Head of Technology and Operations Legal

🚀 We’re on a mission to make money work for everyone.

We’re waving goodbye to the complicated and confusing ways of traditional banking.

After starting as a prepaid card, our product offering has grown a lot in the last 10 years in the UK. As well as personal and business bank accounts, we offer joint accounts, accounts for 16-17 year olds, a free kids account and credit cards in the UK, with more exciting things to come beyond. Our UK customers can also save, invest and combine their pensions with us. 

With our hot coral cards and get-paid-early feature, combined with financial education on social media and our award winning customer service, we have a long history of creating magical moments for our customers!

We’re not about selling products - we want to solve problems and change lives through Monzo ❤️

Hear from our UK team about what it's like working at Monzo ✨

📍London | 💰 up to £210k  + Stock Options + Benefits | Hear from the team ✨

⭐Our Legal team

We’re looking for a Senior Director to operate as the strategic legal advisor to our Technology, Data and Operations teams in the UK and help us build one of the best, most innovative banks in the world.

You’ll join Monzo Bank Limited (MBL) in our Legal & Board Governance Collective, which includes legal, company secretarial, sustainability and public policy teams. In this leadership role, you will report to the General Counsel of MBL to give first rate legal advice and support to MBL’s and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Platform, Data, Design and other relevant engineering teams as we pursue our commercial objectives and further develop our world class banking technology, data and product software and infrastructure. 

🔑You’ll play a key role by…

• You’ll work with MBL’s CTO, COO and their leadership teams and broader teams operating as a strategic advisor and partner to provide legal advice and commercial insights to develop and grow Monzo’s global technology platform supporting all of Monzo’s operating entities. 
• In particular, you will: 
• lead the MBL legal team which supports the CTO, COO and other officers by delivering first rate advisory insight and support on cloud infrastructure usage, AI and LLM applications and technology strategy developments as well as supporting the management of MBL’s commercial contracts portfolio relating to Monzo’s technology platform 
• lead the team that provides data protection advice in relation to MBL’s business and leads management of MBL’s intellectual property portfolio.
• provide legal and regulatory advice relating to cloud infrastructure, outsourcing, operational resilience and other legal and regulatory issues relating to MBL’s technology, data and operations.
• lead the legal support in respect of the intra-group provision of services between Monzo group companies relating to use of its world class technology, data and product platform.
• You’ll work closely and collaboratively with the General Counsel of MBL, Senior Director of Product Legal, Director of Wealth Legal and the other members of the MBL Legal team to provide legal advice and commercial insights to the leadership of Chief Technology Office, Chief Operations Office and the associated teams in the Platform, Data and Design Collectives, C-suite and Board.
• You will play a key leadership role in providing high-quality technology (including AI and machine learning), commercial, outsourcing, operational resilience, data protection and intellectual property related legal advice, helping to lead, shape and structure MBL’s commercial,  technology and data operating systems and infrastructure, and taking a key leadership role as needed to drive impact for our customers and grow Monzo safely.
• You’ll be a trusted senior advisor and will work proactively and collaboratively with other relevant stakeholders and teams across the Monzo Group, including the Platform, Operations, Security, Risk & Compliance, Supplier Operations, Financial Crime, and Fraud teams including at C suite and Board level.
• You’ll work with the General Counsel of MBL to identify and manage legal and regulatory risks relating to MBL’s commercial and technical ecosystem and infrastructure, ensure robust challenge and scrutiny of changes as they go through Monzo’s governance process and to ensure that the businesses you support respond appropriately to new and changed legal and regulatory requirements. 
• As a senior leader and a member of the senior leadership team in the Collective, you will be expected to stay ahead of and actively monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to Monzo’s Platform, data and Operations collectives. You’ll take responsibility for providing forward-looking guidance and insights on key legal and regulatory developments, risks, and opportunities, thus helping positioning Monzo to thrive in a dynamic legal and regulatory environment. You will therefore already be a deep thinker and champion of AI and LLM models and be able to engage with credibility on technology developments and applications in this area with the CTO helping to develop thought leadership.
• You’ll work with the Legal and Board Governance collective to champion new technology innovations to improve the productivity of the legal team, including through identifying suitable technology solutions to streamline workflows, optimise processes and work efficiencies, and increase scalability.
• You’ll proactively manage relationships with external suppliers and law firms to enhance processes around budget and cost management to ensure we are optimising our spend and extracting best value while delivering top-quality legal support.
• You’ll be an experienced leader of people already as you will manage, mentor and support other lawyers and you’ll take a lead on initiatives owned and managed by the Legal & Board Governance Collective.

