Group Commercial Lawyer

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Group Commercial Law & Contracting

Act as the commercial legal advisor to the Group and its OpCos.

Draft, review, negotiate, and standardise commercial agreements across the group, including:

• Network and infrastructure sharing agreements
• Capacity, backhaul, and connectivity contracts
• Vendor, supplier, and OEM agreements
• Technology, software, licensing, and cloud agreements
• Distribution, reseller, and strategic partnership agreements
• Develop and maintain group-wide contract templates and commercial legal standards.
• Advise OpCos on contractual risk, compliance, and commercial exposure in alignment with group policies.

2. Group Secretarial & Corporate Governance (Multi-OpCo)

Support group company secretarial functions across all African OpCos.

Ensure compliance with:

• South African Companies Act
• Local company laws in OpCo jurisdictions
• King IV and applicable governance codes
• Assit with Coordination of board, committee, and shareholder meetings across the group, including:
• Agenda preparation
• Board packs
• Minutes and resolutions
• Maintain statutory registers, delegations of authority, and governance frameworks for all entities.
• Support director and officer appointments, resignations, and statutory filings across jurisdictions.

3. Shareholder, Investment & Corporate Structuring

Draft, review, and manage:

• Shareholder agreements
• Joint venture and consortium agreements
• MOIs / constitutional documents
• Provide legal support for:
• New market entry structures
• OpCo formation and licensing
• Group restructurings and simplifications

4. African Telecommunications Regulatory Affairs (Multi-Country)

Provide legal oversight of telecommunications and ICT regulatory compliance across multiple African jurisdictions, including:

• Licensing and renewals
• Regulatory reporting obligations
• Interconnection and access frameworks
• Spectrum-related legal issues (where applicable)
• Data protection, privacy, and cyber-security compliance
• Monitor regulatory developments and proactively advise the Group Legal Office and OpCos on impacts and mitigation strategies.
• Support regulatory engagements, audits, inspections, and enforcement matters.
• Coordinate and manage external regulatory counsel across OpCo jurisdictions.

5. Risk Management, Compliance & Dispute Support

• Identify and manage legal and regulatory risks across the Group.
• Support dispute resolution, litigation, and arbitration matters in collaboration with external counsel.
• Participate with the Development and implementation of group legal policies, compliance frameworks, and risk registers.
• Provide legal guidance and training to OpCo management teams on governance, compliance, and contracting standards.

6. Stakeholder & Cross-Border Engagement

• Work closely with:
• Group Legal Office
• OpCo CEOs and management teams
• Regulators and government stakeholders
• External legal and regulatory advisors
• Travel across Africa and internationally as required to support:
• Regulatory engagements
• Board and shareholder meetings
• Transactions and negotiations

Desired Experience & Qualification

Mandatory

• LLB degree (or equivalent)
• Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa
• Minimum 5 years post-qualification experience

Preferred Experience:

• Telecommunications, ICT, infrastructure, or other regulated industries
• Pan-African or multi-jurisdictional legal exposure
• Experience supporting multiple OpCos within a group structure

Proven involvement in:

• Group governance and company secretarial matters
• Shareholder and JV structures
• Regulatory compliance in emerging markets

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial and regulatory legal expertise
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and advisory skills
• Ability to balance group standardisation with local regulatory realities
• Strong stakeholder management across cultures and jurisdictions
• High attention to detail with a pragmatic, business-focused mindset
• Ability to operate independently while aligned with group legal strategy

Personal Attributes

• High professional integrity and discretion
• Confident, resilient, and adaptable
• Strategic thinker with strong execution capability
• Willingness and ability to travel extensively across Africa
• Comfortable operating in complex, fast-moving, multi-country environments

Employment Type

• Full-time, permanent
• Pretoria-based (hybrid where applicable)