SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we'll always strive to be better, we're proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers - to be a trusted partner for the long-term - and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

The Senior Capital Markets Lawyer is a senior member of the Legal team, reporting directly to the General Counsel, EMEA.

The role provides dedicated, in-house legal support to SMBC Capital Markets' EMEA primary Debt Capital Markets function, covering both the DCM and LCM franchises following their recent merger into a single combined business. The role exists to ensure the sound management of legal risk within the function, to provide legal advice to the business teams and senior stakeholders on capital markets related issues and to enable the timely, well-governed, and legally sound execution of primary bond and loan issuance mandates, ensuring that documentation, deal structuring, and regulatory considerations are addressed to a standard consistent with market practice and the bank's risk appetite.

The individual also advises the bank on capital solutions products utilising capital markets architecture, including securitisation, CLOs, repackaging vehicles, and related structured solutions.

The role sits at the intersection of legal risk management and commercial delivery: the lawyer is expected to be a trusted, embedded partner to originators and syndicate desk professionals, translating complex legal and regulatory requirements into practical, deal-ready guidance without becoming a bottleneck to execution.

The head of the Capital Markets Legal team (which is a team consisting of around 8 lawyers and paralegals based in London and supporting the DCM business across EMEA) will report to the Senior Capital Markets Lawyer.

The role requires the ability to work directly with senior management to provide clear, practical legal advice on capital markets issues, balancing transaction execution, legal risk, and strategic business objectives.

Business Area

SMBC Capital Markets' EMEA DCM and LCM functions have recently been merged into a single combined business, bringing together bond origination, syndicate, and loan capital markets capabilities under one leadership structure. This consolidation is intended to sharpen client coverage, streamline internal processes, and support the bank's broader FY2026-2028 strategic growth plan for the EMEA franchise.

The combined function operates within a heavily regulated environment shaped by MiFID, UK and EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR), EMIR, and CRD VI/CRR III, alongside FMSB standards of market conduct. The legal team supporting this business must therefore operate with fluency across both capital markets' documentation (prospectuses, programmes, term sheets) and loan documentation (LMA-based facility agreements), and must be comfortable working alongside compliance, risk, syndicate, and origination teams in a fast-moving, deadline-driven environment.

This role is a senior role within the Legal function but works in close daily partnership with the business, reflecting the embedded, desk-facing nature of transactional legal support in capital markets including some co-location with the business teams to enhance collaboration.

Scale and Scope

• Works on complex transactions and leads on managing legal risk in relation to capital markets transactions.
• Supports a high-volume primary issuance business spanning public and private bond transactions (investment grade, FIG, SSA, and corporate issuers) across EMEA.
• Works across multiple currencies, governing laws (predominantly English and New York law, with some German and other EU law touchpoints), and documentation frameworks (ICMA, LMA, and programme-based issuance such as EMTN/GMTN).
• Engages with a broad internal stakeholder group including Origination, Syndicate, Compliance, Risk, Operations, Credit, and Group Legal in Tokyo/other regional hubs.
• Interfaces regularly with external counsel, issuer/borrower counsel, agents, trustees, and industry bodies (ICMA, LMA, FMSB).
• Following the DCM/LCM merger, the role covers a materially larger and more varied transaction pipeline than either legacy function managed independently and is expected to help harmonise documentation standards and playbooks across the combined desk.

Position Description

Legal risk management

• Identify, assess and manage legal and regulatory risk issues arising from transactions or market developments in collaboration with the General Counsel and relevant business heads.
• Identify strategic priorities, significant developments, existing and emerging risks, process improvements and operational efficiencies in relation to legal coverage of Capital Markets products and design, implement and support key projects
• Act as a member of the senior legal management team within the bank steering the development of the Legal Department across EMEA.
• Support internal audit, compliance monitoring, and regulatory engagement as they relate to primary markets legal matters.
• Engage with ICMA on behalf of the bank in relation to legal issues and market practice.

Transaction execution

Provide and oversee the provision of legal support on the structuring, negotiation, and documentation of primary markets transactions from mandate through to closing.

Coordinate and instruct external counsel where required, managing cost, quality, and turnaround against deal timetables.

Advise Origination (including pitch participation) and Syndicate teams in real time on deal structuring questions, market precedent, and legal risk during live transactions.Advise on capital solutions pr