22 Oct
|
Stride Asset Management
|
Gurugram
22 Oct
Stride Asset Management
Gurugram
ABOUT THE FIRM
Stride AMC manages multiple Alternative Investment Funds across India (SEBI Cat 2 AIF), GIFT City (IFSCA AIF), ADGM / Abu Dhabi (FSRA Cat 3) and London (FCA-regulated). We invest across debt / equity / credit strategies and partner with high-growth companies across sectors. The legal team is central to everything we do — from regulatory compliance to deal execution to investor management.
The legal team operates as a true business partner — advising the investment team, management and board on the full spectrum of fund, transaction and corporate legal matters.
ROLE OVERVIEW
This is a senior, high-impact role for an accomplished lawyer with 6–8 years of post-qualification experience.
The Principal
Associate will independently lead complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, regulatory compliance and AMC-level strategic legal matters. The role involves significant interaction with senior management, the board, investors, regulators and external counsel. The successful candidate will be a trusted legal advisor within the organisation and will play a key role in building institutional legal processes and managing the broader legal team.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Investor Management & Complex Fund Documentation
- Lead drafting, review and negotiation of contribution agreements, side letters, limited partnership agreement (LPA) amendments, co-investment agreements and related documents across all fund structures.
- Drive PPM updates, fund rules amendments and constitutional document revisions independently; ensure regulatory alignment across all jurisdictions.
- Advise on complex investor structuring queries, including nominee / custodian arrangements, FDI / ODI considerations, FEMA structuring, tax treaty implications and FATCA / CRS compliance.
- Manage LP disputes, complaints, escalations and redemption/transfer requests, including coordination with the investment team and compliance.
- Lead fund lifecycle events: first close, interim closes, final close, fund extensions, GP-led restructurings, successor fund formation and wind-down processes.
2. Strategic Transactions, Acquisitions & Structuring
- Lead the legal workstream on key strategic transactions: fund platform acquisitions, GP stake sales, mergers of fund structures, spin-offs, co-investment platform formation and secondary market transactions.
- Advise on and execute AMC-level transactions:
acquisitions of AMC stakes or businesses, joint ventures, management buy-ins/buy-outs and change of control arrangements.
- Structure and execute complex equity transactions: control buyouts, leveraged acquisitions, structured equity, convertible instruments (CCDs, OCDs, OFCDs), rights offerings and exit structures (drag-along, tag-along, put/call options).
- Lead complex debt transactions: structured / mezzanine debt, syndicated facilities, listed NCD issuances (on BSE / NSE), securitisation / ABS transactions, inter-creditor and security trustee arrangements.
- Manage external legal counsel across jurisdictions on complex transactions; review and control external counsel costs against budget.
- Advise the investment team on deal structuring, risk allocation and transaction documentation strategy.
3. AMC Structuring, Governance & Corporate Legal
- Advise on AMC-level structural and ownership matters: entity reorganisations, holding company arrangements, regulatory capital requirements, SEBI registration amendments and change of control approvals.
- Support SEBI / IFSCA registration and in-principle approval matters, licence amendments and new product / scheme launches.
- Draft and review internal AMC policies, board papers, governance frameworks, committee charters, conflict of interest policies, code of conduct and related party transaction policies.
- Advise on FEMA / ODI / FDI implications of AMC investments, fund structuring and offshore fund flows.
- Manage complex regulatory enquiries, arbitrations, disputes and litigation with external counsel.
4. General Counsel Support & Cross-Functional Advisory
- Act as a senior legal advisor to the investment team, CFO, COO and board — providing timely, high-quality legal advice on cross-functional matters including competition law, ESG / sustainability disclosures, insurance, IP and technology.
- Advise on senior employment matters: key management employment agreements, ESOP, carry structuring and grant processes,
retention schemes, non-compete / non-solicitation arrangements and senior employee disputes.
- Lead DPDP Act 2023 (India), UK GDPR and ADGM data protection compliance; manage data processing agreements and privacy incident response.
- Lead complex vendor and technology negotiations: IT infrastructure, fund administration, custody, data and analytics agreements.
- Mentor and supervise the Legal Associates and other junior team members; support capacity building, knowledge management and precedent development.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
- LLB / LLM from a recognised institution.
- 6–8 years of post-qualification experience, with significant time at a Tier 1 / Tier 2 law firm in fund formation, structured finance or M&A; practice, or in-house at an AMC, fund, NBFC or financial services company.
- Deep expertise in SEBI AIF regulations and fund documentation — this is a mandatory requirement.
- Significant hands-on experience in debt transaction documentation (NCDs, debentures, structured finance, security creation) and equity transaction documentation (SSA, SHA, control deals).
- Demonstrated experience advising on complex or strategic transactions (acquisitions, structuring, fund mergers or GP-led transactions) is strongly preferred.
- Prior exposure to offshore fund structures (GIFT City IFSCA, ADGM / FSRA, FCA-regulated) is a strong advantage.
- Experience advising on AMC structuring, SEBI licence matters or regulatory approvals is a plus.
KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
- Independent legal judgment: confident in providing definitive advice without routine escalation.
- Strong commercial acumen: ability to understand business priorities and translate them into pragmatic legal solutions.
- Excellent negotiation skills: able to negotiate effectively with sophisticated counterparties including institutional investors, PE funds, banks and large corporates.
- Stakeholder management: comfortable engaging with board-level stakeholders, regulators, external counsel and international counterparts.
- Leadership and mentoring: able to delegate, guide and develop junior team members.
- Ability to manage multiple high-priority workstreams under tight timelines.
- Resilient and adaptable in a rapid-paced, multi-jurisdictional environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
📌 Principal Associate (Gurugram)
🏢 Stride Asset Management
📍 Gurugram