Senior Legal Counsel

If you’re looking for a career that will help you stand out, join HSBC, and fulfil your potential - whether you want a career that could take you to the top, or an exciting new direction, we offer opportunities, support and rewards that will take you further.

We’re one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world, with a network that covers more than 50 countries and territories. We aim to be where the growth is, enabling businesses to thrive and economies to prosper, and, ultimately, helping people fulfil their hopes and realise their ambitions.

We’re currently seeking an experienced professional to join our UK Retail Banking & Wealth (RBW) Legal Team in the role of Senior Legal Counsel, Unsecured Lending.

You’ll play a key part in supporting UK Unsecured Lending in a fast-moving, heavily regulated environment where your advice will directly shape real customer propositions and outcomes. You will advise on the legal and regulatory issues that shape unsecured credit products and customer outcomes. This is an opportunity to help the business deliver growth, simplification and innovation responsibly and at pace.

As an HSBC employee in the UK, you’ll have access to tailored professional development opportunities and a competitive pay and benefits package. This includes private healthcare for all UK-based employees, enhanced maternity and adoption pay and support when you return to work, and a contributory pension scheme with a generous employer contribution.

In this role you will:

• Lead on complex legal matters for RBW UK Unsecured Lending, providing clear, commercial, and pragmatic advice to senior stakeholders, and taking ownership of issues through to resolution
• Support unsecured lending proposition and product development, advising on product design, customer journeys, documentation, communications, operational processes, distribution, and governance
• Provide leadership and support on regulatory change impacting retail banking, helping the business influence, anticipate, interpret, and implement changes in the legal, regulatory, and industry environment
• Act as a trusted adviser to the RBW UK Unsecured Lending leadership team and wider stakeholders, balancing pace and innovation with strong risk stewardship and customer outcomes
• Support Wider Development of Transactional Banking including advice connected to payments, operational change, and other related regulatory developments impacting retail banking propositions
• Engage and influence internally and externally as appropriate, including working collaboratively with other members of the Legal function and with key partners
• Contribute to continuous improvement within Legal, including simplifying ways of working and/or implementing new technology to support efficient, high-quality delivery

To be successful in this role you should meet the following requirements:

• UK qualified lawyer
• Significant unsecured credit experience, ideally gained in-house at a bank/consumer lender, advising on consumer credit law and regulation, unsecured lending propositions, operations, documentation, and regulatory change
• Strong working knowledge of relevant UK regulatory frameworks and conduct expectations, with a track record of translating regulatory requirements into practical, customer-focused outcomes
• A track record of delivering significant regulatory and business-led projects, demonstrating strong risk stewardship and the ability to provide commercial legal advice to senior stakeholders
• Strong organisation and prioritisation, able to manage workload and plan projects systematically to meet business priorities
• Commercial mindset and business acumen, able to balance legal risk management with enabling the business to achieve its strategic objectives
• Proven experience of implementing operational change is preferable
• Proven experience of using AI tools is preferable

Opening up a world of opportunity.

Being open to different points of view is important for our business and the communities we serve. At HSBC, we’re dedicated to creating diverse and inclusive workplaces - no matter their gender, ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic background or age. We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring careers at HSBC are inclusive and accessible for everyone to be at their best. We take pride in being a Disability Confident Leader and will offer an interview to people with disabilities, long term conditions or neurodivergent candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

If you have a need that requires accommodations or changes during the recruitment process, please get in touch with our Recruitment Helpdesk via hsbc.recruitment@hsbc.com.