BBPLC Legal AI Lead

We have an excellent opportunity for a Director, BBPLC Legal AI Lead to join our Legal Team. This is a permanent role, based in London.

Role Overview

BBPLC Legal is seeking a strategic and forward-thinking AI lawyer to lead the integration of artificial intelligence across BBPLC Legal and businesses. This senior role will drive BBPLC Legal AI strategy, governance, and risk management, ensuring that BBPLC Legal is not only aligned with, but actively shaping, the firm’s approach to AI.

The AI Lead will serve as a key advisor to BBPLC Legal and business leadership, working with BBPLC businesses and BBPLC Legal business-aligned teams, as well as the specialized AI/Tech Legal teams, on the approval on business AI use cases.  They will also represent BBPLC Legal in cross-functional forums and external industry networks.

This role is central to the transformation of BBPLC Legal’s technology landscape, including the adoption of AI tools. It will support enabling responsible AI adoption across BBPLC Legal supplier relationships, legal operations, and broader business functions.

Key Responsibilities

BBPLC Legal AI Strategy & Enterprise Integration

• Lead the development and execution of BBPLC Legal’s AI strategy in alignment with the function-wide and enterprise-wide AI initiatives, including those of BBPLC businesses.

• Engage with senior leaders across business areas to understand AI use cases, identify legal risks, and co-create solutions.

• Lead the legal review and assessment of all BBPLC businesses’ AI use cases globally, liaising with all relevant business colleagues and legal colleagues (inside and outside BBPLC Legal) as is necessary to conclude such review and assessment; maintain a tracker of all such AI use cases, leveraging pipelines produced by BBPLC businesses and enterprise-wide AI governance fora.

• Chair and/or contribute to BBPLC and/or enterprise-wide AI governance forums and cross-functional committees.

• Present regularly to the BBPLC Legal LT and other senior stakeholders on AI-related legal strategy, risks, and opportunities.

AI Laws, Rules & Regulatory Advisory

• Advise BBPLC Legal and business stakeholders on the evolving landscape of AI-related laws, regulations, and standards across jurisdictions.

• Support the decomposition and analysis of new AI legislation and regulatory guidance to assess impact on BBPLC’ operations and legal positions.

• Monitor global AI regulatory developments and ensure timely updates to relevant BBPLC Legal teams and businesses.

• Collaborate with regulatory and compliance teams to align legal interpretations with Barclays’ risk posture and governance structures.

• Ensure BBPLC Legal’s positions on AI are forward-looking, defensible, and adaptable to emerging regulatory expectations.

Supplier Risk & Contractual Oversight

• Support the strategy for enabling law firm suppliers to responsibly use AI in their services to the BBPLC Legal function.

• Support Emerging Technology Legal in partnering with AI Risk teams to shape controls aligned with Barclays’ AI risk tolerance and codify new laws, rules, and regulations.

Governance & Policy Leadership

• Lead BBPLC Legal’s review of AI laws, rules, and regulations, as well as internal AI Policies and Standards.

• Design mechanisms to monitor ongoing AI use across BBPLC, leveraging enterprise-wide mechanisms where appropriate.

Legal Tech Transformation & AI Adoption

• Serve as BBPLC Legal’s AI governance lead for onboarding new AI technologies (such as Legal AI Assistant).

• Represent BBPLC Legal in strategic AI workstreams within the Legal function, BBPLC businesses and/or across the firm, as appropriate.

• Identify training opportunities for the BBPLC Legal with respect to AI use and work with the Head of Colleague on implementation of training programs.

Leadership & Horizon Scanning

• Lead AI initiatives within the BBPLC Legal team, including team coordination and global connectivity across US, UK, and APAC.

• Maintain regular engagement with legal and business stakeholders to ensure visibility and alignment on AI-related matters.

Industry Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Develop and maintain a broad external network of legal professionals working in AI.

• Lead BBPLC Legal’s engagement in the function-wide group focused on legal AI best practices and collaboration.

Candidate Profile

• LLB or equivalent law degree.

• 10+ years of legal experience, with significant exposure to technology law and financial services.

• Extensive experience in legal leadership roles with a focus on technology, innovation, or AI.

• Deep understanding of AI governance, risk frameworks, and regulatory landscapes.

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence senior stakeholders.

• Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, and team-building skills.

• Strategic thinker with a proactive, collaborative, and pragmatic approach to governance and innovation.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex legal concepts for diverse audiences.

Purpose of the role

To ensure that the financial services regulation activities are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to help the bank manage legal and regulatory risks associated with these activities. 

Accountabilities

• Development and implementation of best practice legal strategies for risk management and compliance.
• Legal advice and support to the business on regulatory affairs, including regulatory compliance, risk management, and transactional matters.
• Subject matter support in the Legal department’s representation of the bank in legal proceedings related to regulatory matters, such as litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations.
• Review of relevant legislation and regulation and creation and review of legal documents, where applicable, to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
• Legal research and analysis to stay up to date on changes in laws and regulations that may impact the bank's operations.
• Developing and delivering training programmes to educate employees on applicable legal and regulatory requirements related to the bank's operations.
• Pro-active identification, communication, and provision of legal advice on applicable laws, rules and regulations (LRRs). Keeping up to date with regards to changes to LRRs in the relevant coverage area. Ensuring that LRRs are effectively allocated to, and adequately reflected within, the relevant policies, standards and controls.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.