Legal Counsel (Capital Markets)

Legal Counsel (Capital Markets)Country: Spain

It Starts Here

Santander (www.santander.com) is evolving from a global, high-impact brand into a technology-driven organization, and our people are at the heart of this journey. Together, we are driving a customer-centric transformation that values bold thinking, innovation, and the courage to challenge what’s possible.

This is more than a strategic shift. It’s a chance for driven professionals to grow, learn, and make a real difference.

Our mission is to contribute to help more people and businesses prosper. We embrace a strong risk culture and all our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

Corporate Legal is the legal team at Santander Headquarters, which functions as a single unit and provides legal advice on a wide range of different areas, with significant overlap across them, such as:

• Finance, Regulatory and ESG affairs: finance, prudential regulatory and ESG matters and affairs, including the equity and debt capital markets transactions for the Group’s own account and financial accounting and control matters.
• Corporate M&A: advising on the legal structuring and implementation of the Group M&A transactions and the management and governance bodies of the entities/branches pertaining to or invested from the Group parent.
• Corporate Governance: including investor relations matters, general secretariat, corporate housekeeping of the Group’s Spanish subsidiaries, certain human resources legal matters and financial information reporting to foreign stock exchanges and regulators.
• Legal Operations and Risks: legal operations and transformation, coordination with countries’ legal teams, litigation, FCC, security and legal risk matters.
• Internal Legal Advice (T&O and IP, communications, marketing, universities legal affairs, cards, digital, data and sponsorship) and General Services (matters relating to procurement and costs, facilities/properties and general services).
• Advice to Global Businesses: there are separate specialized legal teams which support and advise on the respective businesses and activities of the global divisions of Corporate & Investment Banking, Wealth Management & Insurance, Digital Consumer Bank, and Payments.

The Difference You Make

We are looking for a Legal Counsel with capital markets experience that will cover a wide variety of matters in the Santander HQ Legal team, but with likely focus on:

• The Legal Counsel will play a pivotal role in providing expert legal support to the Group’s securitizations and capital markets activities, ensuring full compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and internal governance frameworks. The role requires a strong understanding of structured finance and securitization transactions, combined with a solid background in capital markets law, to deliver strategic and pragmatic legal advice to senior stakeholders across jurisdictions.

Key Responsabilities

• Provide legal advice and transactional support in relation to securitizations transactions, including public and private, true-sale and synthetic structures, across multiple asset classes.
• Advise on liability management exercises, debt restructurings, and securitization transactions, both for funding and capital relief purposes.
• Lead the structuring of transactions, secure necessary internal and regulatory authorizations, and review and negotiate all transaction documentation, including relevant regulatory filings and disclosures.
• Prepare documentation for, and actively participate in, Group committees and management bodies, ensuring consistency of legal advice and compliance across business units.
• Liaise continuously with external legal counsel and internal teams to ensure smooth coordination, timely execution, and alignment with Group standards.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and regulatory risks, contributing to sound decision-making processes within the organization.
• Provide general legal advisory services on matters related to capital, recovery and resolution, and Spanish corporate and regulatory law, including ESG, Market Abuse Regulation, and regulatory licensing.
• Support additional processes such as SREP, Annual Report drafting, and Investor Relations communications.

What You’Ll Bring

Our people are our greatest strength. Every individual contributes unique perspectives that make us stronger as a team and as an organization. We’re enabling teams to go beyond by valuing who they are and empowering what they bring.

The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 2 years’ post-qualification experience in structured finance or securitizations law, general corporation, other finance and corporate activities (e.g., M&A), corporate governance and regulatory matters on financial in a top-notch law firm, in-house legal team or governmental entity.

Education

• Qualified lawyer, with solid post-qualification experience in capital markets or banking and finance law.
• Proven track record advising complex debt and equity-linked transactions, including hybrid capital, structured products, and securitizations.
• Strong understanding of EU and Spanish financial regulation, particularly in relation to prudential, resolution, and market conduct frameworks.
• Demonstrable experience in negotiating transactional documentation and managing multi-jurisdictional legal issues.
• Previous experience within a leading law firm or financial institution is highly desirable.

Skills & Knowledge

• Excellent level in Spanish and English (oral and written).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate complex legal concepts clearly and effectively to non-legal stakeholders.
• Collaborative mindset with the capacity to operate effectively across cross-functional teams and international environments.
• High professional integrity, discretion, and a proactive attitude towards risk management and regulatory compliance.

We Value Your Impact

Your contribution matters, and it’s recognized. You can expect a fair, competitive reward package that reflects the impact you create and the value you deliver. But we know rewards go beyond numbers.

• We’re enable our teams to go beyond through global opportunities and broad career paths.
• Flexibility that works. Enjoy a hybrid working models—some days remote, some days onsite with your team—along with flexible hours.
• Learning for life. Access hundreds of courses on our platforms, including exclusive access to our global learning space: Santander Open Academy (www.santanderopenacademy.com)
• Competitive rewards. Receive a highly competitive salary with performance-based bonuses, motivating you to keep growing with us.
• Financial advantages. Benefit from preferential banking terms, special interest rates on loans, life insurance, and more.
• Your health is our priority. Through BeHealthy, our global wellness programme, we promote Holistic wellbeing.
• We know family is everything. That’s why we offer childcare support and family-friendly programmes tailored to each life stage.
• Always by your side. Get access to Santander Contigo, our program for employees and their families offering legal, emotional, and administrative advisory services.
• Extra benefits. Gym/WellHub membership, medical centers in some of our facilities, meal subsidy, parking, shuttle service from various points in Madrid, as well as exclusive discounts and offers for Santander employees. And that’s only the beginning—we’ll tell you more when you join!

We’re here to keep you motivated, help you reach your goals, and celebrate your progress, every step of the way.

Local Compliance

Santander is proud of being an organization where there are equal opportunities regardless of age, gender, disability, civil status, race, religion or sexual orientation. We are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible application process for all candidates.

What To Do Next

If this sounds like a role you are interested in, then please apply.
 

READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR JOURNEY?