P&C Senior Legal Counsel EMEA

Job description

The role holder be expected to deliver support on legal and compliance matters across the P&C business unit’s global operations and activities, with support from local counsel, as needed and as time permits. The role holder will be required to provide contract wording support for the EMEA casualty and property underwriting teams and will be a key member of the P&C legal team working on the development of SCOR’s wording tool, Lex.   

The role holder will understand and respond to (as is appropriate and permissible) the commercial and business-related constraints and pressures on the SCOR P&C business unit.

The role holder will be commercial and pragmatic and to understand the impact of market conditions on treaty and direct insurance activities, procedures and wordings, while being able to clearly and succinctly articulate issues to the underwriting community (and management), to evaluate the risks associated with the (re)insurance activities and to develop commercial risk mitigation options, while ensuring all operations are compliant.

·  Degree (ideally law), with a strong academic record.
·  A formal professional legal qualification/admittance – preferably in EMEA (but a qualification in another jurisdiction is acceptable). 

The role holder will be responsible for working closely with P&C business unit underwriters, management team and P&C Legal team and (as required) SCOR’s Compliance team and broader SCOR Legal community, including:

·  Providing legal guidance and support re any assigned P&C transactional, underwriting (including detailed contract wording review and editing and the development of contract language) and (if required) claims related matters, sanctions and embargoes and licencing queries and applications.
·  Supporting the operations of the P&C business unit, including identifying and addressing/mitigating legal risks in the business and supporting the business by appropriately addressing any legal and compliance risk and developing processes to respond to them.
·  Supporting product development and the entry into any new lines of business, notably by providing contractual support to P&C treaty and specialty underwriters (e.g., policy/contract wordings, program agreements/business, third-party administrator agreements, non-disclosure agreements, etc.). 
·  Supporting the development of protocols and guidelines to be embedded into the P&C business unit to ensure there are institutional best practices.   
·  Participating and collaborating with broader legal, compliance and other business units.
·  Assuming a lead role in supporting the development of the P&C business unit’s wording tool, Lex.
·  The role holder business activities and providing general support to the broader Legal and Compliance functions for P&C as time and experience permits.
·  As the business grows in other regions, the role holder will be expected to provide support in coordination with local counsel.
·  Once established in their role, there is an opportunity for a strong performer to work on transversal projects, cross-regional projects or to expand their knowledge on matters unrelated to their primary practice (e.g., venture capital, third party capital), and to take on additional responsibilities if bandwidth allows – the P&C Legal team is small providing the opportunity to participate in providing legal support for a wide range of matters (outside of “day-to-day” responsibilities).

Required experience:

·  Extensive PQE either in a legal practice and/or commercial environment, with a material exposure to the (re)insurance business.
·  A track record of having the ability to accurately assess the degree of legal risk and opportunity in a given situation and the ability to develop solutions to mitigate legal risk. 
·  Experience in influencing and motivating others.

 

Personal Competencies:

·  The role holder will be enthusiastic about supporting the activities of the P&C business unit globally and across all business areas.
·  This role will suit somebody with prior reinsurance and direct insurance experience who is capable of operating autonomously, with guidance from their peers, and who is excited about working directly with the business and driving legal issues to completion.
·  Both  the business and the Legal teams are small, such that collegiality, efficiency, proactivity and curiosity are key to the role holder’s success.
·  We are seeking a self-starter who has strong organizational skills and will also want to look into bettering the internal processes, fostering cooperation, leveraging other departments, and implementing best practices.
·  Although prior relevant experience is required, a capability to develop new skills, self-teach, learn, and grow with the business is what will make the role holder successful.
·  An interest in supporting SCOR’s Alternative Solutions team / structured risk solutions would be a positive, but not required. 
·  Independence - A proven self-starter who takes the initiative and can act independently when needed and make their own decisions, while keeping relevant stakeholders advised and involved and operating within internal governance requirements and guidelines
·  Problem Solving - Ability to identify and analyse issues, proposals and rolling out relevant solutions after appropriate approvals
·  Communication – Superior written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
·  Commercial – An ability to apply technical legal issues in a commercial environment and to appropriately calibrate technical business risks in the context of business/commercial requirements and goals. 
·  Decision Making – an ability to promptly make decisions and/or to roll out decisions, reflecting all available information and appropriate risk assessments
·  Accountability – Alerts, raises the critical points when needed, shoulders and corrects their decisions and shows responsibility regarding cost management
·  Commitment – Makes the effort to bring their skills and uses their expertise to contribute to the success of the Business Unit
·  Curiosity – An appetite for learning and developing themself in their field

 

Additional language skills

·  A proficiency in either French, German, Spanish, or Portuguese is a plus – but not required.