Senior Legal Counsel NZ

As a Senior Legal Counsel for Equifax, you will be responsible for providing specialised legal advice on data privacy, competition and consumer law, as well as all aspects of commercial and corporate law. You will also play a key role in ensuring that Equifax’s arrangements with its customers and suppliers are properly documented and that you’re taking into account all relevant areas of legal risk.

Join a dynamic team that's driving business growth in the region. We're looking for someone with high energy, a positive attitude, genuine curiosity, and a focus on achieving results. In this role, you'll provide timely, efficient, and practical legal advice on product structuring, commercial contracts, and related regulatory, compliance, operational support, sales, and commercial matters.

What you'll do

Working directly with the Equifax General Counsel A/NZ, the business, the Legal team, Compliance, and other key business partners, you'll play a vital role in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating diverse customer contracts, as well as advising on New Zealand regulatory issues, as they arise. For contracts, this includes online terms, master service agreements, confidentiality agreements, IT agreements, licenses, consultancy agreements, and strategic partnerships like alliances and joint ventures. For regulatory matters, it could be issues to do with privacy, competition law, companies law and a myriad of  other legislation relevant to Equifax’s diverse business.  With Equifax's broad product range, you'll encounter a variety of interesting and impactful legal challenges and commercial problems to solve. 

What experience you need 

• 8+ years PQE as a minimum, ideally within financial services previously

• Must have prior in-house experience with a major corporation, and/or reputable law firm experience

• Extensive and proven experience negotiating, documenting and providing strategic direction and leadership on sophisticated, complex enterprise deals, as well as legal support on matters arising in day-to-day operations. 

• Strong understanding of Data Privacy, Competition & Consumer Law and experience providing commercial advice, capable of practical application, taking into account risk frameworks

• Experience and understanding that all work requires a “business” and "commercial",  as well as a “legal”, approach, requiring competencies in negotiation, structuring deals, validation of terms against commercial and industry norms, project management, and team leading that is broader than documenting the legal terms of an already agreed upon deal, as well as a mature and nuanced understanding of, and fluency in, risk frameworks.

• Experience working in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities.

• Ability to provide timely, solution-oriented legal risk advice

• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced commercial environment and manage multiple priorities

• Demonstrated capabilities in anticipating legal issues, accepting and effectively resolving sensitive topics and handling difficult situations diplomatically.

• Senior Legal Counsels who have a contract/commercial and regulatory  focus either recently or in their career previously 

• The ability to directly and frequently interact with business leaders - You’ll have the ability to build strong relationships, trust and share knowledge openly to effectively collaborate with business, other in-house attorneys and various stakeholders within the company. 

• Significant experience within financial services or a data product domain

• Experience working with industry regulators and industry associations, as well as consumer advocacy bodies.

We believe great things happen when teams connect. Our schedule is built around 4 days of high-impact, in-office collaboration (Monday–Thursday), paired with Friday Flexibility to wrap up your week remotely.

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