Corporate Governance in Birmingham

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities and investment management services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. The firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in London, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other major cities around the world.

The Goldman Sachs Legal Division works at the intersection of finance and law, providing counsel and advice that support activities across the firm.

The role is for a qualified corporate lawyer (3 – 6 years’ PQE) or Chartered Company Secretary (5 – 10 years’ experience) to work in the Goldman Sachs UK Corporate Governance Team (“CGT”) in Birmingham, within the Goldman Sachs EMEA Legal Division. The CGT currently comprises a team of five, three based in London and two based in Birmingham. A senior lawyer manages the team. The CGT is responsible for the corporate administration of all the Goldman Sachs UK entities and branches and several overseas entities, including in the Middle East. These entities include regulated UK companies, for whom the CGT manages the Board and Board committees. CGT is part of the International Corporate Governance Team responsible for all the Goldman Sachs legal entities (excluding the US).

The successful applicant will be a senior member of a small, professional team, focused on teamwork, collaboration, ownership and high performance. This role requires strong technical expertise, sound independent judgment and the ability to influence at senior levels in a complex environment. The successful applicant will be able to manage a diverse and complex workload, meet tight deadlines, fully support junior team members and thrive on the pressures of delivering consistently high-quality professional services. Goldman Sachs continues to build out its presence in Birmingham, so the applicant will join a growing highly skilled Legal team in a world-class workplace, focused on collaboration, productivity and sustainability.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Providing senior company secretarial services to all the GS UK entities and branches and several overseas entities. Responsibilities include preparing the documentation required for board/committee meetings for key regulated entities and minuting those meetings.
• Providing expert advice on corporate governance and regulatory requirements (including the UK Companies Act and relevant PRA/FCA requirements) for all the Goldman Sachs UK entities and branches and several overseas entities, including in the Middle East.
• Acting as the senior culture carrier for CGT team members in the Birmingham office. Mentoring and developing junior CGT team members in the Birmingham office.
• Working closely with the head of the CGT team to ensure high standards of accountability, quality and performance across the CGT team.
• Providing real-time governance advice to a range of stakeholders, including on complex or sensitive matters.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders across other divisions (risk, compliance, regulatory liaison, executive office) to ensure the smooth running of the boards and committees of these Goldman Sachs entities.
• Advising on and overseeing the CGT’s execution of various corporate actions for the UK entities (and others in EMEA) including director changes, accounts approvals, capital transactions and the establishment or closure of entities.
• Maintaining accurate entity and director records, assisting with processing key returns to Companies House and maintaining the PSC register.
• Overseeing and managing complex requests for entity and governance information, including those arising from regulatory, audit and transactional requirements.
• Providing secretary’s certificates, delegated signing authorities and advising on powers of attorney and on the execution of documents.
• Identifying, analysing and helping implement emerging corporate governance developments.
• Maintaining regular contact and coordination with external counsel and notaries as well as senior members and relevant groups throughout the firm.
• Driving continuous improvement and governance transformation initiatives for the CGT team, principally through technology solutions (including Artificial Intelligence), but also through streamlining processes, building collaboration and alignment globally, developing and maintaining processes, policies and systems and sharing good practices.

SKILLS / EXPERIENCE

• Should be a qualified corporate lawyer (3 – 6 years’ PQE) or Chartered Secretary (ACIS or FCIS) with significant relevant experience (5 – 10 years’ experience).
• Strong working knowledge of Companies Act 2006, relevant PRA/FCA requirements and corporate governance principles, experience managing multiple entities and dealing with all aspects of company secretarial practice.
• Demonstrates deep technical governance expertise and applies judgment effectively in complex situations.
• Experience managing complex governance arrangements across multiple entities in a global organisation.
• Substantial experience in preparing for, attending and minuting board and committee meetings, including agenda setting, preparation of board packs and liaison with presenters.
• Entity management experience and exposure to managing multiple entities.
• Practical experience of using Diligent, e-filing at Companies House and other online resources.
• Proven track record of teamwork, ownership and most importantly high performance. Collaborates with others within and across teams, encourages other team members to participate and contribute and acknowledges others' contributions. Takes a collegiate position on issues and positively contributes to solutions. Strong willingness to be part of a team.
• Proven experience of being a culture carrier for junior team members. Can delegate well and provide positive support and oversight to junior team members.
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills. Comfortable with public speaking, including presenting at divisional meetings.
• Takes the initiative to understand and then to explain developments in corporate governance laws, regulations and guidance.
• Proven excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Able to manage deadlines and work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Enthusiasm, flexibility, proactive nature, and an interest in company secretarial matters and the business of the various business divisions at Goldman Sachs.
• Comfortable going that extra mile as part of a broader team to do the best job possible.