General Counsel & Head of Legal

City/Cities

Sydney

Country

Australia

Working Schedule

Full-Time

Work Arrangement

Hybrid

Relocation Assistance Available

No

Posted Date

17-Oct-2024

Job ID

4925

Description and Requirements

The General Counsel and Head of Legal Australia is an Officer role responsible for overseeing the legal affairs of the company, providing strategic legal advice to senior management, the Board and ensuring compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. This role involves managing the Legal and Company Secretary Teams, corporate governance related matters, handling complex legal matters, reporting significant matters to the CEO and to Regional and Global Legal Affairs and representing the company in legal proceedings.

Reporting to the Asia General Counsel and to the Australia CEO, this role sits on the Australian Leadership Team and as such has obligations to local regulators and the Board. 

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for effectively managing all legal risks facing MetLife Australia, including establishing legal review processes and procedures designed to identify and mitigate such risks.
• Provides practical, comprehensible legal advice and support to ensure that the legal risks associated with MetLife Australia’s business are understood and accepted by the company’s senior management and the Board. Such advice and support must be provided with respect to both business-as-usual operations and special projects/strategic initiatives.
• Evaluates and interprets, on a timely basis, the impact of any changes to the laws and regulations affecting MetLife Australia and its operations and governance, and communicates any new or different legal requirements to the company’s senior management, especially to the leaders of the lines of business impacted by such changes.
• Ensures that the significant legal issues facing MetLife Australia are understood by the CEO, Legal Affairs management in the Asia Region and the New York Home Office through accurate and timely reporting and regular communication.
• Effectively manages the legal resources available to MetLife Australia, including Legal staff, MetLife Legal Affairs associates outside of Australia and outside counsel, to ensure that the right resources, with appropriate knowledge and expertise, are focused on the most significant legal issues facing the company. Ensures that legal advice provided and legal work is accomplished in an efficient, cost-effective manner.
• Manage the Company Secretary overseeing Board secretarial matters and corporate governance of MetLife Australia. 
• Champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by fostering an environment where everyone is valued, heard and can speak up.
• Inspire and influence through clear and consistent communication of the organization’s purpose and strategy.
• Principal departmental work processes include:
• Legal advice to LOBs
• General corporate matters including contract review, investment, strategic initiatives and special projects 
• Litigation management (including HR)
• Corporate Secretarial matters 
• Reporting to the CEO and regional / Global Legal Affairs management team
• Talent management and development
• LOB administration (including budget and HC management)

Essential Business Experience and Technical Skills

Knowledge/Skills/Attributes:

• People leadership credibility and influence; track record of motivating people and delivering results.
• Excellent Judgment – Consistently demonstrates excellent judgment, including creative problem-solving and effective decision-making. Must be able to win the trust and earn the confidence of senior management both at MetLife Australia and within the Global Legal Affairs organization.
• Outstanding Communication Skills – Effectively and accurately conveys complex legal issues to a diverse range of constituencies in a manner appropriately tailored to the relevant audience and context. 
• Proven Managerial Skills – Effectively oversees the work of in-house counsel and external lawyers, ensuring appropriate resource allocation and prioritization. Develops talent and enhances the capabilities of the Legal Department with a long-term, strategic view.
• Relevant Legal Expertise and Strong Analytical Ability – Has knowledge of and experience in a wide range of legal practice areas and understands the legal framework applicable to an Australian life insurance company. Quick learner with an ability to analyze novel legal issues.
• Open-mind to Innovation – Has open-minded approach and collaborative mindset to think outside of the box to develop a new insurance company model. Work closely with new business areas including health and digital. 
• Business Acumen – Appreciates the perspective of business leaders. Understands the fundamental operating principles of a life insurance company and can align priorities to the strategic objectives of the business.
• Ability to operate in a complex and matrixed environment.
• Relevant substantive areas of law include:

1. Financial Services Laws (specifically life insurance law)
2. Company Law / Corporate Governance
3. Group and Retail Life Insurance Product and Sales
4. Employment Law and HR-related Matters
5. Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law
6. Cyber Security/Privacy Law
7. Innovation areas (including Heath & Digital)
8. Marketing, Advertising and Communications related legal matters

Success Principles:

• Build Tomorrow: 

1. Seize opportunity: drive responsible growth and identify areas for continuous improvement
2. Experiment with confidence: Courageously learn and test new ideas without the fear of failure
3. Act with urgency: demonstrate speed to action with agility and determination

• Win Together:

1. Seek diverse perspectives: source ideas and feedback to expand thinking and make informed decisions
2. Champion inclusion: foster an environment where everyone is valued, heard and can speak up
3. Create alignment: Partner with others across the organization with candor and transparency

• Own It:

1. Take responsibility be accountable and act in pursuit of the right outcomes
2. Enable solutions: anticipate and address obstacles while managing risk
3. Delivery what matters: execute meaningful priorities and follow through on commitments 

MetLife Leader Expectations:

• Builds Effective Teams – building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
• Drives Engagement – Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help MetLife achieve its objectives.
• Develops Talent – Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organizations goals.

Qualifications Required:

• Bachelor of Laws or equivalent.
• Admitted to practice law in Australia or another relevant international jurisdiction. 
• 10+ years of legal experience (including private practice), preferably at a multinational financial services company

Applications Close Friday, 1 November 20204

Benefits We Offer

Our benefits are designed to care for your holistic well-being with programs for physical and mental health, financial wellness, and support for families. We offer health care coverage for you and your family, insurance discounts for home, car, and pet protection, as well as parental leave. We also provide premium gym membership for you and your direct relatives, volunteer time off, discounts with specific universities, flexible Fridays, connectivity reimbursement, and much more!

About MetLife

Recognized on Fortune magazine’s list of the 2024 “World’s Most Admired Companies”, MetLife, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is one of the world’s leading financial services companies; providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutional customers. With operations in more than 40 markets, we hold leading positions in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Our purpose is simple – to help our colleagues, customers, communities, and the world at large create a more confident future. United by purpose and guided by empathy, we’re inspired to transform the next century in financial services. At MetLife, it’s #AllTogetherPossible. Join us!

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