Legal and Compliance Officer

About the Role

Priquant Ventures Private Limited is hiring a Legal & Compliance Officer. This role will be designated as the Compliance Officer of the Investment Manager under Regulation 20(17) of the SEBI (Alternative Investment Funds) Regulations, 2012. The role owns the fund's regulatory compliance end to end and acts as in-house counsel on fund documents, investor onboarding, and portfolio transactions. It is a hands-on position in a lean team, reporting to the Managing Partner.

Key Responsibilities

• SEBI and Regulatory Compliance
• Act as the designated Compliance Officer of the Investment Manager and monitor compliance with the SEBI Act, AIF Regulations, circulars, and directions.
• Own the compliance calendar for all schemes: quarterly activity reports to SEBI, unit value reporting to depositories, benchmarking agency data, and other periodic filings.
• Prepare the annual Compliance Test Report for the Trustee and Sponsor under the AIF Master Circular.
• Coordinate the annual PPM compliance audit, track findings to closure, and file PPM changes with SEBI and investors.
• Report material breaches to SEBI, the Trustee, and the Board within prescribed timelines.
• Track new SEBI circulars, assess their impact on each scheme, and update internal policies and procedures accordingly.
• Monitor investment conditions and restrictions: concentration limits, Category II leverage restrictions, related-party and associate investments, and investor consents where required.
• Handle SEBI inspections, queries, and correspondence.
• Fund Documentation and Launches
• Draft, review, and maintain PPMs, contribution agreements, the indenture of trust, and investment management agreement.
• Run the regulatory process for new scheme launches through merchant bankers and SEBI, including responding to observations.
• Maintain unit class terms, side letters, and investor-specific arrangements consistently with the PPM.
• Drafting of Agreements and Legal Documents
• Draft and negotiate agreements across the fund and the Investment Manager: contribution agreements, side letters, investment management and trusteeship agreements, distribution and placement agreements, and venture partner and advisor agreements.
• Prepare first drafts of transaction documents, including term sheets, share subscription, shareholders', and share purchase agreements, debenture trust deeds, and security documents.
• Draft vendor, service provider, and outsourcing contracts (RTA, fund accountant, custodian, valuer, technology vendors), NDAs, and engagement letters for counsel and auditors.
• Draft board and Investment Committee resolutions, minutes, investor notices, consent requests, and regulatory correspondence.
• Maintain a library of standard templates and clause positions, and keep them current with regulatory changes.
• Investor Onboarding, KYC and AML
• Run investor onboarding: KYC, CKYC uploads, FATCA/CRS declarations, accredited investor checks, and minimum commitment validation.
• Act as the point person for PMLA obligations, including risk-based due diligence, record-keeping, and suspicious transaction reporting through the Principal Officer framework.
• Oversee capital call, distribution, and transfer documentation; review distributor empanelment and distribution agreements.
• Handle investor grievances and SCORES / SEBI ODR complaints.
• Transaction and Portfolio Legal Support
• Review term sheets, share subscription and shareholders' agreements, share purchase agreements, and debt documentation for equity and structured credit deals.
• Run legal due diligence with external counsel and track conditions precedent and post-closing obligations.
• Review structured credit documentation: PTC and SDI transaction documents, trust deeds, servicing arrangements, and security documents.
• Monitor portfolio company covenants, information rights, and reporting obligations owed to the fund.
• Governance, Conflicts and Controls
• Maintain the conflict of interest policy, the code of conduct, and personal trading rules for the investment team.
• Keep minutes and records for Investment Committee and Board meetings and maintain the statutory registers of the Investment Manager.
• Track NISM certification requirements for the key investment team and other associated persons.
• Oversee cyber security, data protection, and outsourcing compliance, including vendor contracts.
• Manage external counsel, auditors, the Trustee, the custodian, the RTA, and the fund accountant on legal and compliance matters.

Qualifications

• Requirements & Tech Stack
• NISM Series-III-C certification is non-negotiable.
• Working knowledge of the SEBI AIF Regulations and Master Circular, PMLA and KYC rules, the Companies Act 2013, FEMA, and the Indian Trusts Act.
• Hands-on drafting & review of investment documents, agreements.
• Proficiency with compliance trackers, document management, and SEBI/depository portals.
• Qualifications & Experience
• Qualified Company Secretary (ACS/FCS) — mandatory.
• LLB is an added advantage.
• NISM Series-III-C: Securities Intermediaries Compliance (Fund) certification, or willingness to obtain it before joining.
• Preferred
• Experience with growth equity or venture transactions: SHAs, SSAs and secondary share purchases.
• Exposure to SEBI inspections, PPM audits or scheme launches through a merchant banker.
• Skills and Attributes
• Independent judgment, with the confidence to say no and put it in writing.
• Precise, plain-English drafting for regulators, investors, and counterparties.
• Organised enough to run a multi-scheme compliance calendar without slippage.
• Comfortable owning work end to end in a small team, without a large support function.
• Discretion with confidential investor and deal information.
• Practical with tools.