Entity Governance and Compliance Team Lead

Location:

Belfast

Workplace:

Hybrid

The opportunity:

To work as part of our highly regarded Global Corporate Maintenance Solutions (GCMS) team that sits with the Baker McKenzie Global M&A practice group and Corporate Reorganizations team across a number of offices. The GCMS unit has enjoyed significant growth since its formation in 2015 and we are adding to the senior team to support our rapidly increasing number of global clients.

GCMS integrates the established expertise of the Baker McKenzie offices around the world to help multinational corporations meet their corporate maintenance compliance obligations for their legal entities worldwide and to support and guide them with the governance and strategic business objectives.

The role will work directly with our corporate maintenance teams across the Baker McKenzie office network and be a lead contact for our clients.

This is a great opportunity for someone with a genuine interest in contributing to the continuous development of an innovative, efficient, and excellent legal service for some of the firms’ largest clients and to build your skills as part of an award-winning Firm.

An Entity Governance and Compliance Team Lead will have a very strong work ethic, attention to detail and a genuine interest in assisting with corporate maintenance matters and contributing to the continuous development of GCMS. The individual will be commercially astute and will be able to identify opportunities with existing clients and be comfortable communicating with senior stakeholders globally at Baker McKenzie and within our client teams.

Working at Baker McKenzie:

Baker McKenzie is the world’s leading law firm with offices all over the world. Our Belfast Centre is home to over 400 colleagues in both legal and professional services.

We offer one of the best workplace benefits packages in the business with comprehensive private health cover, income protection, life assurance and a full employee assistance plan. These and a host of other benefits make us one of the most desirable companies to work for in Belfast.

We are committed to promoting inclusion, diversity, and equity for all and are confident we can provide a career as individual and as exceptional as you.

About the role:

As part of this role, the successful candidate will:

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate the provision of corporate maintenance services and be responsible for technical quality, including.
• Working with local legal experts around the world to manage corporate maintenance deadlines for clients' entities globally.
• Managing large-scale multi-jurisdictional corporate changes and developing know how and templates in this area.
• Advising clients on any compliance issues identified by local legal experts and working with local experts to advise best course of action.
• Act as a lead client contact on GCMS projects and future opportunities:
• Overseeing the management and updating of client platforms by junior team members including compliance trackers and corporate data to ensure quality and to escalate any upcoming or lapsed deadlines to the GCMS management and client teams as appropriate.
• Project manage the onboarding process for new GCMS clients including.
• Transition planning and liaising with clients as to the delivery of internal instructions.
• Managing the in-scope entities list, fees, annual budgets, and invoicing.
• Establishing timing for completion of the initial compliance review and chairing regular client update calls
• Supervising GCMS Legal Professionals and Administrators involved in the process.
• Managing client expectations, cementing the client relationship, and providing the GCMS team management and partners with regular updates in relation to the above.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of project and client-specific IT platforms.
• Escalate issues to the GCMS Senior Manager as appropriate with proposed solutions to those issues and independently implementing resolutions.
• Take a lead role in business development opportunities, fee proposals and client RFPs. Leading on client demonstrations and to provide context as required during the sales process and assist the GCMS Associate Director in liaising with partners, business development teams and other internal stakeholders as to the suitability of GCMS for clients.
• Assist the GCMS Associate Director with quarterly/bi-annual or annual client review calls and client visits, and in answering client queries regarding GCMS retainers, scope of services, and in general, to build lasting relationships with client contacts.
• Proactively identify ways to enhance and retain current GCMS client relationships.
• Assist the GCMS Associate Director in conducting fee analysis and monitoring project and fee status.
• Work with the GCMS Associate Director to refine process mapping, efficiencies, and best practice on an ongoing basis; facilitate embedding of new processes; refine process guidance and communicate across the network as appropriate.
• Provide training and guidance to corporate maintenance teams across the Baker McKenzie network, external local counsel, and clients.
• Share and contribute to the growth of the collective knowledge of the GCMS team.
• Assist in the orientation of new staff and the development and supervision of GCMS Legal Professionals. Working with the GCMS Associate Director to lead a team of GCMS administrators, Legal Professionals and Specialists.

Essential Criteria:

To be successful in this role you will need:

Skills and Experience:

• Graduate (2:1 preferred)
• Previous professional services sector experience, ideally legal, or as a company secretary
• Previous experience leading people
• Strong technical skills (experience of SharePoint an advantage)
• Excellent presentation and communication skills
• Previous project management experience
• A positive team member and active contributor in a team environment
• Excellent organisational, prioritisation and problem-solving skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Manages multiple work tasks, prioritizes time, meets deadlines, and proposes solutions where conflicts exist.
• Maturity and the ability to liaise with people at all levels of the Firm, and to represent the Firm externally to clients and the wider market.