Senior Legal Counsel

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
Purpose of the Role • The Senior Legal Counsel provides embedded legal support to the business, partnering with inter alia commercial, bid, and delivery teams to enable the achievement of business objectives and strategy within an appropriate legal and governance framework. • The role operates as a senior legal partner to the business, supporting the full deal lifecycle from opportunity and bid stage through to contract execution and delivery, with exposure to both private and public sector engagements, particularly within regulated and ICT-driven environments. Key Responsibilities 1. Business Partnering and Strategic Deal Support • Act as a senior legal partner to the business, providing practical, commercially sound, and strategic legal guidance. • Support opportunity assessment, deal structuring, and bid participation. • Advise on tender documentation and commercial terms, including public sector RFPs where applicable. • Influence deal strategy and contribute to go \/ no-go decisions. • Ensure alignment with internal governance requirements, including Delegation of Authority and approval frameworks. • Identify legal and commercial risks early and propose pragmatic mitigation strategies. 2. Contracting and Negotiation • Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial agreements, including master services agreements, customer contracts, supplier, partner, and subcontracting agreements, joint venture and consortium arrangements. • Ensure appropriate risk allocation, including liability, indemnities, service levels, pricing structures, and performance obligations. 3. Dispute Resolution and Claims Management • Advise on disputes, claims, and contract interpretation issues. • Support resolution strategies, including negotiation and settlement. • Manage external counsel to ensure cost-effective and commercially sound outcomes. 4. Stakeholder Engagement • Work closely with business leadership, commercial teams, finance, procurement, and risk functions. • Engage directly with customers, partners, and external stakeholders, including public sector entities where applicable. • Provide clear, concise, and commercially relevant legal guidance to non-legal stakeholders. 5. Legal Operations and Continuous Improvement • Assist with development of standard positions and support training and upskilling of business teams on legal and regulatory requirements. • Drive efficiencies in contracting and legal service delivery. 6. Strategic Risk and Deal Shaping • Provide strategic input into opportunity assessment, including go \/ no-go considerations within business. • Identify and escalate transactions that fall outside the organisation’s risk appetite. • Support evaluation of counterparties, partners, and deal structure. • Advise on legal and commercial risk across the contract lifecycle, including post-award delivery, variations, and performance. 7. Regulatory, Compliance, Risk Management and Governance • Provide legal advice on inter alia corporate and commercial law, data protection and privacy, public sector procurement frameworks where relevant, including but not limited to the Public Finance Management Act and related Treasury regulations, industry-specific regulatory considerations applicable to the ICT sector. • Support the business in ensuring compliance with applicable laws, internal policies, and governance standards. • Identify and manage legal, regulatory, and reputational risks across transactions and operations. • Ensure compliance with internal governance frameworks, including Delegations of Authority and policy requirements. • Support governance forums with clear and actionable legal input. • Escalate material risks appropriately and provide clear recommendations. Qualifications and Experience • LLB degree (admitted attorney essential). • 5+ years post-qualification experience, preferably with experience in corporate or commercial legal environment. • Strong experience in commercial and corporate law. • Exposure to technology, ICT or regulated industries advantageous. • Solid understanding of the South African legal and regulatory landscape. Key Competencies • Commercially minded with strong business judgment. • Excellent drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills. • Ability to manage multiple complex matters under pressure. • Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills. • Pragmatic, adaptable, and solutions-focused. Personal Attributes • Confident, professional, and resilient. • Able to operate independently with minimal supervision. • High integrity and sound ethical judgment. • Team-oriented with strong collaboration and influencing ability.