🤩 We’d love to hear from you if…

• You are a technically excellent and experienced commercial lawyer with deep technology  expertise across relevant areas including AI / LLMs, commercial contracts, outsourcing, operational resilience, data protection, intellectual property and related areas with a minimum of 15 years of post-qualification experience (PQE).
• You have a strong background advising on technology including technology transformations, AI, commercial and regulatory issues relating to banking operations and technology. 
• You will have worked in house for a global technology or e-commerce company or have deep technology expertise whilst also understanding operational resilience and outsourcing requirements in financial services. Alternatively, you’ve advised these types of businesses in private practice but have significant experience of having worked in house in a fast paced growth organisation.
• Whilst being an outstanding technologist  you will also have a strong understanding of the technical and operational aspects of payments infrastructure, including the supporting operations involved, as well as the broader financial services ecosystem and the legal and regulatory issues which arise.  You are able to explain complex regulations in a simple way and you look for innovative and agile ways of solving problems. 
• You are a strong communicator who can provide clear, precise, and practical legal advice, effectively articulating what is relevant and important in a concise manner. You can take a position on key issues, present persuasive recommendations, and constructively drive consensus among senior stakeholders.
• You have excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to prioritise and work effectively and independently under tight deadlines across multiple projects.
• You have outstanding interpersonal and team player skills and are experienced in working across a network of cross-functional stakeholders to collaboratively solve problems. You develop effective relationships with key stakeholders and can influence decision making at the most senior level.
• You are a strategic thinker and a keen problem solver, skilled at assessing risk and recommending solutions that balance commercial and risk considerations. You think ahead, anticipate relevant challenges, deeply understand the commercial objectives of the teams you support, set clear objectives, and find effective solutions. 
• You enjoy horizon scanning, proactively assessing risks, and quickly identifying and independently implementing mitigating actions. You are always looking for new ways to improve the efficiency and scalability of legal processes and systems.
• You bring energy and presence and excel at building open, trusting relationships across all levels of the organisation, including the Board and C-suite levels, in global or international settings.
• You have a dynamic and entrepreneurial approach and are comfortable with the ambiguity of a fast-paced and rapidly-evolving environment.
• You are proactive, take initiative to broaden your knowledge, and are passionate about the intersection of banking and technology and the transformation unfolding in consumer finance. You are excited to join us for the next stage of our journey at Monzo!

🌈 The interview journey has 3 key steps

• Recruiter call
• Initial call 
• Full loop: Technical, Behavioural & Leadership interviews 

Our average process takes around 3-4 weeks but we will always work around your availability. You will have the chance to speak to our recruitment team at various points during your process but if you do have any specific questions ahead of this please contact us on business-hiring@monzo.com

What’s in it for you:

💰 up to £210k ➕ plus stock options & benefits 

✈️ We can help you relocate to the UK

✅ We can sponsor visas

📍This role is based in our London office. If you are not based in London, we're open to discuss this on a case by case basis.

⏰ We offer flexible working hours and trust you to work enough hours to do your job well, at times that suit you and your team.

📚 Learning budget of £1,000 a year for books, training courses and conferences

➕ And much more, see our full list of benefits here

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Equal opportunities for everyone

Diversity and inclusion are a priority for us and we’re making sure we have lots of support for all of our people to grow at Monzo. At Monzo, we’re embracing diversity by fostering an inclusive environment for all people to do the best work of their lives with us. This is integral to our mission of making money work for everyone. You can read more in our blog, 2024 Diversity and Inclusion Report and 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report.

We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, or veteran, neurodiversity or disability status.

If you have a preferred name, please use it to apply. We don't need full or birth names at application stage 😊