Company Secretary, Legal and Compliance Officer

SUMMARY:
We have an opportunity for a Company secretary and Legal & Compliance Officer for a well established company based in the Pretoria East area. The successful candidate will have a completed LLB degree with 10 years experience as an admitted attorney with 5 years company secretarial experience (senior role)

POSITION INFO:
Position overview:
Reporting to the CEO as legal and compliance manager and to the Board as Company Secretary. The purpose of the job is as follows:

• Provide wide range of legal services/advice to the company
• Develop and review of all contracts
• Ensure the company comply to the corporate governance principles at all the layers: Board, Executive and employee’s level
• Develop relevant policies and standards
• Ensure implementation of policies, procedures, systems and controls to attain a desirable standard of corporate governance.

• LLB Degree - Essential
• LLM will be an added advantage
• CIS Qualification will be added advantage
• At least 10 years’ working experience as an admitted Attorney of the High Court
• 5 years’ experience in a Senior position as a Company Secretary or Legal Manager/advisor
• Experience in Contract Management
• Experience with the CCMA
• Experience in Stakeholder Engagement
• Knowledge of the Local Government
• Knowledge of Companies Act and King Reports on Corporate Governance
• Knowledge of NLTA, PFMA and MFMA
• Knowledge of compliance processes and requirements
• Knowledge of road passenger transport legislations will be an added advantage
• Good communication and writing skills
• Attention to detail
• Deadline driven
• Integrity when handling confidential information
• Ability to work with numerical information, analytical and problem solving skills
• Computer literacy-Power point, Excel, Word & Outlook

• Guide Directors on any laws affecting corporate governance
• Report irregularities arising from failure to comply with the Memorandum of Incorporation or rules of the Company or Companies Act;
• Ensure company secretariat documentation is in place and recorded and filed properly;
• Distribute copies of the annual financial statements to relevant parties in terms of Companies Act;
• Compile, transcribe and distribute minutes of Board meetings;
• Certify in the Company’s annual financial statements whether the company has filed required returns and notices in terms of Companies Act, and whether all such returns and notices appear to be true, correct and up to date;
• Ensure correct procedure for appointment of Non Executive and Independent Directors;
• Implement Directors’ induction and ongoing training and development to empower them to fulfil their fiduciary duties;
• Provide a central source of guidance on corporate governance to the Board and throughout the Company;
• Prepare Board Agendas and packs for meetings;
• Make administrative arrangements for all Board Sub committees meetings and compile records thereof;
• Follow up on implementation of Board and Sub Committees resolutions;
• Update Board and Sub Committees charters;
• Assist the Board Chairperson to formulate annual work plans;
• Take an active role in the evaluation of the Board members
• File and retrieve corporate documents, records and reports;
• Manage company information requests;
• Produce regulatory compliance reports;
• Develop a regulatory compliance risk plan and perform compliance audits;
• Submit monthly and other reports to internal and external stakeholders;
• Manage a service level agreement with external attorneys responsible for reviewing all contracts and assessing legal implications that need to be brought to the attention of executives (legal advisory & contract management);
• Update and maintain statutory and legal compliance documents;
• Update and maintain all registers;
• Managing existing litigation, aiming for favourable outcomes, and minimizing the duration and cost of disputes.
• In consultation of external attorneys review and draft legal papers and agreements in litigation cases
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks across the entire organisation to safeguard the business from potential liabilities and exposure;
• Ensuring the company adheres to all relevant laws, industry standards, and internal policies. This includes managing compliance programs and training;
• Acting as a trusted advisor to the Executive and Board of Directors, aligning legal strategies with broader business objectives and contributing to growth initiatives:
• Managing the legal department's budget effectively, controlling internal vs. external legal spend, and demonstrating the financial value of the legal function to the business;
• Manage and Overseeing the entire contract lifecycle, aiming for efficient review, negotiation, and execution processes to facilitate business operations and minimise risk;
• Perform any other duties assigned from time to time