Senior Role Legal

Role:

Reporting

Job Location:

Qualification

Experience:

JOB PURPOSE

The job will require end to end handling of legal matters of NPCI group and provide legal guidance related to formulation and implementation of group’s business, strategies and policies.

• Assisting and working closely with the business, product and other functions in structuring transactions and documentation from a legal and compliance perspective
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements and other documents that are complex, high-risk and strategic in nature, with domestic and foreign entities and involve standardization of agreements including product, services and technology agreements
• Advising management and functional teams on legal and regulatory issues that may arise in the course of their day-to-day functioning. Working closely with the business teams on structuring of products, services and other business arrangements while helping them identify the legal risks and further add value by identifying commercial and operational risks
• Instructing and working closely with external counsels on commercial and policy matters, seeking and reviewing legal opinions from external counsels and supervising the legal due diligence sought from external counsels
• Litigation management for corporate and consumer litigation including preparing counter affidavits, written statements and submissions including replies to legal notices
• Participate in the board meetings, prepare board level committee papers and update the board with respect to matters pertaining to the legal function and respond to queries raised by the board to the legal department
• Manage the Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio for the group's IP namely trademarks, copyrights and patent portfolio. Support the business and marketing teams in getting IP registrations, maintenance and protection of group’s IP and preparation, defending & prosecution related thereto
• Establishing and maintaining global and local legal compliances
• Lending support to the product / compliance function in compliance related matters by interpreting regulatory guidelines in areas of compliance risk management and compliance policies, procedures, controls, monitoring and audits
• Providing legal analysis in relation to new business initiatives and products. Advising internal stakeholders on governing law and dispute resolution mechanisms to be opted for agreements with foreign entities and issues related thereto
• Participating in product and industry working group calls and meetings wherever legal representation is required
• Assisting in review and creation of legal documents, policies, procedures and systems
• Participating actively in product and risk department initiatives including regulatory review and other projects where legal team’s participation is required
• Mitigating legal risks, implementing the internal legal risk compliance framework and to ensure that the NPCI group complies with local and international payments legislation and regulation
• Identifying legal issues and risks that may affect NPCI group’s business and ensuring that the Management team is properly advised concerning those issues
• Providing legal guidance relating to the formulation and implementation of NPCI group’s strategies and policies
• Keep abreast of, review and update internal stakeholders with the recent changes in laws and regulations as may be applicable to the payment and settlement industry
• Implementing the legal documentation management system

Accountabilities

Documentation Management

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements and other documents that are complex, high-risk, and strategic in nature with domestic and foreign entities
• Standardization of agreements including product and technology agreements
• Closely work with external counsels for seeking legal opinions, drafting / reviewing documents on commercial and policy matters
• Implementing legal documentation management system

Advisory

• Advising internal stakeholders on legal and regulatory issues including compliance with local and international payments legislation and regulation
• Assisting in formulation of internal strategies and policies, from a legal and regulatory compliance perspective
• Advising on structuring of products, services and other business arrangements while helping internal stakeholders identify the commercial and operational risks
• Advising internal stakeholders on governing law and dispute resolution mechanisms to be opted for agreements with foreign entities and issues relating thereto
• Advising other functions within NPCI group on legal issues pertaining to their day to day functioning

Litigation Management

• Assisting on intellectual property (e.g. copyright, trademark and patents) related issues and litigation
• Litigation management for the group including drafting counter affidavits, written statements and submissions, replies to legal notices
• Coordinate with external counsels for seeking legal opinions, drafting / reviewing documents on commercial and policy matters and in relation to ongoing litigation
• Formulating a litigation management system for legal department

Research & Administrative

• Keep abreast with, review and update internal stakeholders with the recent changes in laws and regulations as may be applicable to the payment and settlement industry
• Preparation of committee papers in relation legal function to keep senior management abreast of critical projects, issues and litigation

Decisions & Dimensions –

• Good legal technical skills in drafting, reviewing documentation and carrying out research.
• Knowledge in local and international legislative initiatives like Data Protection, Sanctions, FATF, and AML.
• Knowledge in payment regulations (MC/Visa/AmEx) and general knowledge on PCI-DSS
• Highlighting, articulating and explaining key legal issues to stakeholders as well as understanding stakeholder requirements
• Capability to manage matters independently without regular involvement of the supervisor and good articulation and communication skills
• Drafting, negotiating and approving legal documents.
• Finalizing plaints, writs, written submission with respect to litigation
• Negotiating professional fee quotes for engaging external counsel
• Objectively advising on day-to-day queries from internal stakeholders with an aim to give resolutions
• Approval of new products, policies and processes as well as key changes to existing ones
• Finalization of committee notes / papers for updating senior management on legal matters
• Approach on key litigation matters
• Standardization of core product and service agreements as well as negotiation of key technology agreements.

Use of AI tools in contract drafting and review, managing compliances and legal research