International Legal Counsel

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Our international  client, a rapidly growing provider of pallet racking and shelving systems and robotics-driven warehouse automation and storage solutions, is looking to appoint a Legal Counsel to work remotely from their Stellenbosch office, supporting international operations.

In this Legal Counsel role within the Legal & Compliance Department, you will be based in South Africa while reporting to headquarters in Belgium. You will support the Group Legal Counsel & Compliance Officer and act as a strategic business partner to the company’s various business units by providing legal guidance that enables them to achieve their objectives.

Although the scope of work is broad and diverse, the primary focus will be on delivering legal advice in commercial and contract law, as well as managing corporate housekeeping activities.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Providing accurate, hands-on legal advice and practical solutions based on legal risk assessment to the business in order to ensure legal compliance in a variety of legal areas (corporate law, commercial law, contract law, intellectual property law, etc.)
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial documents (sales and purchase agreements, LOIs, NDAs, integrator agreements, etc.)
• Assisting in corporate housekeeping activities
• Managing litigation matters, including responding to claims, formulating legal strategies, and working with external counsel when necessary
• Participating in strategic planning discussions to identify and address potential legal issues and opportunities
• Assisting in setting up, rolling out, and maintaining a robust compliance framework and program for the Group (GDPR, data protection, anti-bribery, Code of Conduct, etc.) and contributing to the implementation of group policies, procedures, guidelines to reduce the legal risk of the Group entities
• Cooperating in the day-to day activities of the Legal and Compliance Department and functioning as a business partner for internal customers of different departments within the group (marketing, sales, procurement, engineering, supply chain, tax, F&A, IT, etc.)
• Active follow up of changes in legislation or new legislation, which can have an impact on the business and translate such legislation to the business
• Contributing to the standardization of the legal documentation (agreements, general terms and conditions, checklists, etc.)
• Developing the “legal reflex” of the business, by setting up amongst others legal training, providing legal tools (such as, legal checklists, contract templates, etc. ) in order to help the business partners to work autonomously
• Explore digitalization options for the Group Legal and Compliance Department

Minimum Requirements

• LLB or a BCom Law, with a strong focus on commercial and corporate law
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working as a legal counsel in the logistics industry or a related field (e.g., international trade law) is preferred
• Fluency in English. (Dutch, German, or French language skills would be a strong asset)
• Ability to analyse complex legal issues, identify potential risks, and develop solutions to mitigate them
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities
• The ability to clearly communicate legal concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, as well as collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders

Practical arrangements:

• Must be able to work from the Stellenbosch office 4 days per week.
• Must have a valid passport and be willing and able to travel internationally.

General

• We are committed to fair and inclusive hiring. All suitably qualified applicants are welcome to apply.
• Preference may be given in line with our client’s Employment Equity plan and applicable legislation.
• Applicants must have the legal right to work in South Africa at the time of application.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
• Please include your current remuneration (CTC), salary expectation, and notice period (optional but helpful for screening).
• By applying, you consent to the processing of your personal information for recruitment purposes in accordance with POPIA.