The Head of Legal serves as a strategic advisor and the primary legal authority for MBCambodia. This role is responsible for safeguarding the bank’s interests by providing expert, proactive, and practical legal counsel on all banking transactions, product developments, digital initiatives, and management decisions. The job holder will ensure comprehensive compliance with Cambodian laws and regulations while effectively managing contractual, litigation, governance, and operational risks to enable safe business growth.

Responsibilities

• Advise the CEO, Executive Committee, and business units on complex legal issues impacting bank operations, commercial strategies, and regulatory standing.
• Serve as a business enabler by evaluating the legal feasibility of new banking products, services, and digital/FinTech initiatives, ensuring proper risk mitigation frameworks are in place.
• Monitor evolving local and international financial regulations, proactively briefing executive leadership on upcoming changes and recommending necessary operational adjustments.
• Oversee the drafting, review, and structuring of complex commercial agreements, vendor partnerships, loan documentation, and security instruments.
• Lead high-level legal negotiations with institutional clients, tech partners, and key stakeholders to protect the bank's commercial and legal positioning.
• Establish, maintain, and enforce Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and standard operating templates for routine contract processing to ensure operational efficiency.
• Direct and manage the bank’s litigation strategy, representing or overseeing representations of the bank in civil, criminal, and bad debt recovery cases.
• Liaise with external counsel, evaluating their performance and managing the legal budget effectively.
• Maintain strong professional relationships with regulatory bodies, including the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and relevant government ministries.
• Manage corporate secretarial matters, including corporate registration updates, board meeting documentation, and shareholder resolutions to ensure compliance with corporate governance standards.
• Lead, mentor, and build the capacity of the internal legal team, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous professional development.
• Design and execute legal training programs for bank staff to increase institutional awareness of compliance, data privacy, and legal risk management.

• Master's/Bachelor's of Laws from a recognized university or advanced professional certification is preferred.
• At least 3+ years of experience in a leadership or managerial capacity, running a legal department or leading a dedicated team within a commercial bank or top-tier law firm.
• Deep and up-to-date knowledge of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) regulations, corporate law, secured transactions, and data privacy frameworks.
• People leadership, influence, and change management through cross-team collaboration; 
• Professional proficiency in both Khmer and English (written and verbal)