Senior Counsel

Team Summary

The Visa Asia Pacific Legal team manages Visa's legal affairs in the Asia Pacific region. Our team provides advice and services to ensure business goals are successfully met and that Visa's brand and reputation are protected while minimizing legal liability and regulatory risk. Our vision entails each legal professional living the guiding principles to be a proactive partner who never loses sight of his/her responsibility to protect the company.

What a Senior Counsel in Legal does at Visa:

The position is for a seasoned business/commercial lawyer to join Visa's legal team that supports Visa's businesses responsible for our Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific markets including in the areas of sales contracts, corporate and commercial matters, technology, products, marketing and IP, and regulatory engagement. The position will report to the Senior Managing Counsel who is the head of Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific for Visa Legal in the Asia Pacific region. The applicant should ideally have experience in commercial business law and management and be able to draft robustly and to a high standard. The applicant must have solid technical legal skills with good commercial/legal risk judgment, and be able to juggle multiple priorities in a fast paced and challenging, but rewarding, environment. 

We are looking for a strong commercial and regulatory lawyer with excellent communication and analytical skills, who is self-motivated, able to work proactively and independently, and who has the skillset and leadership mindset to effectively interact with business units and other support functions at all levels across Visa to influence business directions and bring about positive outcomes. Prior payments experience is not required, although the applicant must be willing to learn Visa's business model and the payments industry.

In this role, you are expected to:

• Work closely with business teams to review and advise using exceptional risk-based judgement on commercial and contractual enhancements and/or new business initiatives, as well as day to day commercial related matters
• Be an effective representative/ stakeholder for the AP Legal team in the global legal office and Country management, and liaise with/cooperate with other members of the global and regional Visa legal team
• Draft, negotiate and drive to completion complex commercial, technology, and strategic partnership agreements that achieve business objectives, advice on deal structures
• Support Visa business teams as they expand their new and existing product and service offerings, and use cases, to banks and other clients in money movement, related financial services products, consumer focused enhancements, new financial/technology products and data products, as well as strategic acquisitions of businesses that can add value to the Visa value chain
• Advise on payments system modernisation, AML/CTF reforms, prudential standards such as CPS 230, and translate these into practical guidance, horizon-scanning updates and implementation recommendations for product and business stakeholders.
• Assist in regulatory and government engagements/consultations with APRA, RBA, ASIC and AUSTRAC, including licence and authorisation applications (for example APRA PPF/SVF and related AFSL permissions) on payment regulations across the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific region and be an effective strategic advisor to the business and government engagement teams
• Some travel may be required

Why this is important to Visa

The Senior Counsel provides legal advice, counsel and support to Visa’s business operations in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, a business of the Asia Pacific region and serves as a trusted and respected advisor to senior management and a variety of business units. The Senior Counsel has responsibility for enabling Visa’s business and protecting Visa, through drafting agreements, assisting with negotiations, and advising on diverse areas of law for strategic partnerships, commercial transactions, technology and intellectual property-related matters as well as daily operations of the business.

This is a hybrid position. Expectation of days in office will be confirmed by your hiring manager.

What you will need:

• We are looking for a strong leader who brings of breadth of experience and knowledge of the industry and our business.
• As a candidate, you should have: 12+ years legal experience in drafting and negotiating complex deals, some of which must be at a top tier law firm or MNC Strong academic credentials, with analytical skills and good commercial sense
• Must be able to work independently and interface with executive level stakeholders with little or no supervision, but also be a good team player
• Must be a practical and proactive problem-solver, must have a strong business acumen and be confident, mature and calm under stress
• Demonstrated ability to manage and drive complex commercial and technology transactions, including internationally driven deals
• Strong understanding of complex legal issues in Australia and New Zealand
• Excellent legal analytical skills with the ability to integrate legal advice and business knowledge, while providing balanced advice regarding risks and benefits
• Genuinely interested in technology and the payments industry Admission to a recognized legal body is preferred, and can work in Sydney, Australia

What will also help (Optional):

• Legal practice experience of New Zealand an advantage but a desire to expand knowledge of regional laws and legal systems can substitute Knowledge of anti-trust law, anti-bribery, privacy and intellectual property law preferred

Visa is an EEO Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.