Legal Counsel | National Bank of Belgium

For the National Bank of Belgium, I am looking for a Legal Counsel to join the 'Prudential Control of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies' division. Fluent in French or Dutch, with good command of the other language and English.

The National Bank of Belgium (NBB) is Belgium's central bank since 1850. It contributes to a stable and sustainable economic and financial environment by ensuring the stability of the prices and the financial system, by guaranteeing the security of banknotes and the efficiency of payment systems, and by providing data and analysis. The NBB also plays an active role in defining and implementing the monetary policy of the Eurosystem, in cooperation with the European Central Bank (ECB) and the central banks of the other euro zone countries, in order to maintain price stability in the euro zone.

The 'Prudential Control of Insurance and Reinsurance Companies' division of the NBB is responsible for controlling Belgian insurance and reinsurance companies and ensuring they manage their risks in a sound and prudent manner, while complying with the regulations intended to guarantee the continuity of the activity and, consequently, the interests of the beneficiaries. The Belgian insurance sector is highly diversified, ranging from small niche players to large insurers with a strong international presence.

A multidisciplinary team brings together legal, financial, actuarial and IT aspects to assess the risks of the companies, discusses with their management the issues arising from the risk assessment and follows up on the action plans where appropriate. As a Legal Counsel, you will contribute with your colleagues to:

• the analysis of the management system of insurance and reinsurance companies in order to assess their compliance with regulations and their ability to meet the risk profile
• the legal analysis and compliance monitoring of the licensing and operating conditions of insurance and reinsurance activities, in particular with regard to shareholding changes, portfolio transfers, foreign activities, management structure, etc.
• the evaluation of innovative proposals made by supervised companies to check their compliance with prudential regulations

You will be involved in a large number of corporate governance cases that raise different issues in several branches of law, such as corporate law, financial law and contract law. You will contribute to the assessment of various cases from a legal point of view (assessment of merger operations or transfers of activities, companies wishing to outsource some activities, etc.). You will also assess how corporate bodies function and will play a leading role in the process of appointing directors. Among other things, you will conduct various interviews with candidates.

Depending on your profile and experience, you will have the opportunity to evolve within the teams of analysts or inspectors and you will be in contact with Belgian or international companies, and more specifically with their executive management. You will have numerous contacts with key figures in the insurance companies you supervise (board of directors, executive committee, heads of the independent control functions, etc.) and with statutory commissioners. In supervising companies operating internationally, you will also maintain various contacts with your colleagues from other supervisory authorities.

• You hold a Master’s degree in law
• You have relevant experience or a strong interest in corporate law (in particular corporate governance/compliance) and finance
• You have strong analytical skills and are able to think in a critical and synthetic way
• You have excellent communication skills and enjoy interacting with people
• You are assertive and persuasive
• You are able to work independently but also in a team
• You are well organised, proactive and flexible
• You pay particular attention to ethics and professional secrecy
• You are fluent in French or Dutch and have a good knowledge of the other language (or are willing to improve it). You also have a good knowledge of English (or are willing to improve it)

• A unique and exciting position, serving the public interest
• A pleasant and collegial working atmosphere in an institution that invests in its employees and values their well-being
• An optimal integration into a young and dynamic division, with numerous training opportunities and career development opportunities
• A well-designed workplace with relaxation areas and optimal ergonomics
• Offices easily accessible by public transport, with private parking and secure bicycle storage
• A good work-life balance with up to 50% remote working possibilities
• An attractive salary package with many fringe benefits