escalation
alone. Exposure to employment law & HR compliance, litigation and dispute
resolution oversight, liaising with external law firms. Experience of managing
and supporting junior staff with evidence of training and developing junior
lawyers to become high-performing members of the legal team. Exposure to
fintech, financial services, SaaS, or platform-based business models preferred.
Experience working in a global environment with cross-border stakeholders and
multiple time zones. Experience operating in environments where ambiguity,
incomplete information, and competing priorities are common. Qualifications
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from a recognised university in India. Additional
certifications or training in commercial law, financial services regulation,
technology law or data protection are an advantage. Key Attributes Strong
executive presence with the ability to influence, challenge, and advise senior
stakeholders credibly. Commercially focused with a strong understanding of
business drivers Structured thinker, able to present issues, options, and
recommendations succinctly and persuasively. Practical, solutions-oriented
approach to risk management Strong ownership, attention to detail, and
accountability Collaborative, adaptable, and delivery-focused mindset
Comfortable working flexibly across time zones, including alignment with UK/
Australia business hours KPIs / Success Measures Provide timely, high‑quality
legal advice aligned with APAC Legal strategy and risk appetite. Effectively
identify, manage, and escalate material legal and regulatory risks in line with
FNZ frameworks. Delivery of clear, timely, and commercially pragmatic legal
advice that enables informed business decision‑making. Maintain strong
regulatory and compliance outcomes with no material breaches attributable to
legal oversight Build trusted relationships and cross border collaboration with
APAC and India stakeholders, evidenced by positive feedback Operate as an
integrated extension of the APAC Legal team, contributing to regional
initiatives and standards Team Environment The India Legal Team operates as an
extension of the APAC Legal function, providing integrated legal support across
the region and reporting into the APAC General Counsel. About FNZ FNZ is
committed to opening up wealth so that everyone, everywhere can invest in their
future on their terms. We know the foundation to do that already exists in the
wealth management industry, but complexity holds firms back. We created wealth’s
growth platform to help. We provide a global, end-to-end wealth management
platform that integrates modern technology with business and investment
operations. All in a regulated financial institution. We partner with the
world’s leading financial institutions, with over US$2.4 trillion in assets on
platform (AoP). Together with our clients, we empower nearly 30 million people
across all wealth segments to invest in their future. FNZ is committed to
opening up wealth so that everyone, everywhere can invest in their future on
their terms. We know the foundation to do that already exists in the wealth
management industry, but complexity holds firms back. We created wealth’s growth
platform to help. We provide a global, end-to-end wealth management platform
that integrates modern technology with business and investment operations. All
in a regulated financial institution. We partner with the world’s leading
financial institutions, with over US$2.4 trillion in assets on platform (AoP).
Together with our clients, we empower nearly 30 million people across all wealth
segments to invest in their future.