VP Product and Solutions Legal

Job Description 

VP Product and Solutions Legal  

Job Purpose/Background: 

BlackRock is looking to hire an experienced funds and asset management lawyer to join its Products and Solutions Legal team. 

The role will provide legal support in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region as part of BlackRock’s Products and Solutions Legal team. This team supports BlackRock’s asset management businesses in EMEA across all client-facing business lines and includes fund formation, investment management and advisory services (including outsourced Chief Investment Officer services, retail wealth solutions and model portfolios) and marketing, distribution, and partnership arrangements.  

The role will also includes implementation of regulatory developments as these impact the businesses supported.  

As this is a broad role, the candidate is not required to have experience in every area covered by the role, although asset management and regulatory experience would be helpful.  The candidate will work in a team of ~30 lawyers in London who form the Products and Solutions Legal Team within the broader EMEA Legal & Compliance department. The Products and Solutions Legal Team is a diverse team comprising lawyers qualified in a number of different countries, paralegals and administrative staff.  

The individual will be expected to work with a high degree of proactivity and accountability and, recognising that the individual is also part of a broader team, communicate and escalate appropriately to senior managers. The candidate will be expected to take on a complete workload as soon as possible after joining and partner closely with the relevant businesses they support - training and support will be provided. 
 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Advise the business across a range of asset management product and solutions opportunities, including drafting and negotiating key document (IMAs, joint ventures, distributions partnerships etc.), advising on relevant regulatory perimeter issues and guiding internal business partners to ensure the best legal outcomes 

• Identify, address and manage legal risk arising within the respective businesses supported, the investment products managed by BlackRock, and BlackRock more generally; 

• Work with colleagues in core regulatory legal team and compliance to interpret new regulations to help the businesses navigate the changing regulatory environment and to implement new regulations; 

• Manage and work with external legal counsel where appropriate to deliver products and/or solutions to clients on behalf of business stakeholders; 

• Advise on the establishment and distribution of fund products, including UCITS and AIF products in Ireland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom and/or the Netherlands and listed exchange traded products; 

• Develops constructive professional relationships across the firm (particularly client businesses and other internal stakeholders)  

Knowledge/Experience: 

• At least 4 years’ relevant investment management or other financial services experience (gained either in private practice or the in-house legal team of a financial services organisation). 

• Solicitor / lawyer qualified in England and Wales, Scotland or in a jurisdiction in the European Union. 

• Technical expertise and experience would be helpful in at least some of the following: MiFID (including inducements rules), UCITS, AIFMD, SFDR, SDR, UK Consumer Duty, ESMA Fund Naming rules, Prospectus Regulations, Benchmark Regulations, MiCA. 

• Drafting proficiency in English is a must. Language proficiency in French or German would be a bonus but not required. 

• Strong academic record. 

Competencies: 

• Ability to explain complex legal and regulatory concepts to non-lawyers; 

• Ability to work as a team in a collaborative way and personable; 

• Ability to work autonomously and manage own work-load and yet also provide updates and escalate issues whenever appropriate; 

• Ability to actively manage internal and external client expectations; 

• Ability to clarify tasks and requirements, organise time and manage workload to ensure deadlines are met; 

• Ability to manage multiple tasks concurrently; 

• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the firm in verbal and written form;