Senior Counsel Strategic Projects

Job title:

Senior Counsel Strategic Projects

Company:

AXA

Job description

Whatever their stage of life, we provide over 108 million customers with the products and services they need to progress. From insurance to personal protection, and savings to wealth management, no matter the need we’re always there for them. And we’re always there for our employees. In 50 countries, we work hard to inspire pride and a sense of belonging in our people. To provide opportunities that challenge them, inspire them, and reward them. And to create a culture that’s open, supportive, and empowering. Because we know that’s the real secret to success – and the best way for us to keep building a better world for both our customers and the talented people who put them first.Your work environment:The headquarters of the AXA Group (GIE AXA) brings together our corporate activities. It provides guidance and support to subsidiaries around the world, to ensure the coordination and monitoring of the Group’s global strategy, the application of its standards, the consistency of commercial approaches and the sharing of best practices. The headquarters gathers approximately 1000 employees and is distinguished by its strong international culture (45 nationalities), which makes it a rich and stimulating place to work.Within the Group, you will join the Group Legal department composed of 4 teams (i) Insurance, Reinsurance & Strategic Projects, (ii) M&A, (iii) Corporate Governance and (iv) Corporate Finance.Within this Department, you will be part of the Insurance, Reinsurance and Strategic Projects Team and report into the Head of Legal – Insurance, Reinsurance & Strategic Projects.Your job and daily missions:Reporting directly to the Head of Legal – Insurance, Reinsurance & Strategic Projects, the Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects is a key role within the Group Legal function and Strategic Projects Team.JOB PURPOSEThe primary function of the role is to provide advice and guidance on, and to be part of the Group’s centre of legal expertise for, insurance, reinsurance and key strategic project-related topics and issues affecting the Group at any point in time. As more fully set out below, the role covers the full spectrum of topics related to the AXA Group’s operations and involves exposure to the Group’s central functions and other functional teams in AXA entities around the globe.DIMENSION

• Insurance / Reinsurance:

• Analyzing legal risks to provide pragmatic, tailored and business-friendly advice that meets both commercial objectives and compliance with the relevant legal and regulatory environment, as well as considering reputational issues for AXA as a leading high-profile global company
• Preparing presentations and memos and preparing/participating in internal meetings and committees
• Ensuring that the structuring, drafting and/or reviewing of documents is high quality in line with best-in-class internal and market standards o Bringing (re)insurance expertise to matters handled by Group Legal as and when required
• Overseeing legal aspects of the insurance and reinsurance programs of AXA SA
• Direct engagement with counterparties (who can be external or internal legal counsel, other professional advisers or management) in negotiating insurance/reinsurance o Advising on and implementing strategic reinsurance deals
• Strategic Projects:

• Supporting on the execution of corporate and strategic projects which deliver on our strategic plan “Unlock the Future” objectives and ensuring legal certainty for the Group, with consistency of best practice and results across the Group (mitigating risk, delivering value)
• Supporting Head of Legal – Insurance, Reinsurance & Strategic Projects on a variety of discrete tasks across a wide array of topics, including Brand, Human Resources, Procurement, Sustainability, and Technology/AI matters
• Provide advice, guidance, and legal leadership to the business in times of crisis.
• Monitor and advise on emerging topics that can impact the business, including regulatory developments and claims/litigation-related matters
• Providing support to the broader Group Legal team, (M&A, Corporate Finance and Corporate Governance teams) on key matters arising out M&A, corporate simplification, litigation, bancassurance agreements and data issues as well as any ad hoc issues that may arise
• Ensuring smooth co-ordination with the internal AXA Group functions (Finance, Risk, Compliance, Public Affairs, Communications, Investor Relations, HR, tax), local operating entities and external advisors
• Corporate and strategic advisory:

• Analyzing legal risks to provide pragmatic, tailored and business-friendly advice that meets both commercial objectives and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, as well as considering reputational issues for AXA as a leading high-profile global company
• Exercising judgement on significant and sensitive issues, with escalation on key legal and reputational risks up to Group General Counsel and key stakeholders
• Preparing and participating in internal governance, including attendance, as required, as the legal representative on senior management committees and preparing presentations and memos for internal committees
• Strategic thinking – challenging the status quo to enable AXA to move ahead with its strategic plan
• Legal Operations: engagement and management of international external lawyers, including monitoring activities of global panel law firms and legal operations
• Matter and Budget management

