Senior Legal Counsel (Finance & Global Markets)

Louis Dreyfus Company is a leading merchant and processor of agricultural goods. Our activities span the entire value chain from farm to fork, across a broad range of business lines, we leverage our global reach and extensive asset network to serve our customers and consumers around the world. Structured as a matrix organization of six geographical regions and ten platforms, Louis Dreyfus Company is active in over 100 countries and employs approximately 17,000 people globally.

We are looking for a Legal Counsel, to be based in Singapore, to support the Treasury, Trade Finance and Global Market teams in our South & South East Asia region (SSEA). The successful candidate will be part of the SSEA Legal Team and a member of LDC’s Global Financing, Sustainability and Carbon Team. Although this position is focused on the SSEA region, this lawyer needs to have the ability and flexibility to also provide support to the global legal teams on a wide variety of financing, treasury, derivative-related matters, as well as sustainability and carbon-related issues, whenever necessary.

The successful candidate will have a high degree of autonomy and will have excellent communication skills and judgment, together with a commercial and business orientated mindset to provide sound and efficient advice to platform leaders, treasury and finance teams. This lawyer will also be objective, pro-active, and driven and have the ability to manage and prioritize numerous competing complexes matters and projects at the same time, but also remain flexible in responding to business needs.

To be successful in this position, this lawyer will need to be committed towards providing excellent, value-added advice and be entrepreneurial and internationally oriented. Being capable of managing, distilling and simplifying complex issues and building partnerships with the different internal departments and direct stakeholders are important skills for this position.

This lawyer thrives in a collegiate team setting within a complex, fast changing and challenging environment. LDC’s lawyers typically manage their assignments themselves and this lawyer will be expected to liaise with the appropriate business personnel themselves and handle their own drafting, rather than rely on external law firms to do the heavy lifting.  Where LDC does work with an external law firm however, this lawyer will need to supervise that law firm effectively.

• Support on financing transactions, including general corporate banking finance work, syndicated and bilateral credit facilities, global financing, corporate lending (secured or unsecured), sustainability linked and green financing, syndicated financing and structured financing.
• Support (inception/negotiation/litigation) on trade finance transactions, documents and instruments, including bank guarantees, opening, discounting and negotiation of LCs, SBLC’s, BoE and other trade finance instruments, master discounting agreements, silent confirmation agreements, repo-financing agreements, factoring programs, securitization program and supply chain financing.
• Pre-export financings, prepayments, advanced payment facilities, documentary credits, limited recourse discounting agreements, CMAs, SMAs, credit insurance.
• Knowledge of UCP600, ISP98 and URDG758.
• Knowledge of financial securities regulation including trading in FX and fixed income (cash and/or derivatives, i.e., forwards, NDFs, bonds, repo’s, options).
• Knowledge of EMIR regulation and related documents.
• ISDAs and related documentation.
• Experience/ knowledge of derivatives and/or carbon trading and financing would be a plus.
• Sustainability/carbon solutions: Availability to be involved in sustainability-related matters and projects, including transactions negotiated by carbon solutions platform.
• Ad hoc project or other regional work based on work capacity to assist Global Financing, Sustainability and Carbon Team.

• Manage the use of external law firms and related costs.

• Law degree.
• Admitted to practice law in any jurisdiction (common law jurisdiction preferred).
• Minimum 8 years PQE gained in an international law firm, bank or an agricultural, food and commodity company.
• Solid knowledge of finance related legal issues.
• Experience with negotiations amongst different stakeholders.
• Strong experience in handling a high volume of multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven ability to work efficiently independently and to meet tight deadlines with standing pressure.
• Ability to analyze and manage complex legal issues.
• Demonstrated professional with a culturally sensitive work ethic.
• Business-driven profile with ability to understand the context/environment, identify risks and propose alternatives, creating consensus along the process.

• Strong individual with excellent communication skills is essential.
• Team player and collaborative/collegiate approach.
• Strong attention to detail and high levels of accuracy.
• Strong pragmatic commercial bend with a result-oriented mindset.
• Must have the ability to assess situations quickly and propose solutions.
• Ability to translate complexity into simple solutions and provide continuous feedback and to regularly follow up on all outstanding issues.
• Ability to work within a small team, and across geographies in a large global company.
• Ability to travel in SSEA and internationally.
• Ability to work under pressure and excellent organizational skills – we typically handle dozens of unrelated tasks in one day.
• Flexibility to adapt to a multi-cultural and fast changing environment.
• Fluent English (written and spoken)
• Other languages a definite plus

Diversity & Inclusion

LDC is driven by a set of shared values and high ethical standards, with diversity and inclusion being part of our DNA. LDC is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity, equity and inclusion.

LDC encourages diversity, supports local communities and environmental initiatives. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Sustainability

Sustainable value is at the heart of our purpose as a company.

We are passionate about creating fair and sustainable value, both for our business and for other value chain stakeholders: our people, our business partners, the communities we touch and the environment around us

What We Offer

We provide a dynamic and stimulating international environment, which will stretch and develop your abilities and channel your skills and expertise with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the largest and most solid private companies in the world.

We offer

• A workplace culture that embraces diversity and inclusivity
• Regular events that foster team engagement
• Access to Training and Development
• Hybrid work arrangement offered (availability varies by role).
• Comprehensive insurance coverage and flexible benefits