Legal Director – Contracts & Commercial Law (Higher Education Sector)

Recruiter:

DPT Recruitment

Job Ref:

DPT-2026-007

Date posted:

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Location:

Johannesburg, South Africa

Salary:

R1.5 million - R2.5 million

SUMMARY:
Legal Director – Contracts & Commercial Law (Higher Education Sector)

POSITION INFO:

Legal Director – Contracts & Commercial Law (Higher Education Sector)

Permanent Role

Our client in the higher‑education sector is recruiting a senior legal professional to lead its contracts and commercial law function within the Office of the General Counsel. This is a high‑impact role suited to an admitted attorney with deep experience in commercial, construction, IP and academic contract drafting.

The Director will take ownership of complex drafting, negotiation, legal advisory work, policy development, risk management and stakeholder engagement across the institution. The role requires someone who is comfortable operating at executive level, managing multiple workstreams, and delivering high‑quality legal outputs under pressure.

Minimum Requirements
• 12+ years post‑admission experience (or 8+ with an LLM in Contract Law)
• Exceptional drafting ability — bespoke, complex, high‑risk agreements
• Strong commercial, corporate and contract law expertise
• Experience with construction contracts (FIDIC, NEC, JBCC, PROCSA)
• High‑level negotiation and risk‑mitigation skills
• The ability to develop and implement policies, templates and governance frameworks
• Strong analytical, communication and leadership capability

This is a senior appointment within a respected institution, offering the opportunity to shape the contracts environment and contribute to strategic decision‑making.

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