In House Legal Counsel

Johannesburg, South Africa | Posted on 03 / 10 /

The main purpose of the role is to provide technical support on complex transactions originating from a variety of Treasury businesses including managing complex change.

Overall job responsibilities include:

1. Providing support in dealing with the accounting for new transactions (including CIB, Group and client reporting perspective) for all Treasury related services.
2. Providing leadership to the teams running the central hedge accounting solution and controlling Treasury's risk under management.
3. Overseeing daily and monthly financial reporting for central hedging and Treasury risk management areas.
4. Providing technical and transactional support across the Treasury business.
5. Providing change support relating to complex regulatory or other regime changes to Treasury Finance and Treasury.

Management of Central Hedging Solution – 60%

1. To be responsible for the Group Hedge Accounting solutions owned by Treasury, ultimately to maintain Hedge Accounting at minimal economic impact post, whilst ensuring appropriate & adequate controls and reconciliations.
2. Ensuring appropriate valuation techniques are applied in order to measure hedged risk.
3. Presentation and interpretation to senior management within and outside Treasury of hedge effectiveness results achieved, as well as monitoring of current arrangements to predict expected hedge effectiveness.
4. Financial reporting and documentation function, ensuring controls are maintained and information reported is accurate and timely.
5. Maintaining and developing Hedge Accounting solutions and infrastructure as fit for purpose with respect to current Group business mix and within the bounds of existing standards and legislation.

Accountability: Providing Technical Advice to Treasury and Other areas – 20%

1. Providing ad hoc hedge accounting support to other parts of the Group as the Group centre for excellence, and implement and extend a group wide policy for hedge accounting covering all types of hedge exposure including liaising with external auditors to achieve optimum accounting treatment.
2. Supporting other group areas and areas of Treasury in accounting for Financial Instruments.
3. A principle point of contact for accounting technical issues in Treasury, providing expert accounting technical and structuring advice across all Treasury pillars and finance disciplines.
4. Partnering across all Treasury pillars on accounting and other regulatory/technical aspects of proposed new transactions, products & process changes affecting the Treasury business.
5. Assessing implications of all capital applications (including liaising with regulatory, tax and other experts across the group as necessary) and co-ordinating response across Treasury Finance and other business finance functions.

Accountability: Manage impact of technical change on Treasury – 10%

1. Monitoring accounting and regulatory change as they relate to Treasury business, communicating relevant changes to Treasury & Treasury Finance teams, assessing impact on Treasury business model, systems and processes.

Accountability: Treasury Change initiatives – 10%

1. Ensuring anticipated/proposed change is aligned to internal business strategies and external regulations.
2. Ensuring anticipated change does not adversely impact the hedge effectiveness or economic benefit of deal structure(s).
3. Providing technical input and support to change initiatives where necessary.
4. Setting up and chairing of working groups where appropriate.
5. Providing support to head of change delivery for Treasury.

Requirements:

1. Relevant finance degree (CA, CFA or FRM).
2. Years relevant and specific experience in a treasury or markets technical role.

Knowledge & Skills: (Maximum of 6)

1. Strong technical accounting and regulatory skills.
2. Strong understanding of derivative valuations.
3. Strong understanding of hedge accounting and treasury operations.
4. Exceptional interpersonal and team-working skills and the ability to communicate at all levels.
5. The ability to work in a pressured and unstructured environment and to cope with the demands of working to tight deadlines.
6. Performance oriented and client service driven.

Competencies: (Maximum of 8 competencies)

1. Deciding and initiating action.
2. Learning and researching.
3. Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking.
4. Relating and networking.
5. Adapting and responding to change.
6. Persuading and influencing.
7. Valuation experience will also be beneficial.

Must specifically indicate that they have hedge accounting experience, not just experience in hedging.

The biggest focus is on hedge accounting.