Legal Officer – Corporate Finance/Project & Infrastructure Finance Group recruitment

The Department

This position will support two of Moody’s key lines of business, the Corporate Finance Group (CFG) and Project Infrastructure Finance (PIF).

CFG has responsibility to manage portfolios of high profile corporate investment grade and non-investment grade issuers based in the EMEA region.

PIF is responsible for rating debt issued by public and private infrastructure issuers and electric, gas and water utilities. Such issuers include project finance entities that are limited to a special purpose by law, regulation, or contracts, as well as infrastructure and utility companies not contractually limited to a specific activity.

The Role

Moody’s require a Legal Officer to work with CFG and PIF Analysts, providing advice on transaction-specific matters and wider legal developments that impact on credit issues. The successful candidate will be responsible for identifying legal risks in corporate finance and infrastructure and project finance transactions, reviewing transaction documents and legal opinions, participating in rating committees and communicating Moody’s legal criteria to the market.

This role would be ideal for corporate lawyers with the relevant specialisation who are seeking to apply their legal skills within the context of credit risk assessment, with the responsibility to provide an important contribution to Moody’s rating analysis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide expert guidance and assistance to analysts in reviewing legal documentation and interacting with third-party legal advisers.

• Develop best practice guidelines for analysing legal risks consistently across the CFG and PIF analytical teams, incorporating Moody’s regulatory requirements.

• Devise internal guidelines for legal due diligence requirements in respect of relevant classes of transactions and jurisdictions.

• Procure legal advice from external legal firms on an ad-hoc basis when required in support of Moody’s analysis of specific transactions or classes of transactions.

• Participate in Rating Committees as appropriate.

• Alert analytical teams and Credit Policy to legal developments and work together with analysts and Credit Policy staff to assess credit implications.

• Publish research on topical legal matters from credit perspective.

• Co-operate with Legal Officers in other lines of business to co-ordinate approach and develop consistent methodologies and practices.

• Undertake and co-ordinate ad-hoc research projects (for example, in conjunction with coverage expansion into emerging markets).

• Provide legal training to Moody’s analysts.

Qualifications

• Qualified English law lawyer with post qualification experience in a law firm and/or legal department of a financial institution.

Languages

• Fluency in English essential. Fluency in another European language desirable.

Key technical skills

• English law qualification.

• Extensive experience of reviewing/drafting English language documents in the area of corporate lending; project finance and/or leveraged finance experience desirable.

• Strong experience and understanding of multi-jurisdiction lending transactions.

• Strong understanding and knowledge of financial markets and bond issuance.

• Excellent legal reasoning and drafting skills.

• Understanding of the role of ratings agencies in international and domestic capital and credit markets.

• Excellent English language skills (both written and verbal).

Non technical skills

• Able to build strong professional relationships at all levels and represent the Moody’s brand effectively at senior level.

• Strong analytical orientation.

• Highest ethical standards and sound judgement.

• Able to interact confidently with issuers, financial intermediaries and their legal advisers and, internally, with credit analysts.

• Highly organised and efficient, able to multi-task and work to tight deadlines.

• Able to work on own initiative, without the need for close supervision.