AVP/VP Legal - Philippines

About Impact Investment Exchange (IIX)

IIX (Impact Investment Exchange) is a Singapore-headquartered pioneer in impact investing, connecting capital markets with sustainable development. For over a decade, IIX has been building the infrastructure for impact by structuring innovative financial instruments, running donor-funded development programs, and developing digital platforms that serve impact investors, enterprises, and communities across Asia and beyond.

Our work spans impact-linked securities, blended finance, gender-lens investing, and climate finance, always with the goal of mobilizing private capital for social and environmental good. We are a lean team committed to our mission. Everyone wears several hats, and the pace is fast. If that appeals to you, you'll do well at IIX.

About the role

IIX structures impact-linked funds, bonds and credit transactions, runs donor-funded programs and operates across multiple Southeast Asian jurisdictions with a lean team, so it needs a senior lawyer who can own legal risk end to end. This role is IIX's senior in-house counsel for transaction, commercial, litigation, employment and compliance matters across Singapore HQ, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam among other jurisdictions and deals also with funders from Australia, Canada, Sweden, the United States and elsewhere. Success means deals close on time on enforceable documentation, compliance gaps are caught before they become problems, reliance on external counsel is targeted and cost-controlled, litigation is managed effectively, and business teams see Legal as an enabler rather than a bottleneck.

Key Responsibilities:

Transactions, Contracts & Credit Documentation

• Draft, review and negotiate commercial, partnership and collaboration agreements, NDAs, MOUs, service contracts and grant or donor-funding agreements.
• Lead legal documentation for IIX's capital-markets and lending activity, including fund, bond and note documentation, loan and credit agreements, security documents and term sheets, working with external counsel where required.
• Negotiate directly with counterparties, and set and maintain IIX's standard templates, preferred positions and fallback positions.

Regulatory Compliance & Risk

• Draft, review and maintain internal and external-facing policies (e.g., AML/KYC, anti-bribery and corruption, data protection, safeguarding) and monitor compliance by IIX and third parties.
• Track regulatory developments in Singapore, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and elsewhere relevant to IIX's activities, and lead legal risk assessments and compliance reviews.
• Support corporate and entity matters, including entity set-up, relocation or restructuring as IIX expands into new markets.
• Conduct multi-jurisdictional legal research and turn findings into clear, practical guidance.

Strategic Advisory & External Counsel Management

• Advise leadership on strategic matters, new products and market entry, giving clear, risk-weighted recommendations rather than lists of issues.
• Select, instruct and manage external counsel across jurisdictions, including scoping work and controlling legal spend.
• Manage disputes and pre-litigation matters, and development of litigation strategy and coordination and oversight of litigation counsel.

Legal Operations

• Own the contract repository, template library and approval workflow, using document management and legal tech tools to improve turnaround and record-keeping.
• Build playbooks and run short trainings so non-legal teams can handle routine matters.

Experience & Skills

• Law degree and admission as a lawyer in your jurisdiction, with 8+ years' post-qualification experience at a leading law firm, in-house at a bank, fund, DFI or impact organization, or a combination.
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills across commercial contracts, employment law and finance or credit documentation (loans, bonds, security).
• Working knowledge of the laws of at least one of Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Singapore or Vietnam, or a common law jurisdiction including Australia, Canada, the UK or the US; exposure to other emerging markets and a relevant regional language are a plus.
• Track record managing external counsel, disputes or cross-border expansion and restructuring, and advising senior management directly, with some litigation exposure. 
• Demonstrated ability to work across cultures and to deal with complex issues without clear answers.
• Native-level proficiency in English.

The Person

• Commercial and pragmatic: gives a clear answer and a recommendation, not just a list of risks.
• Writes and speaks plainly, and can translate legal issues for non-lawyers.
• Self-directed and highly organized; manages a high-volume, multi-jurisdiction workload with little supervision, with high integrity throughout.
• A team player, ready to roll up sleeves and get done what needs to be done, whether or not in the JD, as IIX is a dynamic organization with a lean team, so tasks can change daily.
• Interested in impact investing, gender-lens and climate finance, and motivated by work with measurable social outcomes.

THE PREM FRAMEWORK

Every IIX team member is a PREM professional. We look for these qualities in everyone we hire:

R

Resilient

Thrives under pressure & ambiguity

Why Join IIX

• Work at the intersection of  law, finance, and impact .
• Join a diverse and mission-aligned team reshaping capital markets.
• Gain experience in  global, cross-sector legal and credit documentation practices.
• Opportunity for professional growth within a pioneering sustainable finance institution

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please send your CV, a brief cover note and a short redacted drafting sample. In your cover note, tell us about a complex agreement or cross-border matter you led: what the key legal risk was, how you negotiated or resolved it, and the outcome. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and your personal data will be used strictly for recruitment purposes.

IIX is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve.