Legal Counsel

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced commercially focused lawyer to be a part of a tight-knit team located in Wellington!

We are seeking a commercially focused lawyer to join our legal team and support FNZ’s business across the APAC region. The role involves handling a range of legal matters, including client and supplier contracts, compliance, new business initiatives, and providing ad hoc advice to various teams, with a strong focus on contract review, analysis, and drafting.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about collaborating with local and global teams, operating strategically, and innovating to achieve legally sound outcomes while managing risk in a complex regulatory environment. Success in this role requires strong commercial acumen, integrity, curiosity, and the ability to navigate complex issues at pace.

We offer a supportive work environment with plenty of opportunities for growth and skill development—your potential could be endless.

What you’ll do:

• Negotiating and drafting client and supplier contracts

• Providing general legal support to the business

• Advising on corporate and commercial matters

• Managing and monitoring relationships with external legal advisors in matters relating to the FNZ group’s business

• Contract analysis and reporting (including maintaining FNZ’s contracts register)

• Producing MI for internal business reporting/tracking

• Reviewing company activities related to APAC legal matters, identifying potential litigation issues and acting to address or mitigate these

• Contributing to the development and maintenance of the annual APAC legal budget

• Focus on legal risk management

• Supporting the Compliance and Risk function, including clear advice on key financial markets law and regulation, such as the AML/CFT act, FMCA and similar.

• Supporting the embedding of the risk management framework across the business

• Supporting Group legal policy and liaising with group colleagues where appropriate

• Distilling what proposed legal and regulatory change means for the business and assisting with writing submissions.

• Supporting the Privacy Officer, including conduction privacy impact assessments and supporting new projects

• Assisting with governance reporting

• Production and upkeep of policy and process documents Provide support to CRO - NZ.

• Build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders

Our ideal candidate will have:

• at least 5 years PQE; 

• strong understanding of regulatory, legislative and industry compliance obligations that apply to funds or investment management or trading firms.

• Fintech/financial services sector experience desirable.

• Strong commercial and/or contracts experience with strong contracts analysis, negotiation and drafting skills;

• Excellent business judgement and interpersonal skills;

• Enthusiasm for taking on new responsibilities;

• Excellent attention to detail and a methodological way of working;

• A strong working knowledge of the Financial Markets Conduct Act, Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act and Privacy Act.

• Some working knowledge and experience with commercial negotiation would be helpful;

• Working experience with corporate policies, such as writing policies and monitoring compliance with policies and an awareness of risk management practices;

• Working experience with drafting regulatory submissions;

• Strong communication skills (verbally and in writing) and experience of influencing a broad range of decision makers and stakeholders;

• Independent, self-directing and delivery focused working style with superior analytical thinking and commercially aware.

What is in it for you?

• A hybrid 3+2 model combining working from the office and from home.

• A competitive salary and excellent benefits, including full comprehensive health insurance, Life insurance, additional annual leave days after your first 12 months, sick days, and more.

• Be part of a highly successful, rapidly growing, global business that is leading the delivery of financial services via cloud computing and partners with some of the world’s largest companies.

• We provide global career opportunities for our employees at any of our offices in the UK, Czech Republic, Australia, New Zealand, China and more.

If this role appeals to you, please apply with your cover letter and CV by the 21st of February 2025.

*Please note we shortlist as we receive applications. We encourage early applications as we may withdraw advertising at any time. 

For more information, please reach out to us! 

[email protected]

About FNZ

FNZ is committed to opening up wealth so that everyone, everywhere can invest in their future on their terms. We know the foundation to do that already exists in the wealth management industry, but complexity holds firms back. 

We created wealth’s growth platform to help. We provide a global, end-to-end wealth management platform that integrates modern technology with business and investment operations. All in a regulated financial institution. 

We partner with over 650 financial institutions and 12,000 wealth managers, with US$1.5 trillion in assets under administration (AUA).

Together with our customers, we help over 20 million people from all wealth segments to invest in their future.