Senior Legal Counsel - Financial Market Infrastructure

About the role

Goodman Masson is partnering with a new financial markets venture under formation in Oman, backed by prominent institutional investors. The business is building its operations from the ground up and is hiring during the build phase. The successful candidate will establish and lead the legal function of a new, licensed multi-asset market infrastructure operating on a common law framework, ensuring the enforceability of book-entry title, settlement finality and participant obligations. Reporting to the Programme Director, the role is central to setting the legal basis of the infrastructure.

Key responsibilities

• Establish the legal basis of the infrastructure, including legal opinions relied on by regulators and participants
• Own regulatory engagement: authorisation and recognition processes, rule consultations and the ongoing supervisory relationship
• Develop the participant legal framework: draft and maintain the rulebook, participation agreements and negotiate with banks, custodians and participants
• Manage commercial and outsourcing contracts, especially platform, technology and outsourcing agreements
• Lead legal work for recognition by foreign authorities and cross-border participant access
• Advise on corporate governance, delegated authority, internal policies, data protection and conflicts of interest
• Appoint and oversee external counsel, and build the company's legal processes, records and controls

Required profile

• Qualified lawyer in a common-law jurisdiction (e.g. England and Wales) with a current practising certificate
• At least 10 years post-qualification experience, including a minimum of 5 years in financial market infrastructure or post-trade
• Direct experience of securities settlement, custody or registry infrastructure
• Experience leading regulatory authorisation applications and drafting rulebooks and participation agreements
• Desirable: experience in a GCC financial free zone, exposure to Islamic finance and sukuk, Arabic, and exposure to Omani law

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of the CPMI-IOSCO PFMI principles
• Exceptional legal drafting to an English common-law standard
• Commercial awareness and confidence advising and challenging senior stakeholders

What we offer

• Omani nationals: permanent employment
• Expatriate candidates: two-year fixed-term contract