AI and Emerging Technology Counsel VP

Join Barclays as an AI and Emerging Technology Counsel VP, where you’ll have the chance to shape the firm’s legal strategy at the forefront of artificial intelligence and next‑generation technologies, serving as a dedicated SME on emerging tech legal risk across the global organization. You will guide the business through rapidly evolving AI laws, rules, and regulations, helping to design and implement a scalable control framework that enables innovation while ensuring compliance. In this role, you’ll partner with technology transactions, risk, legal, and senior leadership teams to influence policy, contracting standards, and enterprise‑wide governance. You’ll play a critical part in evaluating generative AI and emerging tech use cases, defining guardrails, and embedding responsible, defensible adoption across the supply chain. You will also support training, thought leadership, and cross‑functional working groups to elevate institutional understanding of AI’s legal landscape. Ultimately, you’ll help steer Barclays through complex regulatory change and technological advancement, ensuring the bank remains resilient, forward‑thinking, and well‑positioned to innovate safely.

To be successful as an AI and Emerging Technology Counsel VP, you should have:

• Qualified attorney with significant experience in‑house or at a top law firm, with a track record advising on AI‑related or emerging‑technology legal, regulatory, and risk frameworks within a highly controlled environment

• Expertise interpreting AI‑focused and technology‑aligned laws, rules, and regulations (LRRs) and translating them into actionable guidance, policies, and controls

• Demonstrated ability to advise on complex technology and data‑driven legal issues, and influence senior stakeholders

Some other highly valued skills may include:

• Strong background in a relevant legal domain—such as intellectual property, data privacy, cybersecurity, financial services regulation, Cloud, or TMT—with the ability to apply these frameworks to emerging technologies

• Previous experience negotiating complex agreements with AI, software, and technology vendors, including evaluating licensing, data rights, and associated risk considerations

• Demonstrated success collaborating with cross‑functional teams to design, build, and implement governance programs and operationalize AI use cases across the enterprise

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

This role is located in Whippany, NJ.

Minimum Salary: $200,000

Maximum Salary: $290,000

The minimum and maximum salary/rate information above include only base salary or base hourly rate. It does not include any another type of compensation or benefits that may be available.

Barclays employees are eligible for a suite of a competitive and generous employee benefits, including medical, dental and vision coverage, 401(k), life insurance, and other paid leave for qualifying circumstances.

This position is eligible for an incentive award.

Purpose of the role

To help ensure that the Cyber, Data, IP & Emerging Tech Legal activities are conducted in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to help the bank manage legal and reputational 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 cybersecurity, data privacy, intellectual property (IP) and emerging tech matters, including  cybersecurity and data privacy incidents, IP protection and technology deployment.
• Representation of the bank in legal proceedings related to cybersecurity, data privacy, IP protection and emerging tech, such as litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations.
• Creation and review of legal documents such as data protection policies, cybersecurity protocols, IP licenses and emerging tech policies 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 cybersecurity, data privacy, IP protection and emerging tech practices.
• Developing and delivering training programmes to educate employees on legal and regulatory requirements related to cybersecurity, data privacy, IP protection and emerging tech.
• 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.

Vice President Expectations

• To contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/ processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures..
• If managing a team, they define jobs and responsibilities, planning for the department’s future needs and operations, counselling employees on performance and contributing to employee pay decisions/changes. They may also lead a number of specialists to influence the operations of a department, in alignment with strategic as well as tactical priorities, while balancing short and long term goals and ensuring that budgets and schedules meet corporate requirements..
• If the position has leadership responsibilities, People 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..
• OR for an individual contributor, they will be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. They will lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

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.