Senior Regional Counsel, Regulatory Strategy and Advisory

The Group:

The Legal and Compliance team consists of lawyers, compliance specialists and other professionals across the globe who bring to the team various kinds of expertise. On the legal side, we have commercial, regulatory, M&A, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, privacy and employment expertise in-house as well as broad-based international legal experience to support the company’s 12,000+ employees working in wholly owned subsidiaries in 32 countries. The Compliance team has expertise in overseeing the compliance processes and practices of regulated credit ratings, investment management, investment research and benchmark administration businesses. The Legal Department coordinates and oversees Morningstar’s use of external counsel around the world.

The Role:

Morningstar, Inc., a leading global provider of independent investment research, is looking for a specialist in the Global Regulatory Strategy and Advisory Team, Legal. The role will be a primary legal resource on identifying and addressing regulatory issues that may affect Morningstar’s operations in Asia and Pacific. This position directly reports to Global Head of Regulatory Strategy and Advisory, Legal.

Job responsibilities:

While not meant to be a comprehensive list of functions, principal day-to-day responsibilities of this role in Australia include:

• Advising the business on regulatory strategy and risk, including with respect to regulatory matters associated with strategic initiatives and new business line development as well as any potential regulatory violations.
• Advising Compliance on the management of Morningstar’s regulatory compliance responsibilities and consulting with external parties, as appropriate.
• Serving as one of Morningstar’s contacts and negotiators in APAC with regulatory bodies.
• Advising on the defence and settlement of any regulatory action or other related matters involving any of Morningstar’s regulated businesses.
• Assisting with formal examinations or investigations by a regulator, regulatory registrations, and written submissions in response to consultations from regulators in APAC, as necessary.
• Running internal investigations, and assisting Compliance with the development and implementation of policies, guidelines and other documents pertaining to regulatory requirements applicable to Morningstar’s regulated businesses in APAC, as necessary.
• Developing and implementing the training framework to build a high performing regulatory legal team that can support Morningstar’s regulated businesses as they continue to grow.
• Staying current on regulations and other changes in regulatory requirements that could impact Morningstar’s businesses.

Qualifications:

• Law degree and qualified to practice in Australia
• At least 8 years of financial services or securities law experience in Australia or other APAC jurisdiction
• Financial services compliance/regulatory experience  is required
• Substantive familiarity with ASIC requirements is required
• Structured finance transactional experience or experience in dealing with regulatory bodies in the Asia-Pacific region is an advantage
• In-house experience working for a regulated entity is preferred
• Investment advisor, research or asset management regulatory experience is beneficial
• Must be admitted to practice law or eligible for admission to practice as in-house counsel in the jurisdiction where located
• Leadership skills and the ability to influence
• Integrity and a high degree of professional ethics
• Excellent judgement and analytical skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including excellent, clear drafting
• Ability to work efficiently and independently, prioritize workflow, and meet deadlines.

Morningstar’s hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to work remotely and collaborate in-person each week. We’ve found that we’re at our best when we’re purposely together on a regular basis, at least three days each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you’ll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.