Legal, Corporate Governance, Vice President, Birmingham

WHO WE ARE

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities and investment management services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. The firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in London, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and other major cities around the world.

The Goldman Sachs Legal Division works at the intersection of finance and law, providing counsel and advice that support activities across the firm. 

BUSINESS UNIT AND ROLE OVERVIEW 

The role is for a qualified corporate lawyer (3 – 6 years’ PQE) or Chartered Company Secretary (5 – 10 years’ experience) to work in the Goldman Sachs UK Corporate Governance Team (“CGT”) in Birmingham, within the Goldman Sachs EMEA Legal Division. The CGT currently comprises a team of five, three based in London and two based in Birmingham. A senior lawyer manages the team. The CGT is responsible for the corporate administration of all the Goldman Sachs UK entities and branches and several overseas entities, including in the Middle East. These entities include regulated UK companies, for whom the CGT manages the Board and Board committees. CGT is part of the International Corporate Governance Team responsible for all the Goldman Sachs legal entities (excluding the US).

The successful applicant will be a senior member of a small, professional team, focused on teamwork, collaboration, ownership and high performance. This role requires strong technical expertise, sound independent judgment and the ability to influence at senior levels in a complex environment. The successful applicant will be able to manage a diverse and complex workload, meet tight deadlines, fully support junior team members and thrive on the pressures of delivering consistently high-quality professional services. 

Goldman Sachs continues to build out its presence in Birmingham, so the applicant will join a growing highly skilled Legal team in a world-class workplace, focused on collaboration, productivity and sustainability.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Providing senior company secretarial services to all the GS UK entities and branches and several overseas entities. Responsibilities include preparing the documentation required for board/committee meetings for key regulated entities and minuting those meetings.
• Providing expert advice on corporate governance and regulatory requirements (including the UK Companies Act and relevant PRA/FCA requirements) for all the Goldman Sachs UK entities and branches and several overseas entities, including in the Middle East.
• Acting as the senior culture carrier for CGT team members in the Birmingham office. Mentoring and developing junior CGT team members in the Birmingham office.
• Working closely with the head of the CGT team to ensure high standards of accountability, quality and performance across the CGT team.
• Providing real-time governance advice to a range of stakeholders, including on complex or sensitive matters.
• Partnering with senior stakeholders across other divisions (risk, compliance, regulatory liaison, executive office) to ensure the smooth running of the boards and committees of these Goldman Sachs entities.
• Advising on and overseeing the CGT’s execution of various corporate actions for the UK entities (and others in EMEA) including director changes, accounts approvals, capital transactions and the establishment or closure of entities. 
• Maintaining accurate entity and director records, assisting with processing key returns to Companies House and maintaining the PSC register.
• Overseeing and managing complex requests for entity and governance information, including those arising from regulatory, audit and transactional requirements.
• Providing secretary’s certificates, delegated signing authorities and advising on powers of attorney and on the execution of documents.
• Identifying, analysing and helping implement emerging corporate governance developments. 
• Maintaining regular contact and coordination with external counsel and notaries as well as senior members and relevant groups throughout the firm.
• Driving continuous improvement and governance transformation initiatives for the CGT team, principally through technology solutions (including Artificial Intelligence), but also through streamlining processes, building collaboration and alignment globally, developing and maintaining processes, policies and systems and sharing good practices.