Lead Legal Counsel in Newcastle upon Tyne

About Us

Vida Bank provides competitive savings products through Vida Savings and specialist mortgage solutions through Vida Homeloans. Our mortgage business supports Buy to Let (BTL) and residential borrowers (ROO) who find themselves underserved elsewhere. Our mortgage customers range from Buy to Let investors to the self‑employed and customers with multiple jobs. Our savings proposition is delivered online via our website and is focused on providing savers with fair, transparent and competitive rates. Our typical customers are active savers, who tend to look beyond their current account provider for savings accounts. Our business model and strategy are underpinned by our core purpose to ‘Help More People Find a Place to call Home’. We are here to help the underserved, especially those with more nuanced personal circumstances or borrowing needs who are not able to access a mortgage from a mainstream mortgage lender. Working exclusively with intermediary partners, we combine cutting‑edge technology with skilled and caring underwriting expertise to solve complex customer problems.

As a fully regulated UK based bank with ambitious growth aspirations, we recognise the importance of having a clearly articulated culture strategy and the need to actively manage how it embeds in the business together with the behaviours which exemplify it. As a recognised Best Companies Top 100 mid‑sized company to work for in the UK and a finalist at the Financial Reporter Women’s Recognition Awards, we take pride in our diverse workforce, championing both ethnic and gender diversity through our EDI commitments. Having met the target set by being a member of the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter we have 50% of senior management roles filled by women. With offices in London and Newcastle, we bring our teams together regularly to collaborate and empower our colleagues to have more choice around when and where they work on the days they are not in the office, with colleagues working remotely in various locations across the UK.

Our Culture

We are proud to have built a culture founded on an ethos of caring, and that sits at the heart of our Vida Values, driving the way we run our business, support our customers and other stakeholders on a daily basis. We genuinely care about delivering the right outcomes for all our stakeholders who we consider through the cultural framework as our customers, colleagues, company and communities that we operate in. By joining Vida you will have a sense of belonging in what is a diverse and collaborative environment, where you will be empowered to take responsibility for driving delivery. We embrace a diversity of backgrounds and experiences in our people, in the deeply held belief that better outcomes are achieved for customers when our colleagues are better placed to empathise with and understand their unique circumstances. From application to interview, we place inclusion at the heart of all we do.

Role Overview

The Legal team is a key part of a growing business at an exciting point in its strategic plans. We provide a supportive and friendly working environment which enables good personal and technical development. You will work as part of a team alongside the CLCO and MD – Legal and other solicitors. The in‑house legal team advises on a wide range of areas and oversees governance at Vida. We are looking for someone to play an integral part in the Legal team, working closely alongside colleagues and key stakeholders in providing proactive and effective legal advice and risk oversight and support to the Bank. We can offer a flexible/remote approach to working, with options for some time to be spent in the London office/face to face, alongside other members of the team, as agreed.

Our Values of Visionary, Inclusive, Dynamic and Authentic are at the heart of how we operate. It’s not just what we do but how we do it that’s important to us.

Key Responsibilities

The majority of the work is varied, non‑contentious advisory and transactional work supporting Vida’s Treasury team. There is some scope to agree areas of responsibility based on interest and experience, and training in any areas of law can be provided. The role includes:

• Treasury: Proactive management of multiple stakeholders across the business and acting as a key interface between internal Vida functions and external legal and funding counterparts to ensure all legal aspects of the legal negotiation process are dealt with and that all key risks have timely identification and resolution.
• Supporting the Treasury team with:

• Transactions (e.g. bilateral secured funding facilities, RMBS issuances under our London Bridge and Tower Bridge platforms, and regulatory capital issuances) including managing external counsel;
• Ongoing in‑house management of existing facilities including advising on day to day queries, drafting variation agreements, dealing with termination/repurchase arrangements and coordinating with other parties as required;
• Interest rate hedging and clearing arrangements (with specialist external support where required); and
• Change projects including advising the team on the implications of proposed changes on existing funding arrangements and taking an active part in project working groups.

• Reviewing and negotiating commercial contracts (including material outsourcing arrangements) in house particularly where they relate to Vida’s funding arrangements.
• Supporting with corporate governance matters.
• Management of effective month to month running of an Executive level Committee and attendance/presenting at committees as appropriate.
• Supporting the team and business to manage legal risks including reporting and gathering MI/data and supporting the business to comply with Legal policies.
• Managing external legal counsel and other legal suppliers, and associated budgets, within the Legal cost centre and supervising more junior members of the team.
• Providing legal advice and undertaking other responsibilities as agreed, plus the opportunity to be involved in wider business activities and forums.

Requirements

To be a qualified solicitor qualified and admitted to practice in England & Wales and continue to at all times during the appointment. Background in private practice or in‑house, ideally both. An interest in ensuring compliance with law and regulation and with developing an understanding of financial services regulation. Substantial transactional experience in a corporate or financial services/banking environment is essential (as a guide 5+ years’ PQE minimum). Experience in relation to structured finance and a basic knowledge of interest rate hedging would be advantageous but is not essential. Commercial contracts experience in the context of a financial services firm would also be useful but is not essential. Proven track record of developing constructive working relationships within a team and with senior management, as well as other stakeholders. A proactive individual with the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team, and to adapt to changing priorities and manage your own workload. A flexible member of the team, with the desire to have a broad practice area and an enthusiasm for learning. Ability to act with discretion and integrity and in compliance with Conduct Rules.

Our Values

• Visionary – We innovate and break old habits, thinking big and pushing boundaries together as one team
• Inclusive – We value each other’s differences and work to see people for who they really are
• Dynamic – We are flexible and fast, cutting through complexity and never accepting second best
• Authentic – We are honest and genuine, what you see is what you get

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees’ professional and personal needs. Further details can be provided upon application.