Assistant Vice President - Legal, Advisory

About Us

SBI Card is a leading pure-play credit card issuer in India, offering a wide range of credit cards to cater to diverse customer needs. We are constantly innovating to meet the evolving financial needs of our customers, empowering them with digital currency for seamless payment experience and indulge in rewarding benefits. At SBI Card, the motto Make Life Simple inspires every initiative, ensuring that customer convenience is at the forefront of all that we do. We are committed to building an environment where people can thrive and create a better future for everyone.

SBI Card is proud to be an equal opportunity & inclusive employer and welcome employees without any discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, gender, religion, creed, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, caste etc. SBI Card is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where all employees are treated equally with dignity and respect which makes it a promising place to work.

Join us to shape the future of digital payment in India and unlock your full potential.

What's in it for YOU

1. SBI Card truly lives by the work-life balance philosophy. We offer a robust wellness and wellbeing program to support mental and physical health of our employees
2. Admirable work deserves to be rewarded. We have a well curated bouquet of rewards and recognition program for the employees
3. Dynamic, Inclusive and Diverse team culture
4. Gender Neutral Policy
5. Inclusive Health Benefits for all - Medical Insurance, Personal Accidental, Group Term Life Insurance and Annual Health Checkup, Dental and OPD benefits
6. Commitment to the overall development of an employee through comprehensive learning & development framework
7. Role Purpose
8. This is a middle management role, being the second line of defense and a successor to the Legal Advisory Lead.
9. The role is responsible for advising internal stakeholders on critical contractual arrangements, regulatory requirements, and enterprise risks inherent in such matters/contracts with a specific focus on the BFSI / Fintech sector.
10. As a specialist in financial services, the incumbent is expected to leverage deep knowledge and understanding of contract drafting, regulatory framework, and industry nuances to pre-empt and address various legal/contractual risks while rendering legal advice.
11. The role also represents the legal advisory team across cross-functional projects undertaken by the Company from time to time. Additionally, it is also expected to spearhead the legal function with various external stakeholders. The role is also expected to be a CoE for certain laws / regulatory areas.

Role Accountability

Contract Advisory - Critical agreements

1. Draft, vet, and negotiate critical contracts from different business functions, including Marketing agreements, Co-Brands, IT Agreements, Outsourcing Agreements, Debenture Trustee Agreements, and finance-related agreements.
2. Provide support in negotiation on deals with prospective vendors, consultants, etc.
3. Pre-empt and address the business/ regulatory risk for the Company through skillful drafting, negotiation, and execution of contracts.
4. Ensure compliance with various laws and regulatory mandates applicable to third-party service providers, including digital payments services, cyber security, outsourcing, etc., while drafting agreements.

Regulatory Advisory

1. Key Role in Rendering legal opinion(s) and advisory which would impact the business strategy and decisions.
2. Helping the business teams in structuring and designing important commercial arrangements (i.e., network deals, con brand agreements, asset sale arrangements) to address business / legal risk.
3. Examine the permissibility w.r.t. contracting with various vendors from a regulatory aspect as well as from a contractual perspective.
4. Adept at handling a wide range of issues, through interpretative, innovative, and path-breaking thinking esp. in today's dynamic age where the regulations and legislations are archaic.
5. Deep Domain expertise in various laws including but not limited to Company law, Competition, Contract, Commercial law, Banking law, etc.

SME for Data Protection laws

1. This role shall play an active role in advising internal stakeholders on the newly enacted Data privacy regime, conducting a gap analysis of company policies and operational processes, drafting customer consents and process flows, etc., to ensure compliance with the laws and to address the requirements/gaps.
2. Working closely with the Data Privacy Officer to work on privacy policies, customer T&Cs, and regulatory matters.
3. Keeping abreast of developments in the industry, regulatory framework, and best practices for the adoption by the company.
4. Advise on digital processes for customer interface, such as onboarding, VKYC, use of WhatsApp, etc., to ensure customer convenience and regulatory compliance.

Managing External stakeholders

1. Preparation of various documents, including legal opinions, representations to be submitted to regulators, briefs for legal opinions to be sought from Senior counsels, etc.

Projects

1. Represent the legal advisory team in functional, as well as cross-functional business and strategic projects and provide advisory to the project team on legal matters

Legal Disputes

1. Negotiate and handle disputes (legal/contractual) with vendors/partners (before litigation/arbitration stage) to ensure amicable settlement and negotiation
2. Draft Legal notices, warning letters and similar communication to be issued to the vendors/partners for breach of contractual or regulatory obligations.

Customer Communication

1. Review and advise on customer communication, including product T&Cs, Application Forms, emailers, and product catalogs from a legal perspective.
2. Review of the website contents, and social media posts and advise on the way forward.

Mentorship

1. As a leader, mentoring the DRs and interns.
2. Leading internal assignments and teams

Measures of Success

1. TAT adherence
2. Minimal escalations
3. Minimal disputes relating to contract drafting
4. Addressing enterprise and operational risks
5. Advising business on implications of contracts with onerous commercial obligations on SBI Card and negotiating the same with the Partner
6. Make modifications to significant processes/ represent the legal team in CFTs
7. Internal audit score for own work area/ advisory to other business functions for legal and compliance
8. Process adherence as per agreed MOU

Technical Skills / Experience / Certifications

Deep Domain expertise in BFSI / Fintech sector, Contract drafting, regulatory insights

Competencies critical to the role

Negotiation skills, stakeholder management, analytical skills, business acumen

Qualification

LLB

Preferred Industry

Law Firm (experience in corporate law) / Inhouse position ( BFSI/ Service / IT industry) with experience in managing contracts.