Director & Legal Counsel, Investments

This role requires a balance of responsibilities spanning investment related legal work and strategic leadership, including:

• Providing integrated, strategic and risk-adjusted legal advice to help Teachers make better decisions on investment related matters across all asset classes
• Engaging in assessment and resolution of issues and crisis management
• Demonstrating leadership and representation on behalf of Corporate Affairs (CA) across Teachers
• Supporting the implementation of the Global Investment Counsel Team (GICT) strategy

Key work outputs and accountabilities

Investment Related Legal Work

• Provide strategic, high quality and business oriented legal counsel to Teachers across investment areas represented in the relevant region of employment, including but not limited to, helping to drive compliance with relevant laws and regulations, provide advice on legal risks and support Teachers culture of workplace fairness and equity
• Provide advice and counsel to the Investment Division and related corporate functions on highly sensitive issues to ensure alignment with Teachers culture and effective management of reputation issues
• Anticipate and foresee legal and reputation risks and advise on mitigation
• Support the Global General Counsel, Investments on matters upon which you have advised that are going to the IC-GPI
• Oversee the provision of advice on a wide range of legal and investment law matters including: investment, management and disposal of plan assets, add-on acquisitions, reorganizations and investment structures, refinancing, litigation, regulatory inquiries, asset management and value creation
• Monitor and advise on legislative and regulatory changes that are related to investments and, where applicable, develop and submit Teachers positions in relation to such changes in collaboration with the Government and Public Affairs team
• Build strong, collaborative relationships and trust and confidence with Teachers key internal and external stakeholders
• Providing legal advice on:
• Development and interpretation of corporate policies and procedures with a particular focus on those related to the investment and management of plan assets
• Investment Division submissions to relevant Investment Committees
• Teachers wholly-owned subsidiaries
• Retention and supervision of external legal counsel engaged to advise Teachers on investment related matters and ultimately bearing responsibility for the content and quality of external counsel's advice
• Supporting external counsel relationship management at the regional ICT level
• Partner with Investment deal teams in negotiating and settling legal documentation among parties to a transaction, acting as an intermediary between Investment Division staff and external legal counsel and coordinating with other Teachers support teams for successful transaction implementation
• Assisting external legal counsel in representing Teachers and its subsidiaries before regulators and courts in connection with investment matters
• Supporting the activities of the Investment Division both during and outside of traditional working hours, including evenings and weekends and through travel, where the nature of the matter requires it

Strategic Leadership

• Act as a support network for the GICT with respect to transactional matters, strategic projects, and CA colleagues more broadly, fostering a culture of success as a team
• Support strategy and approach of GICT to create consistency in risk tolerance and service levels
• Support the promotion and protection of the reputation of Teachers to attract talent, drive growth, generate business opportunities and reinforce its social license to operate
• Support a learning culture and growth mindset, rooted in innovation and transformation not only within the GICT, but across CA and Teachers more broadly
• Seek, assess, and leverage digital opportunities and capabilities

Management accountability

• Act with considerable autonomy and full accountability, with minimal guidance, for the resolution of transactional legal matters on behalf of Teachers
• Managing external legal counsel advice and related legal fees
• Ultimate accountability for the content and quality of external counsel's advice on investment related matters upon which you have advised

Decision making

• Manages multiple transactions for various asset classes and can be innovative and creative to address novel situations
• Demonstrated independence in managing transactions from a legal perspective and making informed decisions and executing independently with minimal supervision
• Evaluates issues accurately, seeks out input from other relevant stakeholders or specialists and escalates appropriately
• Supports integration, teamwork and collaboration across CA
• Supports knowledge sharing across the GICT
• Strong communications skills and ability to adapt communications style based on audience, both written and oral, to provide advice effectively
• Strong presentation and legal project management skills
• Affinity for using technology to find efficient ways to collate and disseminate knowledge
• Knows how to earn credibility and trust within Teachers across client base and functional partners and builds and manages effective relationships
• Demonstrates personal initiative, strives to innovate and build best practices but is highly attuned to the need for pragmatic solutions
• Demonstrates a growth mindset and contributes to a positive culture

Essential qualifications, knowledge and experience

Qualifications

• 8-10+ years of relevant legal experience at a top-tier law firm or in-house at a leading company
• Proven ability to act in an ethical manner with a focus on preserving reputation
• Proficient in critical thinking, capability to negotiate, influence and make recommendations and facilitate decision making
• Disciplined critical thinking, sound judgement and experience of working collaboratively
• Excellent judgment and alignment with Teachers values and critical behaviours
• Graduate from an internationally recognized law school along with active membership/admission to an internationally recognized Law Society

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of the pertinent statute laws, policy and judicial decisions relating to investment transactions and familiarity with global regulatory frameworks relating to investments
• Continuous legal research and monitoring of developments as necessary to keep abreast of the developing law, policy and practice
• Excellent research and analytical skills and ability to make sound legal recommendations
• Ability to exercise good judgment of when to escalate issues
• Strong communication skills (oral and written), excellent interpersonal and client service orientation
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage and balance competing priorities, work independently, manage projects and thrive in a high-performance team environment
• Informed judgement, exceptional business acumen, and the ability to quickly grasp issues and concepts, see the big picture, and make sound, seasoned decisions
• Knowledge of legal market practice in the relevant region of employment

Experience

• 8-10+ years experience in private equity, M&A, securities and/or corporate finance in global environments
• Proven experience in the investment industry
• Strong commercial awareness
• Strong track record of mergers and acquisitions experience