Senior Corporate Counsel

**12 month parental leave fixed-term opportunity**

**Why you'll love working with Tower**

At Tower, we live and breathe our values - they are at the heart of every interaction. Our people come** first, **we pride ourselves on creating a diverse and inclusive space that allows our people to thrive. Encouraging everyone to bring their whole selves to work, we aim to represent the diverse communities we work in and with.

We also have a plan to lead our industry forward into a more customer-centric future with innovation and disruptive thinking, as a unique Kiwi and Pacific insurance provider operating for over 150 years, with roots all the way back to Dunedin.

**What will you be doing?**

Reporting to the General Counsel/Company Secretary, the Senior Corporate Counsel plays a critical role in providing legal support and strategic advice across the business. This position serves as a trusted partner to senior leaders and key stakeholders, managing complex legal issues and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulatory requirements. A key aspect of this role is relationship building and stakeholder management, involving close collaboration with various departments including Marketing, Product, Pricing and Underwriting, Claims, Risk & Compliance, and participation in various strategic projects. The Senior Corporate Counsel is integral to driving the company's legal strategy and supporting its ongoing success in the insurance market.

**You can expect to be across the following**:

- Assist in the development and review of the strategic plan for the legal function in relation to allocated business areas.
- Implement the legal strategic plan to ensure adequate oversight of Tower's legal issues on an ongoing basis.
- Provide legal advice to the business, alongside another Senior Corporate Counsel and other legal staff.
- Draft, review and negotiate corporate and commercial contracts for a range of business units including procurement contracts, partnership agreements and other types of agreements.
- Advise on the interpretation, drafting and review of insurance policy wordings.
- Assist with claims disputes and claims/corporate litigation, alongside external counsel as appropriate.
- Review corporate material such as marketing collateral and corporate communications.
- Advise on material corporate projects.
- Manage any direct reports, providing clear direction and regular feedback and coaching.
- Provide inspirational leadership, guidance and development to any direct reports. Inspire people to perform at a higher level by leading by example, manage performance of any direct reports, lift overall capability and increase overall engagement.
- Develop and maintain relationships with Tower's external legal advisers.
- Be an influential advisor to the senior leadership team.

**What you'll need**

**To be successful in this role, you will also be able to demonstrate the following**:

- Law degree and current New Zealand practicing certificate
- Minimum of 10 years' PQE, ideally in a major law firm or equivalent corporate role
- Understanding of New Zealand Corporate and Company Law. Knowledge of Financial Services Law, including, FMCA, IPSA, FSPA would be beneficial
- Understanding of Pacific law and codes would be helpful
- Excellent communication and presentation skills - written and verbal
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to drive to achieve deadlines and manage peak workloads
- Strong analytical skills
- A high level of negotiation skills
- Ability to act confidentially and utilise utmost discretion in dealings

**What we'll bring to the table**

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a range of perks and benefits to celebrate and look after our Tower employees.

Highlights Include:

- 22 days annual leave
- Access to Tower products
- Eligibility to access Employee Assistance Programs
- Flexible workplace opportunities at our beautiful new Fanshawe St office packed with modern technologies, stand-up desks, open space and coffee machines in two large modern kitchens with cafe-inspired dining areas