Senior Lawyers & Senior Investigators - Enforcement Investigations

The Central Bank of Ireland is a dynamic, multifaceted organisation at the heart of Ireland's financial system. The organisation incorporates the functions of central banking and financial regulation. We have responsibility for the regulation of the Irish financial services industry and the safeguarding of Irish financial stability. The Central Bank of Ireland is currently recruiting for a number of Senior Lawyers and Senior Investigators within the Enforcement Investigations Division. These roles will be offered as contracts of indefinite duration and specified purpose contracts for approximately 12 months. These roles are aligned with the Bank Professional 2 grade and the BP2 salary scale applies. Please click here for further information on our salary scales. A career in Enforcement Investigations can provide you with the opportunity to work with an experienced, multi-disciplinary team, including lawyers, accountants, project managers, supervisors, and those who have worked within the regulated financial services industry and for other regulators. The breadth of work includes pursuing cases utilising the Central Bank's Enforcement regimes, namely the Administrative Sanctions Procedure and the Markets Assessor Regime, with specialist teams focusing on investigations into: Consumer protection; Credit unions; and Prudential matters (covering the banking, markets and insurance sectors). Enforcement Investigations also has responsibility for fitness and probity cases and for assisting supervisory colleagues on potential fitness and probity applications and investigations and certain actions around a regulated firm's authorisation and proposed acquiring transactions. Our team plays a key role in working with Single Supervisory Mechanism colleagues on enforcement, sanctions and fitness and probity, and this necessitates close collaboration with our colleagues in the European Central Bank (ECB). We also work closely with our Enforcement Advisory colleagues to support the overall delivery of the Central Bank's enforcement strategy. Senior Lawyers: This role is responsible for contributing to the timely, effective and efficient progression of enforcement cases referred to the Investigations Team, from pre-referral to closure, leading work streams within those cases and contributing to the completion of the Division's annual work programme, in order to deliver on the Central Bank's commitment to providing a credible threat of enforcement and holding individuals to account. Responsibilities: Contribute to the timely and efficient progression of cases allocated to the Investigations Team, including: Taking ownership and responsibility for completion of individual cases and discrete work streams assigned; Assisting in the scoping of cases and planning of tasks, actively engaging in devising the case strategy and plan, including resourcing requirements, costs, timelines and key risks; Participating in the collection and analysis of evidence; Leading and participating in the preparation and conclusion of settlement discussions, including proposing settlement strategy and acting as lead advocate in settlement discussions; Proactively contributing to on-going assessment of case strategy and approach and offering new and /or innovative thought out views and ideas; and Assisting in the closure of cases including; drafting of press statements, internal and external correspondence and file closure etc. to support the delivery of appropriate enforcement outcomes. Lead and participate in the provision of legal advice and/or analysis, including assessing legal risks in relation to the various issues that arise in enforcement cases, both pre and post case referral, to support the legally sound progression of cases, protect the interests of Enforcement and the Central Bank as a whole, and contribute to the achievement of appropriate enforcement outcomes; Manage key stakeholder relationships assigned e.g. Enforcement Relationship Manager, and communicate with relevant case stakeholders including management, supervision, internal and external legal advisers, consultants, case subject(s) etc., to ensure a timely and appropriate response to both written and oral communications, and exercising excellent judgement in the escalation of appropriate matters; Lead, and participate, in the drafting of all case related legal documentation, including coaching and mentoring junior colleagues, to ensure high quality outputs which conform to all appropriate enforcement policies/procedures, are consistent with the Enforcement ‘house style' and present the facts and legal analysis of the case in the most compelling manner, so as to support the achievement of appropriate enforcement outcomes; Take ownership and responsibility for delivery of other ad-hoc activities/tasks as may be delegated by the Enforcement Manager / Head of Function, such as leading internal projects, devising new work methodology etc., which support delivery of the Enforcement mandate; and Work collaboratively with Team members and across the Division as a whole, ensuring continuous knowledge sharing and proactively seeking to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and development of the Enforcement Divisions. Requirements: A minimum of 5-6 years post qualification experience as a barrister or solicitor in house or in a leading financial services law firm; Professional legal qualification as a practicing Solicitor or Barrister; Demonstrate professional development and academic achievement in relevant area of legal specialism; Experience of undertaking and/or leading multiple, large and/or complex legal cases, ideally in the context of financial services; Experience of working in a high pressured legal, professional services or regulatory compliance (or equivalent) environment; Analytical, able to interpret large volumes of complex information quickly and accurately and the ability to make logical and timely decisions, cutting through complexity and seeing the big picture; High degree of technical excellence in chosen specialism i.e. litigation, investigations, criminal prosecution; Proven ability to manage and balance a diverse portfolio of activity; Good judgement and the confidence, discipline and intellectual ability to deliver in a demanding environment, prioritising appropriately and demonstrating excellent judgement and problem solving skills at all times; Excellent verbal and written communication with an ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels