Sophisticated Work. In a Great City. Making a Difference.
The State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) manages more than $178 billion in assets, including those of the fully-funded Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS). SWIB operates at a level more often seen in top-tier global asset managers than in typical public pension funds. SWIB is a home for top talent. Approximately 61 percent of SWIB’s investment professionals are Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholders.
The City of Madison, the state capitol and home of Wisconsin’s flagship university, makes regular appearances on lists of best places to live, eat, and play. SWIB offers a modern workspace, hybrid work options, and competitive compensation and benefits.
Serving over 703,000 WRS beneficiaries, SWIB is driven by a clear mission: securing the financial future of those who serve Wisconsin. When you work at SWIB, you know your work matters.
Job Description:
About the Legal Team
SWIB’s Legal Division is a highly collaborative, experienced in-house team of asset management attorneys working at the intersection of public service and sophisticated global financial markets. We advise on cutting-edge investment strategies, complex financial transactions, commercial contracts, including AI-related, state law compliance, and operational matters across SWIB. The team partners daily with portfolio managers, operations professionals, traders, technologists, and executives.
We are seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to join this collegial team and grow their in-house legal career in a unique public asset management setting. The position offers a rare opportunity for a talented attorney to transition into an impactful in-house role focused on commercial contracts while increasing their exposure to complex investment work and developing a broad set of legal and business skills. In particular, we are seeking a senior commercial counsel who would advise SWIB’s operations, technology, risk, compliance, investment operations, data, and finance teams on complex vendor, technology, data, and financial-services agreements and provide counsel on various commercial contracting and operational matters.
Why Join SWIB’s Legal Team?
- High-Impact Work : Contribute directly to the success of one of the nation’s premier public pension funds and advance a mission that matters—supporting the retirement security of Wisconsin public servants.
- Mentorship & Development : Learn from senior attorneys with deep experience in commercial, investment, regulatory, and transactional matters.
- Breadth of Exposure : Work across legal disciplines, including contracts, securities, and public law.
- Sustainable Lifestyle : Enjoy meaningful, intellectually challenging work with predictable hours and a strong work-life balance.
Key Responsibilities and Job Functions
Depending on your background and interests, you will have the opportunity to work closely with business teams in the following areas:
Core Commercial Contracting
1) Lead drafting, review, negotiation, and management of complex commercial contracts, including:
- Technology and SaaS agreements
- Market data and research agreements
- Software licensing agreements
- Outsourcing and managed services agreements
- Professional services and consulting agreements
- Custody, banking, treasury, securities lending, and financial services agreements
- Data acquisition, cybersecurity, and cloud-services agreements
- Vendor and supplier agreements
2) Serve as the lead legal advisor to operational business units on contract strategy, risk allocation, and commercial negotiations.
3)Develop practical, business-oriented solutions that appropriately balance legal, operational, regulatory, and reputational risk.
4) Design and implement contract templates, negotiation playbooks, policies, and legal processes to enhance efficiency and consistency.
5)Negotiate AI-related contractual matters and serve as a thought leader on emerging AI issues.
6)Manage outside counsel on specialized matters as appropriate.
Financial Services and Operational Support
1) Provide legal support to SWIB's operations, technology, finance, trading, compliance, and risk management functions.
2)Counsel internal stakeholders regarding contractual relationships with custodians, brokers, banks, administrators, data providers, technology vendors, and other service providers.
3)Advise on special projects and strategic initiatives involving AI, technology, data, operational transformation, and enterprise services.
4)Identify legal and operational risks associated with third-party relationships and recommend mitigation strategies.
5) Build trusted relationships across the organization and serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on operational and commercial initiatives.
Governance and Regulatory Support
1) Advise on procurement, records retention, public records, confidentiality, information security, AI governance, and related operational matters.
2)Support compliance with applicable Wisconsin statutes, agency policies, and regulatory requirements affecting SWIB's operations.
3)Collaborate with compliance, risk, internal audit, and information security on enterprise initiatives involving third-party risk management and operational resilience.
Qualifications
We’re looking for candidates who bring intellectual curiosity, sound judgment, and a collaborative mindset. The ideal candidate will have:
- A J.D. from a top-tier law school and active membership in good standing to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
- 8+ years of legal experience, with a strong preference for candidates from nationally or internationally recognized law firms, institutional investors, banks, custodians, asset managers, insurers, fintech companies, exchanges, or financial infrastructure providers.
- Extensive experience negotiating complex technology, data, SaaS, outsourcing, custody, market data, trading, operational services, and similar commercial agreements, as well as advising clients on contract risk, vendor relationships, and operational matters.
- Familiarity with operational and regulatory frameworks applicable to institutional investors or financial institutions.
- Experience working in a regulated environment and supporting cybersecurity, cloud computing, AI, or data governance initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability to provide practical, business-focused legal advice to senior stakeholders.
- Excellent writing, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills.
- An interest in public service and a willingness to learn the nuances of a government-related legal environment.
- Familiarity with or willingness to learn legal issues related to investment management, private markets, and capital markets.
What We Offer
SWIB offers an environment defined by professional integrity, innovation, and mission alignment. As part of our Legal, Compliance & Operational Risk team, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to the work of one of the nation’s premier public pension funds.
SWIB Offers:
- Competitive total cash compensation, based on AON (formerly McLagan) industry benchmarks
- Comprehensive benefits package
- Educational and training opportunities
- Tuition reimbursement
- Challenging work in a professional environment
- Hybrid work environment
The position requires U.S. work authorization.
Pursuant to our Hybrid Remote Work Policy, all staff have the flexibility to work remotely, but are required to have a weekly presence in our offices, the frequency of which is dependent on their distance from office. Staff are not required to reside locally; however, we offer relocation reimbursement to the Dane County area per our policy.
All SWIB employees are subject to SWIB’s Ethics Policy and Personal Trade Approvals Policy. These policies include restrictions on outside business activities and employment and have limits on personal trading. You may request copies of these policies from SWIB’s talent acquisition team and any questions can be answered by SWIB’s compliance team.
