Chief Legal Officer, S&P Global Market Intelligence

The Location:     New York City (NY) or Charlottesville (VA)

The Team:          You will lead the legal team at S&P Global Market Intelligence (SPGMI), which offers data, analytics and solutions to the financial services, corporate and government sectors globally. The legal team partners with the SPGMI business, providing sophisticated, timely and practical legal advice and support across a variety of areas including commercial transactions, strategic alliances, intellectual property, antitrust and M&A. The team currently includes 14 attorneys, 12 contract negotiators and 6 paralegals. The global locations are New York City, Charlottesville (VA), London and Melbourne. We are seeking a sharp, pragmatic and resilient leader experienced in managing competing priorities and building relationships in a matrixed environment.

The Impact:        SPGMI is a division of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI), a Fortune 500 company. With $1.8 billion in revenue, we are a recognized industry-leading provider of data and analytics offering an unusually rich environment for technology innovation and cutting edge solutions. The legal team, with this position at the helm, facilitates the division’s achievement of its goals in a legally compliant manner and with appropriate governance, which helps us maintain our competitive advantage.

Reporting Structure:       This is a division-level position that will report directly to the EVP & General Counsel of S&P Global, with a dotted line to the President of S&P Global Market Intelligence, and will be a member of the leadership teams of both the General Counsel and Division President.

Ideal Candidate:              The Chief Legal Officer of SPGMI is an exceptionally talented, business-minded leader with a proven track record of building and leading high-performance legal teams; maintaining an unwavering focus on the results; and effectively managing transformation. The ideal candidate will be a passionate and highly empathetic professional with experience working in global, complex and highly-matrixed organizational settings.

You will build and maintain effective cross-functional relationships with key stakeholders across the company and provide pragmatic solutions to business issues.

Responsibilities:

Provide timely, practical and comprehensive support to our growing worldwide commercial team on complex transactions with a highly sophisticated and geographically diverse customer base
Provide expert and strategic legal advice to management, in a nimble, succinct and efficient manner
Participate in the definition and development of corporate policies, procedures and programs and provide continuing counsel and guidance on legal matters and on legal implications of all relevant matters
Provide assistance with global joint ventures, divestitures, strategic partnership deals, and mergers and acquisitions
Represent the SPGMI’s legal department both internally and externally, interfacing with executive leadership
Proactively identify solutions that will serve to solve issues and/or mitigate risks
Base your decision making process on data as well as ethics and integrity
Create associations of trust and respect with key stakeholders
Develop the team and legal processes with a continued focus on compliance and career development
Manage the administration of legal budget, team hiring, legal tools, and – in coordination with the Corporate Legal team - external legal counsel
What We’re Looking For:

Juris Doctorate degree from an accredited school
15+ years’ legal experience with a combination of experience at a law firm and in business environment (as an in-house counsel); industry experience in Information Services, Technology or content-based industries is preferred
An extensive and broad-based background across areas such as drafting and negotiating license agreements, enterprise sales contracts, and intellectual property agreements with highly sophisticated counterparties globally
Proven experience building and managing a global legal team capable of keeping up with a rapidly growing, complex and sophisticated enterprise
Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects under deadline pressure
Experience with enterprise, desk-top and digital/ mobile products and their related legal, technical and business issues
Experience developing and implementing the legal components of company’s strategic and operational goals, and working closely with business units to improve their operations
Analytical, pragmatic, results-oriented, drives decisions based on data and analysis rather than on instincts
Exceptional communication, presentation, interpersonal and influencing skills and abilities
An executive presence (“gravitas”) and polish
Unquestionable professional ethics and integrity