from across the organisation and the financial services industry as a whole; Excellent relationship management skills and capable of commanding respect and credibility internally and with firms' senior management and their legal representatives; Ability to deal calmly with unexpected challenges; A team player who demonstrates flexibility and a willingness to learn in their approach to work; Act professionally, ethically and with integrity including being an exemplar for key principles and behaviours; and Strong negotiation skills. Senior Investigators: This role is responsible for contributing to the timely, effective and efficient progression of Enforcement cases referred to the Investigations Team, from pre-referral to closure, leading work streams within those cases and contributing to the completion of the Division's annual work programme, in order to deliver on the Central Bank's commitment to providing a credible threat of enforcement and holding individuals to account. Responsibilities: Contribute to the timely and efficient progression of cases allocated to the Investigations Team, including: Taking ownership and responsibility for completion of individual cases and discrete work streams assigned; Assisting in the scoping of investigation work and actively engaging in devising the case strategy and plan, including resourcing requirements, costs, timelines and key risks; Leading and participating in the collection and analysis of evidence including; identifying relevant sources of evidence and determining most efficient and effective way to gather, collate, analyse and present complex evidence sources; Leading and participating in the preparation and conduct of investigatory interviews; Leading and participating in the preparation and conclusion of settlement discussions, using case investigatory knowledge to support the achievement of appropriate enforcement outcomes. Such enforcement outcomes may also include the progression of cases to Inquiry and any response to litigation in collaboration with the Senior Lawyer and with support as necessary from the Enforcement Advisory Team; Proactively contributing to on-going assessment of case strategy and approach and offering new and /or innovative thought out views, ideas and solutions to issues; and Assisting in the closure of cases including; drafting of press statements, internal and external correspondence and file closure etc. to support the delivery of appropriate enforcement outcomes. Manage key stakeholder relationships assigned e.g. Enforcement Manager and communicate with relevant case stakeholders including management, supervision, internal and external legal advisers, consultants, case subject(s) etc., to ensure a timely and appropriate response to both written and oral communications, and exercising excellent judgement in the escalation of appropriate matters; Lead and participate in the drafting of key case documentation e.g. Investigation Letter, Case Analysis, including coaching and mentoring junior colleagues, to ensure high quality outputs which conform to all appropriate enforcement policies/ procedures, are consistent with the enforcement ‘house style' and present the facts of the case in the most compelling manner, so as to support the achievement of appropriate enforcement outcomes; Take ownership and responsibility for delivery of other ad-hoc activities/tasks as may be delegated by the Enforcement Manager/Head of Function, such as leading internal projects, devising new work methodology etc., to support delivery of the Enforcement mandate; Work collaboratively with Team members and across the Division as a whole, ensuring continuous knowledge sharing and proactively seeking to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and development of the Enforcement Divisions. Requirements : Professional accounting qualification e.g. ACA, ACCA, CA (or similar internationally recognised qualification) is desirable. Where a professional accounting qualification is not held, relevant regulatory/industry qualification and experience will be equally considered; Demonstrate professional development and academic achievement in relevant area of specialism in the fields of forensic accounting, audit, risk, compliance or any related professional discipline; A minimum 5-6 years post qualification experience, or relevant regulatory/industry experience; Experience of undertaking and/or leading multiple, large and/or complex investigations, ideally in the context of financial services; Experience of working in a high pressured legal, professional services or regulatory compliance (or equivalent) environment; Analytical, able to interpret large volumes of complex information quickly and accurately and the ability to make logical and timely decisions, cutting through complexity and seeing the big picture; High degree of technical excellence in chosen specialism e.g. forensic investigations, regulation; Proven ability to manage and balance a diverse portfolio of activity; Good judgement and the confidence, discipline and intellectual ability to deliver in a demanding environment, prioritising appropriately and demonstrating excellent judgement and problem solving skills at all times; Excellent verbal and written communication with an ability to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels from across the organisation and the financial services industry as a whole; Excellent relationship management skills and capable of commanding respect and credibility internally and with firms' senior management and their legal representatives; Ability to deal calmly with unexpected challenges; Act professionally, ethically and with integrity including being an exemplar for key principles and behaviours; and Strong negotiation skills. If you would like to learn more about the type of work you would be involved in in the Enforcement Investigations Division, and hear some of our colleague stories, please click here . Application Details: Closing date: 8 October 2017 To apply, please complete the application form attached (via the link below). As the application form plays an important role in the shortlisting and selection process, it is essential that it is completed fully. Once your application has been successfully submitted you will receive an automatic email from us acknowledging receipt. If you do not receive this auto-acknowledgement, please contact Nicola Connolly on 01 224 6780. Cuirfear fáilte roimh chomhfhreagras í nGaeilge. The Central Bank of Ireland is an equal opportunities employer