Director, M&A and Strategic Transactions Legal

Barclays have a great opportunity for a Director, M&A and Strategic Transactions Legal to join our Legal team. This is a permanent role, based in London.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategic Transactions (“MAST”) Legal team at Barclays as a senior Director and be part of the MAST Legal leadership team. The MAST Legal team covers all principal M&A, strategic minority investments, intragroup restructurings and other strategic transactions on behalf of the Barclays Group, globally. We advise on a wide range of transactions, including buying and selling businesses; portfolios of assets (such as loans, credit cards or other receivables); strategic internal reorganisations; joint ventures; strategic partnerships and collaborations; venture capital investments in companies such as fintechs, digital assets and climate startups (ranging from direct equity investments, investments in funds and partnerships, share warrants/SAFEs or convertible loan notes) or from debt for equity transactions; in addition to general corporate and regulatory advisory work on portfolio companies. 

This is a highly strategic senior Director role with a focus on M&A transactions but with the opportunity to work on a variety of other transactional and advisory matters. This role will involve engagement with senior stakeholders including the Group General Counsel and other General Counsel across Barclays, as well as the Heads of Barclays Corporate Development and Principal Investments and members of the executive management team at Barclays including business CEOs. 

The role includes the following responsibilities: 

• Leading and supporting complex, cross border transactions across the full transaction lifecycle, from earlystage strategic assessment and structuring, through to due diligence, negotiation and signing and closing. 

• Preparing and presenting clear, concise legal advice and analysis for senior management, executive committees and the Board, supporting informed decision making on complex transactions. 

• Identifying, assessing and coordinating the management of key legal and regulatory risks arising in transactions, working closely with subject matter experts across Barclays Legal and the wider Barclays Group. 

• Selection, instruction and management of external legal advisers globally, ensuring high quality, commercially focused advice and effective cost and risk management across all transactions. 
   

As a senior member of the MAST Legal leadership team, the role will involve thought leadership on market developments and evolving legal and regulatory risk, helping to shape best practice across the Barclays Group as well as playing a key role in developing and driving the strategic direction and objectives of a highly ambitious and successful in-house M&A/Corporate legal team. 

To be successful as a Director in the MAST Legal team, you should have experience in all of the above, in addition to the following:  

• Advising on all areas of UK Corporate/M&A law including UK Listing Rules 

• Ability to prioritize a high volume of work and to operate both independently and as a global team, with strong project management and organisational skills 

• A strong track record in the following:  

• Strong communication skills and attention to detail 

• Drive and commitment, including ability to deliver under pressure 

• Strong interpersonal skills to build key relationships with stakeholders 

• A strong risk and controls mindset 

Some other highly valued skills include:  

• Experience in the financial services sector, either in-house or in private practice 

• Experience in providing regulatory advice in the financial services sector 

• Experience in US M&A and other corporate transactions 

• Experience of BVCA and NVCA model documentation 

Purpose of the role

To ensure that the principal / own-account merger and acquisition and minority investment activities in addition to corporate reorganisations are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to help the bank manage legal risks associated with these activities. 

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of best practice legal strategies to identify and manage compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.
• Legal advice and support to the bank's mergers and acquisitions, minority investment and structuring teams on legal matters including due diligence, deal structuring, negotiation and drafting of legal documents and other transactional matters.
• Representation of the bank in legal proceedings related to mergers and acquisitions, minority investments or reorganisations such as litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations (together with Litigation).
• Creation, negotiation and review of legal documents such as acquisition and sale agreements, joint venture agreements, shareholder and other investment agreements and other transactional documents to ensure compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.
• Legal research and analysis to stay up to date on changes in applicable laws, rules and regulations that may impact the bank's mergers and acquisitions, minority investment and reorganisation activities.
• Developing and delivering training programmes to educate employees on legal and regulatory requirements related to mergers and acquisitions, minority investment and reorganisations activities.
• Pro-active identification, communication, and provision of legal advice on applicable laws, rules and regulations (LRRs). Keeping up to date with regards to changes to LRRs in the relevant coverage area. Ensuring that LRRs are effectively allocated to, and adequately reflected within, the relevant policies, standards and controls.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.