Counsel - 1940 Act

At MFS, you will find a culture that supports you in doing what you do best. Our employees work together to reach better outcomes, favoring the strongest idea over the strongest individual. We put people first and demonstrate care and compassion for our community and each other. Because what we do matters – to us as valued professionals and to the millions of people and institutions who rely on us to help them build more secure and prosperous futures.

THE ROLE

This position will provide legal counsel for significant and strategic regulatory initiatives and on-going operations, including complex, regulatory-related processes, policies and procedures. This individual will review, monitor and resolve related legal and regulatory issues as they pertain to assigned matters and other special projects/areas as determined by senior management.  In particular, this role will focus on supporting the Legal team that provides legal support to U.S. registered investment companies and related Investment Company Act of 1940 (1940 Act) work. This position regularly interacts with individuals throughout MFS, including members of our investment, legal, compliance, distribution and client service teams. 

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Provide legal advice and support relating to MFS-advised pooled investment vehicles, including the MFS' U.S. 1940 Act registered mutual funds and exchange-traded funds and external 1940 Act registered mutual funds that MFS sub-advises.  Assist in providing legal advice to business clients for special projects, such as new funds, new classes, reorganizations and other product initiatives, such as changes to the name or investment strategies of existing funds. 

• Assist in the research, preparation and/or review of a variety of legal documentation, board materials and regulatory filings (including reviewing the Funds' registration statements and financial reports), and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, local or multi-jurisdictional laws.  Monitor, review and assess implications of new or amended laws, rules and regulations related to assigned area/specialization and that impact MFS, its corporate subsidiaries or fund complexes.  Apprise others of developments, recommend, and, when appropriate, decide on courses of action including new or updated relevant policies and procedures.  Monitor company, competitive and regulatory developments and ensure best practices are developed and implemented within scope of position.

• Negotiate with internal and external parties on complex contracts, matters and/or transactions so as to satisfy the business objectives and regulatory requirements.

• As needed, coordinate and participate in related audits and examinations and ensure business unit or area is audit/exam ready. Liaise with other departments and maintain effective relationships with same. Respond or participate in preparing responses to federal/state/offshore governmental regulators on assigned issues and matters. Make recommendations on changes to policies, procedures and manuals as well as standards and practices.

• Work with and oversee the work provided by outside counsel on a variety of legal matters ensuring that standards for service delivery and cost are met.

• Represent MFS at regulator and industry meetings and events.

• Work collaboratively with, and oversee certain work of, paralegals and other MFS Legal staff.

• Assume additional responsibilities as required.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Bachelor's Degree and Juris Doctorate Degree required, with 6 to 8 years of work experience as an attorney in investment management, financial services or industry-related firm, or experience at a law firm.  

• Strong knowledge of the 1940 Act as well as the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. 

• Strong working knowledge of investment management operations and advisory functions is required as is knowledge of subject area within scope of position.

• Must be a member in good standing of any State Bar, preferably Massachusetts, and maintain good standing for all necessary license(s) and/or professional qualifications.  

• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, communication, customer-service, team-working and problem-solving skills.

• Must be able to write effectively, and present research, analysis and conclusions in a persuasive manner. Must be polished, professional, mature, well-mannered and well-spoken.

• Ability to demonstrate leadership skills and be able to implement, execute and exemplify MFS' business culture with limited supervision.

• Proven ability to develop and foster strong interpersonal relationships and to maintain effective cross-functional teams throughout the organization.

• Experience managing the delivery of projects while ensuring the success of same and the cooperation of cross- functional teams, with both domestic and international team members, is preferred.

• Proven ability to exercise judgment, pursue initiatives and implement changes necessary to align functional area with strategic/long-term goals of MFS and of the Legal Department is required.

• An understanding of business operations and practices, procedures and controls specific to the business units supported is required as is the ability to apply same to dealings with the business units supported.

• Must maintain awareness of best practices and evolving issues within the scope of the position, and able to relate same to MFS' operations and practices, suggesting changes and modifications in practices and processes as necessary, and planning the implementation of same.

• Excellent presentation and persuasion skills are required.

• Be able to present comfortably before groups and to educate and persuade audience with argument so as to gain acceptance and cooperation.

• May serve as a representative of MFS with regulators, at meetings, conferences, related industry events, etc.

• May appear before regulators as an advocate of MFS' position. Must be proficient in MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and able to develop proficiency in MFS systems as required to perform the duties of this position.

• Ability to conduct on-line research and to utilize applicable tools.

• Employ and embrace the use of technology in performance of the job. May have to travel occasionally as necessary.

#LI-JN1

At MFS, we believe in fair and transparent compensation. For that reason, we’re including the salary range for this position. This range reflects our good-faith expectation for what we’ll pay depending on the candidate’s experience, training and education. In addition to the salary, we also offer significant and competitive incentive compensation based on both individual and company performance. Other components of our Total Rewards Package include:

• MFS contributes an amount equal to 15% of your base salary to your retirement account that is separate from the company -sponsored 401(k) 

• Education Assistance: MFS contributes $100 monthly up to $10,000 lifetime maximum directly to loan provider

• Education Assistance: Tuition reimbursement up to $8,000 annually 

• Education Assistance: Access to discounted tutors and college coaches

• Generous time off and fully paid leaves including 20-weeks for maternity, 12-weeks for parental and caregiver leaves

• Choice of medical and dental plans and an and an employer contribution into the Health Savings Account

• Tax deferred commuter benefits & flexible spending accounts (medical & dependent care)

• Wellness Programs: Robust wellness webinars, employee assistance program with a focus on mental health, subsidized fitness benefit via Wellhub (formerly Gympass), where you can workout at gyms, studios and boutique fitness locations near you, join virtual personal training sessions and access a wide variety of well-being apps

Our compensation philosophy is to pay competitively for talent while ensuring equity across employees performing comparable work. We are committed to transparency – if you have questions about how we arrived at this range or what additional benefits and bonus opportunities come with the role, we’ll be happy to discuss them

#LI-HYBRID

At MFS, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace. If you are excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly, we encourage you to apply - you might be just the right candidate for this role or others.

MFS is a hybrid work environment (remote/onsite) unless otherwise stated in the job posting.

If any applicant is unable to complete an application or respond to a job opening because of a disability, please contact MFS at 617-954-5000 or email [email protected] for assistance. 

MFS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and it is our policy to not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local laws. Employees and applicants of MFS will not be subject to harassment on the basis of their status. Additionally, retaliation, including intimidation, threats, or coercion, because an employee or applicant has objected to discrimination, engaged or may engage in filing a complaint, assisted in a review, investigation, or hearing or have otherwise sought to obtain their legal rights under any Federal, State, or local EEO law is prohibited. Please see the Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal document, linked for your reference.