Legal Director & Company Secretary at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the world's leading research based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. GSK employs over 97,000 employees in over 100 countries worldwide. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc is one of Africa's largest consumer healthcare companies, producing leading brands such as Lucozade, Ribena and Panadol.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Legal Director & Company Secretary

Job ID: 286494
Location: Ilupeju, Lagos
Category: Legal

Job Purpose

• To lead provision of legal, PLC compliance and company secretarial services and support to all the business units and entities in Nigeria/West Africa (WA) including CH, PH & CH Quality Supply Chain (QSC) to enable them achieve their business objectives in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations and corporate compliance principles.

Key Responsibilities

• Describe the key deliverables to be achieved by the post holder and the ongoing responsibilities of the role
• The role will be responsible primarily for the provision of legal services across Pharma (Rx) in Nigeria and any other assigned markets from time to time – currently including Lebanon & Jordan in the Middle East (all together “the Markets”) and Consumer Healthcare (Cx) businesses in West Africa including leading / coordinating legal support and working and instructing outside counsel.
• The role will also be responsible for providing Company Secretarial cover in Nigeria
• The role holder will be managing/leading a management level lawyer and also interacting with other Legal Shared Services Team which delivers some specific legal services (e.g. corporate secretariat, contract cycle management, data protection, etc).
• The role holder will need to be flexible in terms of the type of work she/he is prepared to undertake and available to provide ad hoc advice on short notice. The following is illustrative of the key responsibilities:
• Participation in the Markets’ management team meetings;
• Negotiating/drafting and/or reviewing a wide range of commercial agreements;
• Providing legal support in respect of existing arrangements;
• Advising on Legal aspects of sales and promotion including review of product claims and challenges;
• Advising and managing commercial dispute resolution and litigation;
• Advising on legal entity and operating models;
• Providing legal support on industry issues, crisis management and product incidents;
• Oversight and management of legal risks within Risk Management and Compliance framework;
• Delivering/ coordinating Legal training to client groups - including, but not limited to, competition law, data privacy, anti-bribery and corruption, etc;
• Liaising with other groups within Legal (such as Legal Brand Protection, Dispute Resolution) and other departments such Corporate Tax, Finance etc)
• Appropriate and timely escalation of material issues to the Performance Markets Cluster Legal Director.
• Act as a business partner / trusted advisor to Rx and Cx Leadership Team (and the General Manager particularly) on all relevant legal matters impacting the Markets and educating client businesses on sound legal practices and new developments impacting the business.
• Support on other legal projects in the Markets as required according to business priorities.
• Anticipating and proactively supporting the prevention and management of legal risks facing the company.
• Manage and supervise activities of external legal counsel on legal matters in the Markets.
• Advising on compliance, governance and control issues where appropriate.
• Appropriately manage legal budget in the Markets so that alternative billing arrangements are reached with Law Firms and external legal services are provided at value.

Breadth/ Scope of Accountability:

• Number of Direct Reports - 2
• Annual Budget managed by this role - Annual Direct Revenue Accountability (please add currency)

Educational Background
Minimum Level of Education:

• University Level - Bachelor of Laws Degree.

Area of Specialisation:

• General Undergraduate Law Degree.

Why is this Level of Education Required?

• Basic technical competency minimum for Legal role.

Preferred Level of Education:

• University Level – Master of Laws Degree.

Area of Specialisation:

• Commercial & Corporate.

Why is this Level of Education Preferred?

• Advanced, specialized legal knowledge and theoretical frame necessary to handle complex legal issues.

Job-Related Experience
Minimum Level of Job-Related Experience Required:

• Qualified as a Lawyer in Nigeria with more than 10 years of experience minimum.
• Experienced in commercial, contract, corporate and litigation.
• Experience of the Pharmaceutical, Consumer Healthcare and/or FMCG industries.
• Experience of operating in a multi-national, multi-cultural environment.
• Excellent communication (oral and written) skills. Fluent in English
• Ability to manage and work independently within a matrix structure and in a team environment.
• Ability to interact effectively and professionally with all levels of GSK management, but in particular senior GSK management and third parties.
• Qualified as a Certified Public Secretary or its equivalent with a minimum of 3 years of experience as Company Secretary preferably in a public listed company in Nigeria.

Why is this Level of Experience Required?

• Commensurate with the seniority level of the job as a leadership role
• Role requires ability to work independently and efficiently under pressure with minimal supervision.

Other Job-Related Skills/Background:

• Certified Public Secretary or its equivalent of good standing
• Member of the Nigerian Bar of good standing.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.