Junior Legal Officer (Policy & Legal)

As a Junior Legal Officer you will be joining the Policy team within the Conduct Supervision Function and will be expected to provide professional legal and policy input and participate in the various duties that are undertaken by the Conduct Supervision. You will be responsible for performing the following tasks as necessary:

• Cooperate with and assisting in the drafting of conduct of business legislation and rules – and any amendments thereto - applicable to entities falling within the remit of Conduct Supervision as may be necessary for, inter alia, the purposes of transposition and implementation of cross-sectoral EU law relevant in the context of Conduct Supervision Function’s mandate;
• Assist in the preparation of legal positions on regulatory issues pertaining to the financial services sector;
• Assist in the compilation and preparation of internal documents, position papers and memoranda on policy-related matters, for submission to the Authority’s decision-making body and follow up on decisions taken by the latter;
• Monitor and read-through EU legislation projects in cross-sectorial areas, participate in meetings (both locally and abroad) and provide input when necessary;
• Handling cross-sectoral queries arising both internally and externally, and provide input to, in particular queries arising from the industry in relation to the interpretation and implementation of conduct of business legislation and rules;
• Undertake legal research and analysis of relevant financial services law and contribute to the preparation of replies to conduct-related surveys, as necessary from a Conduct Supervision perspective;
• Represent the MFSA in various Working Groups, Task Forces and Committees at both local and international levels in relation to consumer protection;
• Keeping abreast with regulatory developments in the areas of consumer and investor protection particularly keeping informed of regulatory developments emerging at EU level;
• Undertaking any other tasks or projects as delegated by senior management in line with the exigencies of the Conduct Supervision Function and the Authority.

We are looking for candidates with solid academic background which may be considered as relevant to this post. The role calls for:

• An academic qualification in a relevant field of study at National Qualification Framework Level 6 or better, duly certified by the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre (MQRIC) or a widely recognised professional qualification at a comparable level, OR
• A minimum of five (5) years working experience in the area of financial services or a related field

Skills and competencies:

• Strong knowledge of conduct of business regulation, investor and consumer protection frameworks, EU financial services legislation, and supervisory practices applicable to investment services and other regulated activities.
• Proven ability to respond effectively to regulatory queries, and contribute to EU-level supervisory exercises and questionnaires coordinated with European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs).
• Analytical and detail-oriented, with the ability to assess regulatory disclosures, evaluate policies, rules and legislations, identifying options and emerging conduct risks, and exercise sound supervisory judgement.
• High level of integrity, objectivity, and professionalism, with strong communication skills and the confidence to challenge licence holders on consumer protection matters and represent the Malta Financial Services Authority in engagements with internal and external stakeholders.