Senior Counsel, Markets

Senior Counsel

The Role  

We are seeking to hire an exceptional individual to join our Legal Team as Senior Counsel, Markets. You will have the opportunity to work alongside our Legal Team to lead our markets, trading and counterparty practice area for Schonfeld’s Legal Department. You will provide dedicated support to our counterparty documentation process  and work with local and global management as you blend your legal acumen with your desire to get closer to the business. You will also have the opportunity to work with our PM Legal group to support onboarding and advisory work related to our investment professionals (portfolio managers, analysts, etc.).

What you’ll do

Key responsibilities include:

• Negotiate and draft complex legal agreements, including master agreements, credit support annexes, and other counterparty documentation
• Provide strategic legal advice to internal stakeholders on counterparty-related matters
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and internal policies
• Represent the firm in disputes or legal proceedings involving counterparties
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement counterparty risk management strategies
• Stay up-to-date with changes in relevant laws, regulations and industry best practices
• Onboard/launch new PM teams/businesses and guide PM teams who “spin-out” and “spin-in”
• Work closely with firm leadership, including our Executive Team, Business Development, Accounting and Compliance and outside counsel
• Additional responsibilities could include assisting with strategic transactions, corporate governance and regulatory matters

What You’ll Bring

The successful candidate will be flexible, motivated, self-sufficient, organized and assertive; will actively take ownership of projects and will consistently demonstrate solid follow-through.

What you need:

• JD. from an accredited law school and admittance to a state bar
• 7-10 years of experience with a law firm and/or as in-house counsel (preferably in the derivatives practice areas of an asset manager or institutional trading counterparty)
• Experience in dealing with institutional trading counterparties, ranging in a wide variety of agreement types:
  • ISDA/CSA negotiations
  • PB Agreements negotiation, including securities lending and netting arrangements
  • Futures & options clearing (FCM) agreement
  • Re-purchase Agreements (GMRA/MRA)
  • MCA/TRS Negotiation of exotic products
• Strong understanding of capital, liquidity and cross-default metrics across various entities such as:
  • Events of default (and cure periods/rules for same)
  • Hedging disruption, increased cost of hedging, FX disruption and market disruption events
  • PB and futures margin lockup periods and conditions thereof (same for OET in swaps)
  • Expertise in pros and cons of cross-margining, payment-netting and accepting/rejecting cross-default terms
• Superior legal writing skills, preferably with experience drafting bespoke agreements
• Excellent analytical, organization, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to organize facts in a way that allows stakeholders to make an informed decision
• Willingness to be very responsive and focused to effectively arrive at proper conclusions in a timeframe that allows the business to plan for further investment opportunities
• Effectively manage external counsel located in the U.S., EMEA and APAC
• Prioritize and handle multiple projects at once
• Enjoy working both independently and collaboratively in a demanding, fast-paced and fluid environment, while maintaining superior attention to detail
• Eagerness to establish and maintain positive working relationships with a diverse team of legal and other professionals at all levels

Who We Are  

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors is a global multi-strategy, multi-manager investment platform that harnesses the transformative power of people to perform in all market environments. Our dynamic culture inspires better outcomes for our team, our investors and our partners. We aim to consistently deliver risk-adjusted returns, with people driving performance.

We specialize in four core strategies: Quantitative Trading, Fundamental Equity, Tactical Trading and Discretionary Macro & Fixed Income. We capitalize on inefficiencies and opportunities within the markets, drawing from a significant investment in proprietary technology, infrastructure and risk analytics.

We invest through internal portfolio managers and external partner funds, pursuing alignment among investors, investment professionals, and the firm. Our footprint spans 7 countries and 19 offices.

Our Culture

Talent is our strategy. We believe our success is because of our people, so putting our talent above all else is our top priority. We are teamwork-oriented, and collaborative, and encourage ideas—at all levels—to be shared. As an organization committed to investing in our people, we provide learning & educational offerings and opportunities to make an impact.

We foster a sense of belonging among all of our employees with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the forefront of this mission. Our employees value diversity across identity, thought, people, and perspective which serves as the foundation of our culture. As a firm, we are committed to creating a hiring process that is fair, welcoming, and supportive.

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