Job Overview: The Chief Manager of the Corporate Legal Department is a senior role responsible for overseeing and managing all legal functions within the organization. This includes providing legal support across all business operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing legal risks, and supporting corporate governance. The Chief Manager will lead a team of legal professionals, ensuring that the organization adheres to all applicable laws and regulations specific to the NBFC sector. The position requires a legal professional with strong leadership skills, experience in handling complex legal issues, and expertise in NBFC and financial regulations.Key Responsibilities: Leadership & Team Management: Lead and manage the legal team, providing guidance, mentorship, and performance management for direct reportees. Allocate responsibilities and ensure that the team meets its objectives in handling legal matters, contract management, and compliance issues. Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement, encouraging professional development within the team. Legal Strategy & Advisory: Provide expert legal advice and strategic counsel to senior management, the Board of Directors, and business units on corporate laws, NBFC regulations, and financial services legislation. Develop and implement legal strategies that align with the organization’s goals while mitigating legal risks and ensuring compliance. Act as the primary legal advisor for key corporate transactions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and new business ventures. Regulatory Compliance & Corporate Governance: Ensure compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and other regulatory authorities. Oversee regulatory filings, statutory returns, and other documentation, ensuring timely and accurate submissions. Provide guidance on corporate governance, advising the Board on governance-related matters and ensuring compliance with the Companies Act and NBFC regulations. Contract Management: Oversee the drafting, reviewing, and negotiation of high-value contracts, agreements, and legal documents, including but not limited to financing agreements, service contracts, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), vendor contracts, and employment agreements. Ensure that contracts are compliant with laws and regulations while protecting the organization’s legal and financial interests. Maintain a comprehensive contract management system to track obligations, renewals, and ensure adherence to contractual commitments. Litigation & Dispute Resolution: Manage the company’s litigation portfolio, including handling disputes, court cases, arbitration, and regulatory inquiries. Develop litigation strategies, coordinate with external legal counsel, and oversee the preparation of defense or prosecutorial strategies. Proactively manage pre-litigation legal risks and oversee the resolution of disputes before they escalate to litigation. Corporate Transactions & Due Diligence: Lead the legal aspects of corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and partnerships. Conduct thorough due diligence on potential deals, evaluating risks, liabilities, legal compliance, and contractual obligations. Support negotiations on behalf of the company, ensuring legal safeguards and optimized transaction structures. Risk Management: Identify potential legal risks in all areas of the business and work proactively to mitigate them. Develop policies, procedures, and internal controls to reduce legal exposure and ensure the company’s operations remain legally compliant. Conduct regular legal audits to ensure compliance with NBFC regulations, labor laws, data protection regulations, and other applicable legislation. Stakeholder Management & External Counsel Liaison: Build and maintain strong relationships with external legal counsel, regulators, government authorities, and other external stakeholders. Act as a key representative of the legal function during regulatory inspections, external audits, and interactions with third-party service providers. Manage relationships with external law firms, ensuring the cost-effectiveness of outsourced legal services. Training & Legal Awareness: Conduct regular training sessions for employees, management, and business units on legal issues, compliance, and corporate governance. Ensure that the legal team and broader business units are kept updated on regulatory changes and legal risks that could impact the company. Key Skills and Competencies: Leadership & Team Management: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and manage a legal team, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment. Strategic Thinking: Ability to align legal strategies with business objectives and effectively mitigate legal risks. In-depth Legal Knowledge: Strong understanding of corporate, financial, NBFC, RBI, SEBI regulations, as well as experience with contracts, governance, and litigation management. Negotiation Skills: Expertise in negotiating complex contracts, corporate deals, and managing disputes with external parties. Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex legal issues clearly and concisely to senior management and non-legal professionals. Analytical & Problem-solving: Strong analytical skills, capable of identifying potential legal issues and developing creative solutions. Attention to Detail: Thorough in drafting and reviewing legal documents to ensure accuracy and legal soundness.Qualifications: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Law (LLB/LLM) from a recognized institution. Bar Council certification and licensed to practice law in India. Additional certifications in financial law, regulatory compliance, or corporate governance are an advantage.Experience: 6 to 7 years of experience in corporate legal roles, with a focus on the NBFC or financial services sector. Experience in managing a legal team and handling corporate legal matters such as regulatory compliance, contract negotiation, litigation, and corporate governance. Proven track record of managing legal functions independently and advising senior management.
Job Title
Legal Manager