Head of Legal at a Financial Services Platform - The People Practice

The People Practice - Our client, an all-in-one Financial services platform for businesses in the supply chain, is recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Legal

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time
Department: Law and Legal

Job Brief

• We are looking to hire a Head of Legal will be responsible for the full range of legal and regulatory matters relating to the company, ensuring the company provides products in a legal and compliant manner in all our relevant operating geographies.
• It is a senior position that includes devising legal strategies to facilitate the launch and growth of the company across key operating markets while ensuring the regulatory aspects of the company and its products meet all licensing and relevant regulatory requirements.
• As Head of Legal you will be primarily responsible for general legal affairs within the company as well as defining and building the company’s legal function.

Responsibilities

• The Head of Legal is first and foremost tasked with leading and motivating all the Legal Officers at the head office to ensure that they perform optimally.
• Evaluate the legal team performance and make recommendations accordingly.
• Supervise legal work of Legal Officers, paralegals, and outside counsel; consults on difficult or sensitive issues.
• Instruct and assist external legal partners where necessary to identify potential legal risks and assess issues impacting legal risk and ensure all business management approaches are viable.
• Ensure compliance by the Company with best Corporate Governance Practices including risk identification and mitigation.
• Ensure the Company is legally protected in all its transactions, with customers and other third parties.
• Draft, review, and approve policies and procedures, regulations, bylaws, and other legal documents.
• Provision of strategic guidance for the legal team as well as business units.
• Work with departmental leadership across the business in identifying, analysing and managing potential legal risk.
• Work with departmental leadership and key stakeholders across the business to oversee and ensure legal compliance across the business, maintaining the business’s integrity both internally and externally (reputational risk).
• Keeping the senior management in all departments of the business informed of developments in laws and regulations that potentially affect the business.
• Ensure that efficient systems are in place relating to compliance of high impact policies.
• Supervise the drafting of sensitive and high-value legal documentation necessary for business operations.
• Review and provide applicable contracts required for operation of the business.
• Reviews external contracts, leases, and other legal documents; research legal issues and recommends revisions as necessary. In addition to this you will provide advice to the business upon request on matters concerning the same.
• Manages legal risk within the enterprise by providing legal advice to the business and management.
• Manage the Company’s litigation portfolio to ensure that it is within set parameters by Managing disputes, claims, actions, and potential disputes.

Qualification and Experience

• Minimum of First Degree in Law (LLB) is required.
• Barrister of Law (BL).
• Masters in Law (LLM) and Relevant professional certifications are an added advantage.
• Minimum of 10 years proven experience as Head legal Services/Legal Advisor.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience of which 8 years have been in financial services (preferably a PFA) and 4 years in senior management.

Preferred Skills and Qualifications:

• Preferably candidates from the banking and finance sector.
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of corporate law and procedures in the banking and finance sector.
• High degree of professional ethics and integrity.

Application Closing Date
20th May, 2023.