Senior Counsel

Please note this position is based in London and this will be the contractual location of the successful candidate; other locations cannot be considered.

This is a great job for someone who has good technical knowledge in areas of law relevant to regulated fund structures and/or the distribution of funds.

A bit about the job:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join our team at Aviva Investors. In this role, you will provide expert legal support and advice across our range of UK authorised funds, including UCITS, NURS, and LTAFs, ensuring robust support for product development and management. You will also advise on our global distribution business, with a focus on the UK, Europe, and the Americas, covering the distribution of Luxembourg SICAVs, Irish Liquidity Funds, UK OEICs, and UK ACS. From an AIFM perspective, you will support unauthorised UK AIFs, particularly from a risk management standpoint. The role involves offering oversight on key legislative and regulatory developments impacting UK funds and global distribution, acting as the primary liaison with internal and external legal counsel, regulators, service providers, and other stakeholders. You will also play a key role in mentoring junior members of the UK Management Company & Distribution legal team and serve as the lead legal advisor on major strategic and regulatory projects related to UK funds and the UK management company. You will be responsible for advising on and taking decisions regarding the management of legal risk. This will include legal risk in fund documentation, agreements with third parties and compliance with laws and regulations.

Skills and experience we’re looking for:

• English law qualified solicitor with relevant post qualification experience either within a financial services or funds team of an external law firm, or an in-house legal function of an investment management business.
• Good technical knowledge in areas of law relevant to regulated fund structures and/or the distribution of funds.
• Ability to successfully contribute to major projects, negotiations, and relationships with third parties and external advisers.
• Demonstrate a consistently positive attitude, effectively resolve challenges through collaboration, and maintain a solutions-oriented mindset to achieve the best outcomes for clients and the business.
• Good understanding of operational controls framework.

What you’ll get for this role:

• Generous pension scheme - Aviva will contribute up to 14%, depending on what you put in.
• Eligibility for annual performance bonus.
• Family friendly parental and carer’s leave.
• Generous holiday entitlement plus bank holidays with the option to buy/sell up to 5 additional days.
• Up to 40% discount for Aviva products.
• Brilliant flexible benefits including electric cars.
• Aviva Matching Share Plan and Save As You Earn scheme.
• 21 volunteering hours per year.

Aviva is for everyone: We’re inclusive and welcome everyone – we want applications from all backgrounds and experiences. Excited but not sure you tick every box? Even if you don’t, we would still encourage you to apply. We also consider all forms of flexible working, including part time and job shares. We flex locations, hours and working patterns to suit our customers, business, and you. Most of our people are smart working – spending around 50% of their time in our offices every week - combining the benefits of flexibility, with time together with colleagues.

To find out more about working at Aviva take a look here. We interview every disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job. Once you’ve applied, please send us an email stating that you have a disclosed disability, and we’ll interview you.