Senior Legal Counsel Regulatory Governance & Compliance

Key Responsibilities

• Handle all matters concerning regulatory governance, in particular in relation to the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Governance Regulations, and cooperate with the Member Associations Governance and Services Department in governance matters of Member Associations.
• Provide substantial comments and feedback to regulatory projects, legal documents and general matters related to all FIFA Regulations, commentaries/explanatory notes, memos and similar.
• Provide responses to regulatory enquiries from all internal and external football stakeholders.
• Handle complex investigations into possible breaches of FIFA Regulations, notably the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, FIFA Football Agent Regulations, FIFA Clearing House Regulations, and others.
• Gather and assess evidence, prepare case files and reports for disciplinary proceedings before the FIFA judicial bodies.
• Have an active role in the general management of such investigations: drafting correspondence, reports, methodology guidelines, setting up a database of relevant decisions and jurisprudence, and actively participating in working groups to improve the efficiency and legal accuracy of the processes, among others.
• Monitor the international transfer system and the activities of all involved stakeholders for possible breaches of FIFA Regulations.
• Manage and supervise administrative cases of minor infractions.
• Develop and administer compliance education programs for internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop creative approaches to tackle non-compliant behaviours, including through cooperation with external stakeholders and organisations.
• Research and analysis of the jurisprudence of FIFA and CAS.
• Mentor other team members, advising on substantive legal matters, as well as efficient ways to allocate time and resources.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• At least 5 years post-qualification experience, either in a law firm, sports governing body, football stakeholder or sports organisation.
• Accuracy and detail orientation, combined with a pragmatic approach when solving problems.
• Autonomy and excellence, positively impacting the efficiency and quality, resulting in an optimal service to the stakeholders.
• Strong sense of responsibility and accountability.
• Critical judgement: ability to separate essential issues from side-issues and to set the right priorities when allocating resources to investigate regulatory breaches.
• Self-confidence and diplomacy.
• Solution orientation and innovation skills, with great ability to embrace changes and new technologies and processes.
• Fluent in English.
• Proficiency in at least one other FIFA language (F / ES).
• Proficient use of MS Office Applications.
• Readiness for stand-by duties.

Benefits