• Choosing external legal counsel for different projects, explaining requirements, negotiating fees, actively managing services provided including challenging them at the partner level
• Smooth co-ordination with the internal AXA teams (GST, GRM, Compliance, Public Affairs, PBRC, Communications, Investor Relations, HR, tax) and local operating entity CEO/CFO/GC, plus external advisors (external counsel, accountants, actuaries)
• Thought leadership

• Horizon-scanning on emerging legal issues/risk, including training to non-legal AXA teams
• Networking with legal and other market players to keep up to date with evolving legal environment and market trends
• Keeping up to date with legal developments/ AXA’s business lines, innovation

CONTEXT AND MAJOR CHALLENGES

• Lead and influence: The Senior Counsel Strategic Projects must show leadership on a wide range of legal topics and be able to positively influence Group Senior Management, the senior management of the wider Group’s businesses and the Group Legal team. The Senior Counsel Strategic Projects must establish excellent rapport with, and the trust of, senior management across the Group so needs to be a compelling communicator that operates with integrity and credibility but also flexibility and nuance. The role also involves working hand-in-hand with functional teams at Group Level (such as Group Compliance, Group Risk Management, Group Communications, Group Sustainability etc) as well as teams at entity level, participating in steering committees and playing a key role in presenting/escalating the legal aspects of projects and issues to the Group General Counsel. An ability to motive, inspire and positively influence is critical for working with multiple counter-parties and internal teams with potentially competing objectives to find a commercially sensible and mutually working solution.
• Think clearly and provide clarity in complex, uncertain and evolving situations: The Senior Counsel Strategic Projects is required to advise and provide clarity on issues and areas of law that may be uncertain and in situations that themselves may be evolving. The Senior Counsel Projects needs to be able to distill and communicate complex problems and solutions and have the confidence to assist Group Senior Management and steer decision-making even in environments with high levels of ambiguity.
• Innovative: AXA is a leader in many aspects of the Group’s business. Therefore, frequently the legal topics and issues the Senior Counsel, Special Projects is dealing with are novel with no precedent. The Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects is expected to think innovatively about issues, drawing on internal and external experience, to identify the best way to achieve commercial outcomes.
• Responsive with an ability to manage competing demands: This is a high-pressure role. The Senior Counsel, Special Projects does not control the flow of work: projects are often opportunistic but frequently work demands also arise out of challenges faced by the Group. Most issues are time sensitive with short time-pressured timelines. As such the Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects must be comfortable with, and have the ability to manage, multiple global, sensitive and complex legal topics simultaneously.
• Agile and pragmatic: The Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects needs to have the experience and flexibility to apply skills to problem solving:

• in different jurisdictions, from mature and stable legal systems to emerging and untested markets
• with different counterparts and stakeholders, ranging from regulators, to sophisticated international financial institutions to individuals wherever they may be in the world,
• in a wide range of businesses, from traditional business lines (life and non-life insurance and asset management) to emerging areas such as technology and health as AXA looks to transform its business model and enter new business lines in accordance with Group’s Strategic Plan – Unlock the Future.
• the full spectrum of legal topics including material litigation, regulatory investigations, ESG, sensitive disclosure matters, brand issues etc.
• Autonomous: The Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects needs to be able to complement and dovetail with the Head of Legal – Insurance, Reinsurance & Strategic Projects on a wide range of topics. As such, the Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects needs to be driven/highly motivated and highly autonomous with enthusiasm for new areas of expertise, agility to work outside their comfort zone and pick-up, analyze and become expert on new topics quickly on a regular basis. The Senior Counsel, Strategic Projects is required to be self-starting and results focused with a “can do” approach.

Qualifications

• Technical skills and experience:

• Experience of 8+/ years as lawyer in an in-house legal team
• Strong knowledge of financial and/or insurance regulatory environment
• Experience working internationally advising on multi-jurisdictional issues
• Fluent in English and, ideally, in French
• Personal skills and attributes:

• Pragmatic approach to problem solving – a flexible, consultative working style with the ability to influence collaboratively
• Team player with ability to motivate, inspire and influence across departments/ the Group (One AXA)
• Embraces the challenges of multicultural work
• Proactive and energetic
• Can operate at a high-level under tight deadlines, with competing priorities

Expected salary

Location

Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine

Job date

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 22:54:56 GMT

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