Financial Crimes Legal, Sanctions Counsel, VP

Do you want your voice heard and your actions to count?

Discover your opportunity with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), the 7th largest financial group in the world. Across the globe, we’re 160,000 colleagues, striving to make a difference for every client, organization, and community we serve. We stand for our values, building long-term relationships, serving society, and fostering shared and sustainable growth for a better world.

With a vision to be the world’s most trusted financial group, it’s part of our culture to put people first, listen to new and diverse ideas and collaborate toward greater innovation, speed and agility. This means investing in talent, technologies, and tools that empower you to own your career.

Join MUFG, where being inspired is expected and making a meaningful impact is rewarded.

This is a hybrid position. The selected colleague will work at an MUFG office or client sites up to four days per week and work remotely the remaining day(s). A member of our Talent Acquisition team will provide more details.

Job Summary

The financial crimes legal function serves MUFG globally by providing thought leadership, subject matter expertise and strategic counsel on financial crime-related legal risks and issues, including in proactively supporting the Global Financial Crimes Division (GFCD) and its regional offices, program development, and enhancements.  The scope of financial crimes legal support is economic and trade sanctions, AML/CTF, and anti-bribery and corruption issues.

This role will serve as supporting financial crimes legal counsel for the Americas Region and will assist on global initiatives lead by the financial crimes legal team.  This role will be responsible for proactively providing financial crimes legal advice, including on OFAC sanctions, throughout the region, and will work closely with the GFCD Americas Financial Crimes Office (“FCOA”) and the Global Sanctions Compliance team (“GSC”), and will provide independent legal counsel to other stakeholders within the bank, including transactional lawyers and litigation.  The role will be accountable to the Global Financial Crimes Legal counsel and the Americas Legal Department. 

Responsibilities

• Analyze and advise on the scope and application of OFAC and as may be appropriate, BIS, regulations in light of the facts presented, review and advise on regulatory guidance and expectations around same.  Advise on and review OFAC reporting. 

• Support other lawyers in analysis and advise on AML and anti-bribery and corruption laws.

• Identify financial crimes risk related in transactions, products and services, and provide deal-specific counsel on adequacy of financial crimes-related contractual provisions.

• Advise the Lead Americas and Global Financial Crimes Legal counsel on region-specific financial crimes legal matters, and cooperatively work with the financial crimes legal for the other regions on ensuring consistent quality and approach to legal advice.

• Advise GSC and FCOA and proactively spot and address legal risks, identify legal issues and inconsistencies when they may arise.

• Assist with liaising between GSC, FCOA, and the broader Legal Department and/or external counsel, where appropriate:

  • Assist in identifying and connecting appropriate Legal and GFCD resources as needed;

  • Participate in Legal initiatives;

  • Help identify and manage external counsel relationships in a cost efficient manner.

• Partner with litigation and investigations attorneys on financial crimes-related internal investigations, subpoena responses and related communications with local enforcement agencies and regulators.

• Support and advise on reports to and communications with local regulators on financial crimes-related issues.

• Support global initiatives and matters that the financial crimes legal team is advising on.

Qualifications

Education:

• Juris Doctor degree required

• U.S. state bar admission required

Experience:

• A minimum of 5+ years’ work experience acting in the capacity as either as in-house counsel with a major financial institution or at a leading law firm advising global financial institutions on regional financial crimes laws and regulations.

• Experience with OFAC sanctions, trade regulations required.

• Experience with U.S. AML and/or anti-bribery and corruption laws is preferred, but not required.

• Excellent skills in issue spotting, risk assessment, and problem-solving.

• Excellent skills in written and verbal communication.

• Strong ability