Associate Counsel

• Qualified to practise law in the UK with experience advising on regulatory matters in the UK and EU.
• Professional experience ideally in financial services regulation matters in a law firm, regulator or in-house.
• Familiarity with one or more of the following areas would be ideal - payment services, payment schemes, e-money, AML, FSMA. Willingness to learn and become an expert in these fields.
• Fluency in English.
• Solid drafting, research and negotiation/influencing skills.
• Solid analytical skills and high attention to detail.
• Applications are also welcome from experienced career paralegals with substantial financial services regulatory background.

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the UK is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

• Supporting senior lawyers in the team on regulatory change management processes by monitoring regulatory developments at UK, EU and global level relating to financial services, payment services, payment schemes and financial crimes through internal, external and desktop resources and reporting these developments internally.
• Advising on and supporting compliance with the requirements of key financial services legislation including UK payment services regulations, EU PSD2 and PSD3/PSR1, Interchange Fee Regulation, legislation related to financial crimes, digital currencies, cryptoassets and environmental, social and governance, and supporting regulatory engagement activities in these areas.
• Supporting senior lawyers in advising on licensing, prudential regulation, ongoing governance and conduct regulation under the regimes established by PSD2/PSD3. This includes playing a role in licensing matters such as advising on license applications, passporting submissions and appointment of agents.
• Supporting senior lawyers in advising on cross-border structures, passporting and arrangements with third parties (group companies and external partners), including outsourcing and agency arrangements.
• Supporting senior lawyers in advising on FCA authorisation and supervision generally, assisting with relevant UK/EU regulatory reviews and inspections and responding to requests for information.
• Supporting engagement with regulators, trade associations and other stakeholders on proposed regulatory developments in the UK, EU and other regions, and helping assess their impact on the business..
• Supporting regulatory aspects and overall strategy on new product launches and business expansion.
• Briefing colleagues and clients on significant developments and projects. This will include preparing and supporting the delivery of trainings or presentations as appropriate.
• Supporting senior lawyers in instructing and finalising legal opinions/advice from outside counsel as needed.
• Attending relevant training courses.
• Supporting the work of the Global Payments Systems Regulation Centre of Excellence, as required.

• High engagement - passionate about payments and regulatory matters.
• Strong organizational skills - able to manage and prioritise a wide variety of matters and stakeholder relationships, and comfortable working autonomously.
• Commercial awareness - able to interpret and apply regulation in a pragmatic manner.
• Communication skills - personable, able to communicate clearly, concisely, effectively and persuasively with clients, all levels of business, legal management and external regulators.
• Comfortable with speaking up in meetings and briefing stakeholders orally and in writing.
• Process-management skills - strong knowledge-management and organisational skills, and willingness to help identify and implement improvements in work process to enhance efficiency and productivity.
• Adaptable and collaborative - able and willing to work both as part of a team and independently, under supervision of more senior lawyers where appropriate.
• Willingness to learn and grow - willing to learn business sectors relevant to American Express as well as the applicable regulatory environment and to leverage experience gained in this position to expand skill set for future career growth at American Express.
• Strong relationship focus - able to build solid working relationships with clients, colleagues and external parties. Enjoys getting to know people.
• Commitment to integrity and American Express values, with high personal work standards.
• Strategic thinker with good analytical skills, attention to detail even under time pressure.
• Intellectually strong - rapid grasp of key issues.