Job responsibilities:
Negotiation and Escalation Process Ownership
- Serve as a key partner to the Client Account Management teams and Legal, focusing on drafting, negotiating, and executing new and existing client legal agreements, primarily supporting EMEA and APAC clients.
- Review and analyse investment management agreements, relevant schedules, RFPs, and other documents (e.g., NDAs).
- Aid in contract negotiations for key strategic relationships.
- Identify non-standard terms in agreements, collaborate with the Legal department and other stakeholders to assess risks, and escalate approval requests to relevant stakeholders.
- Review client-drafted agreements and work with Legal and Business heads to resolve complex issues.
- Attend client meetings and calls as needed to assist with contractual negotiations.
- Support Client Account Management and Client Onboarding Teams and other internal teams with contractual documentation queries.
- Chair Escalation Forum’s, record and communicate risk acceptances, and follow up on agreed actions.
- Ensure adherence to the legal agreement negotiation process and proper filing of final documentation with all internal stakeholder sign-offs.
- Proactively work to onboard business in a timely manner to maximize revenues while minimizing risk exposure.
- Coordinate all stakeholders, internal and external, from initial onboarding request through to handoff to client services for BAU servicing.
- Manage successful and accurate negotiation of appropriate documentation with clients, ensuring timely implementation of all contractual obligations with relevant JPM stakeholder teams, including non-standard servicing items.
Documentation Ownership
- Act as the business owner of legal agreement templates for various client types, including intercompany delegation agreements.
- Document and update procedures/best practices for negotiations.
- Develop and maintain industry knowledge of regulations and client base and maintain country-specific checklists for mandatory clauses.
- Create and update contract language and templates as required by business needs, regulatory changes, or client feedback.
- Obtain a robust understanding of J.P. Morgan legal agreements and risk positions on negotiated clauses.
- Produce negotiation guides, procedures, and training materials for legal agreements.
- Review all legal agreement negotiation forms, lists of issues, and red-lined agreements before distribution to Legal.
MIS, Analysis, and Technology Ownership
- Produce prioritization reports, monitor resource capacity, and effectively manage stakeholder/client expectations.
- Generate Clause Escalation quarterly metrics with regional/tiering breakdowns.
- Responsible for MIS reporting for control forums and senior management, including data collation, production, and analysis.
- Participate in the design, testing, and release of automated internal contract management tools to aid negotiations.
- Serve as the administration owner for the clause library and templates, ensuring data integrity.
Business Initiatives and Global Relationships Ownership
- Work on projects impacting contracts (e.g., repapering, contract updates, contract reviews) to plan and execute necessary details.
- Support ad-hoc business and regulatory initiatives.
- Collaborate with colleagues in US, EMEA, and APAC locations to align and standardize procedures and approval processes.
- Educate various stakeholders on the content of agreement materials and business impacts.
Required qualifications, capabilities and skills
- In-depth knowledge of asset management business, financial instruments, and client service structures.
- Extensive experience in negotiating Distribution Agreements, Investment Management Agreements, or similar legal agreements.
- Highly articulate with strong written and verbal communication skills, able to convey J.P. Morgan's contractual positions in a client-friendly manner.
- Strong ability to partner with stakeholders across the business to achieve effective solutions.
- Excellent facilitation and meeting management skills, capable of discussing complex/technical concepts.
- Strong analytical and organizational skills with a high level of attention to detail.
- Ability to work independently within a team environment, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to changing business demands.
- Flexibility to join early/late calls to liaise with clients/stakeholders across time zones.
- Proficiency in standard office computer applications, specifically Excel, Word, MS Project, and PowerPoint. Spreadsheet skills and analysis are critical.
- Effective time management skills, able to balance multiple projects simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.
- Continuous process improvement and risk control mindset.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to consider multiple alternatives and identify pros/cons.
- Professional presence required to liaise with a wide variety of clients and internal stakeholders.