Senior Counsel

Under the direction of the Senior Managing Counsel, this position will provide legal support for the BMI Product Development and Product Management business teams in Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA).

This is a client-facing role and will require regular interaction with BMI regional leadership, product managers, engineers, customer delivery personnel, and other business leads. The ideal candidate will be at ease in communicating (and establishing strong business rapport) with internal clients.

The position will be based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Role

• Serve as lead counsel for the BMI Product Development and Product Management functions in EEMEA, with primary responsibility for BMI product portfolio (new and under development).
• Take the lead on driving home BMI strategy, in line with corporate objectives and business imperatives for EEMEA.
• Advise on legal, regulatory, reputational, and liability matters for new and existing products delivered in market to Mastercard customers.
• Research questions on local law, conduct jurisdictional reviews, and seek out subject matter experts on issues relating to data privacy, regulatory, intellectual property, and compliance.
• Structure and draft agreements (including statements of work, platform terms of use, vendor agreements, proof of concept and pilot agreements, reseller agreements) governing use of Mastercard-developed products.
• Assist Senior Managing Counsel with regular or ad hoc special projects related to legal operations, process improvement, and administration.
• Review product constructs for BMI offerings, guiding clients on market launch activities and related commercialization efforts (including operational considerations).
• Be a strategic partner and trusted advisor to a dynamic and fast-moving business unit, acting as the lead counsel to BMI regional leadership and management.

All About You

• Strong experience in supporting product development and product management functions (with demonstrated record of bringing products to market) and sound business judgment.
• Solid transactional training and experience (either in-house or at an established, reputable law firm) with strong drafting and negotiations skills to address complex commercial issues.
• Ability to operate in an environment with incomplete information, thoughtfully weighing risk and taking on a "yes, if" approach to lawyering.
• Must carry out responsibilities in a business-minded way, crafting solutions that are pragmatic and calling for an 'out of the box' approach.
• Must have strong leadership and interdisciplinary skills, with focus on actively managing day-to-day business client relationships and working through competing priorities.
• Must be able to work independently and collaboratively, but also take direction from manager and other team members, as appropriate.
• Must multi-task effectively in a fast-paced team environment with short turnaround times, responding to reprioritization of client and market needs.
• Must have strong communication skills and be comfortable expressing a point of view.
• Must be a collegial and intellectually curious team member, willing to take on additional assignments in furtherance of meeting business goals.
• Must be a fully qualified lawyer.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the job holder may be required to undertake additional duties from time to time to ensure that Mastercard business needs are met.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

• Abide by Mastercard's security policies and practices;
• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard's guidelines.