Are you a sharp, commercially minded legal professional with deep expertise in financial markets and collateral? This is your opportunity to take on a high-impact role at the heart of Swiss Re's Capital Markets Legal function — advising on complex, multi-jurisdictional matters and shaping the legal framework for one of the world's leading reinsurance groups.
About the Role
As Legal Counsel for Securities Finance and Collateral, you will be a trusted legal advisor embedded in a dynamic and internationally connected team. You will provide expert legal counsel to Swiss Re Group and its various Business Units, translating complex business requirements into clear legal processes and actionable guidance. This role offers the opportunity to work at the intersection of law, finance, and regulation — with real visibility at senior levels of the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Manage day-to-day legal matters related to collateral trading and management, including the drafting and negotiation of master agreements for Securities Financing Transactions (SFTs), triparty collateral agreements, trade confirmations, security agreements, and bespoke collateral arrangements
Advise on financial markets regulations, with a particular focus on the Swiss regulatory landscape, ensuring Swiss Re remains compliant with evolving legal and regulatory requirements
Conduct legal and regulatory risk gap assessments and provide timely, well-reasoned legal opinions on operational and legal risks
Draft and review legal policies and guidelines, ensuring they reflect current regulatory requirements and best practices
Collaborate closely with Compliance, Credit Risk, Finance, and Asset Management stakeholders to deliver integrated, commercially sound legal solutions
Engage with market associations such as ICMA and ISLA, representing Swiss Re's interests and staying ahead of industry developments
Provide periodic updates to Senior Management, Internal Audit, and relevant Committees on legal developments and risk matters
Coordinate with the governance team for regulatory filings and reporting obligations
Escalate material issues appropriately to the Head of Global Collateral and the Head of Capital Markets, Finance – Legal
Lead and support group-wide internal projects and contribute to broader Legal & Compliance initiatives
Liaise and collaborate with peers across other branches of the legal department, fostering knowledge sharing and consistency
About the Team
Based in Zurich, you will report to the Head of Capital Markets Finance Legal and join a team of seven talented legal professionals. The team is truly international in character, with members based across Zurich and London, bringing a rich diversity of qualifications, backgrounds, and legal expertise. The team operates in a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment, advising on some of the most complex and high-profile matters within Swiss Re's legal function. You will have regular interactions with the General Counsel Corporate Center & Group Functions, the Group Treasurer, the Head of Risk & Short-Term Funding, and Swiss Re Senior Management.
About You
You are a confident, intellectually curious legal professional who thrives in a fast-paced, international environment. You bring sound legal judgement that goes beyond the letter of the law — you understand the business context, communicate complex concepts with clarity, and build trusted relationships across all levels of an organisation. You are open, collaborative, and willing to share your knowledge and perspective, while remaining receptive to challenge and committed to continuous learning.
We are looking for candidates who meet these requirements:
Law degree with honours and admission to practice, with a Swiss legal qualification required; an additional US or UK qualification is strongly preferred
Minimum 8 years of significant international legal experience in securities lending, repo, and ideally derivatives businesses, gained at a renowned financial services institution and/or a top-tier law firm
Strong experience in complex, multi-jurisdictional legal matters, with demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality legal advice under pressure
Fluency in English and German (written and spoken), enabling effective communication with internal and external stakeholders across jurisdictions
Proven expertise in drafting and negotiating financial market agreements, including GMRA, GMSLA, CSA, and related documentation
These are additional nice to haves:
Experience interacting with or representing organisations at market associations such as ICMA or ISLA
Familiarity with Swiss Re's business model or the broader reinsurance/insurance industry
Experience advising on regulatory filings and liaising with financial regulators
Demonstrated ability to lead internal legal projects and drive cross-functional initiatives
Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership and governance committees
A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with a measured appetite for risk and a track record of delivering workable outcomes
Professional references available upon request
For Switzerland, the base salary range for this position is between CHF 132 000 and CHF 198 000 for a full-time role.
The specific salary offered considers:
The requirements, scope, complexity and responsibilities of the role
The applicant's own profile including education/qualifications, expertise, specialisation, skills and experience
In the situation where you do not meet all the requirements or you significantly exceed these, the offered salary may be below or above the advertised range. In addition to your base salary, you may be eligible for additional rewards and benefits including an attractive performance-based annual bonus.
Our company has a hybrid work model where the expectation is that you will be in the office at least three days per week.
About Swiss Re
Swiss Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. We anticipate and manage a wide variety of risks, from natural catastrophes and climate change to cybercrime. Combining experience with creative thinking and cutting-edge expertise, we create new opportunities and solutions for our clients. This is possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 15,000 employees across the world.
Our success depends on our ability to build an inclusive culture encouraging fresh perspectives and innovative thinking. We embrace a workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive and develop professionally regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, skillset, thought or other characteristics. In our inclusive and flexible environment everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and their passion for sustainability.
If you are an experienced professional returning to the workforce after a career break, we encourage you to apply for open positions that match your skills and experience.
We may use AI-powered tools to support the review and evaluation of applications for this position. These tools provide additional insights to our recruitment teams, but all hiring decisions are carefully reviewed and made by people. To learn more about how we use AI in recruitment and how we handle your personal data, please review our Data Privacy Statement before applying.
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