Senior Legal Counsel

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Senior Legal Counsel plays a pivotal role in safeguarding the institution’s legal integrity and guiding its strategic decisions. The main duties and responsibilities of the role include but not limited to:

• Provide expert legal advice on institutional, operational, and financial matters.
• Advise on institutional governance, including legal matters related to the Fund’s charter, shareholder agreements, Board procedures, and amendments to governing documents.
• Shape and review legal strategies for projects, investments, and partnerships, and contribute to institutional strategy, risk management, and policy development from a legal perspective.
• Ensure alignment with international law, the Fund’s establishing agreement, applicable international and host country regulations, best international standards, and TIF policies.
• Draft, review, and negotiate legal documentation, including investment agreements (employing wide range of instruments, covering from plain vanilla loan and guarantees to complex equity and hybrid instruments), co-financing participation agreement, partnership agreement, procurement contracts, and employment agreements.
• Maintain oversight of legal documentation related to the Fund’s operations and governance and ensure proper records keeping.
• Support the Fund’s risk management activities by helping to identify potential risks and ensuring that established safeguards and procedures are followed.
• Assist in handling legal matters involving external parties – such as governments, shareholders, co-investors, multilateral institutions, and counterparties – by preparing documentation, supporting negotiations, and coordinating with relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinate with external counsel and support the oversight of outsourced legal services to ensure quality and cost-effective delivery.
• Conduct research on legal and regulatory developments in Member countries and internationally and assist in analyzing their implications for the Fund’s operations and compliance.
• Support dispute resolution, litigation, and arbitration matters by preparing legal documentation, conducting analysis, and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide operational and administrative support to the Legal Department, contributing to planning activities and coordinating departmental initiatives.

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Advanced university degree (Master’s level or equivalent) in Law is required.
• Admission to practice law in Türkiye is required.
• Specialization in international financial law, development finance, commercial law, or public international law is highly desirable.
• Have relevant professional experience as a lawyer working on English law governed financing agreements in one or more of the following fields:
  • cross-border banking transactions involving the taking of security;
  • cross-border structured finance transactions;
  • cross-border private equity investments;
  • equity funds transactions; and/or
  • capital markets transactions.

EXPERIENCE:

• At least 5-7 years of progressively responsible legal experience in top-tier law firms or in-house legal department of a top international commercial / investment bank, or international organizations with the focus on development financing with significant exposure to cross-border financial transactions and institutional governance.
• Demonstrated experience advising on complex legal matters of the Host Country.
• Experience working with or advising multilateral development banks or international financial institutions (i.e. MDBs or IFIs like EBRD, IFC, etc.) and professional experience gained in one or more of TIF’s Members states would be a strong asset.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• Expert knowledge of Host Country law, international law, institutional governance, and multilateral development finance legal frameworks.
• Practical experience or familiarity with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) legal frameworks.
• Strong negotiation and project management skills, with the ability to prepare and review complex legal agreements and policy documents.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the ability to deliver clear, practical, and business-oriented legal advice.
• High level of integrity, confidentiality, and professional ethics, as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent command of the English (including verbal and written) and excellent skills in drafting and negotiating legal documents in English language; proficiency in other languages relevant to the Fund’s region is an asset.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural and diverse institutional environment, often under time pressure.