Legal Counsel (Family Leave Cover) at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Legal Counsel (Family Leave Cover)

Location: Nigeria
Functional Area: Legal
Reports to: Deputy General Counsel, Legal Department
Grade: 5
Type of Position: 6 month Fixed term maternity cover, ideally to start October 2023

Role Purpose

• The Legal Department is located in our Global Hub in Woking and provides advice, support and representation on legal issues to the organisation, furthering the delivery of Plan International’s strategy, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements by Plan International, Inc. and its subsidiaries and advising on good governance and the effective management of legal risk throughout Plan International.
• As Plan International looks to the future, fuelled by our new global strategy, we aim to improve the lives of 200 million girls in the next five years. We know from experience that when girls thrive in a more equal world, we are all stronger for it. Our new strategy will guide everything we do until 2027 as we work towards our purpose.
• The Legal Counsel will support the organisation across a broad range of legal issues, working with other departments in Global Hub and with Plan International’s offices globally.

Dimensions of the Role

• Professional - advises Plan International globally (including its International Board and Members’ Assembly, Executive Team, 52 country offices, 4 regional offices and 4 liaison offices).
• Manages and conducts specific projects and activities in relation to legal, compliance or regulatory issues, working flexibly within multidisciplinary teams. Supervision/management - instructs and manages external lawyers on specific projects. Leadership - promotes a culture of and shared responsibility for compliance across the Plan Federation; actively supports and promotes collaboration and teamwork.
• Diversity and inclusion – supports and leads on diversity and inclusion within the legal team and across the organisation.
• Budget - responsible for budgeting for and managing the legal costs of specific projects or areas of work for which s/he is responsible.

Accountability
Plan International is well advised on the legal issues affecting its operations in the UK, the US and the other jurisdictions in which Plan operates and has the information necessary to properly evaluate and manage legal risk.
Typical Responsibilities:

• To develop, advise on, promote, implement and maintain policies, practices and procedures to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, good corporate governance and the effective management of legal risk, including in a diverse range of subject areas including not for profit and corporate law, employment law, contract and commercial law, grants, intellectual property, data protection.
• To give high quality, professional legal advice and to procure advice in relation to the laws of the UK, US and the other jurisdictions within which Plan operates.
• To appoint and manage external legal advisors ensuring good value and a high quality service.

Plan International is aware of legal and regulatory developments that may impact its operations and is prepared to respond or change its behaviour, systems or processes accordingly.
Typical Responsibilities:

• Monitoring, evaluating the impact and communicating about legal, regulatory and external compliance developments relevant to Plan International, coordinating effectively with legal and other professional colleagues.
• Ensure legal compliance and regulatory risks are communicated, understood and monitored and the appropriate risk mitigation strategies are implemented.

Staff and volunteers understand Plan International’s legal policies and are aware of the key external legal and regulatory requirements applicable to activities for which they are responsible.
Typical responsibilities:

• Developing and delivering legal training and guidance to staff and volunteers

Appropriate legal and corporate governance advice is provided to Plan International, Inc.’s governing bodies when required.
Typical responsibilities:

• Drafting papers for the International Board and Members’ Assembly in consultation with Plan International’s leadership team.
• Supporting with meetings of the Members’ Assembly, the International Board and Committees as required to provide legal, constitutional, governance and compliance advice.

Plan International understands its contractual commitments and is well-advised on how to protect and promote its interests contractually.
Typical Responsibilities:

• Drafting, advising on and negotiating contracts, memoranda of agreement and other legal instruments, subject to UK, US and other laws to protect and promote the interests of Plan International and its work.
• Advising on, developing and implementing contract management processes, particularly on high value contracts or strategically important partnerships.

Plan International is well-positioned to implement its purpose and strategy.
Typical Responsibilities:

• To support the work on development and localisation of country offices to support directors across the organisation in leading transformation within their own entities.
• To provide legal advice on projects which focus on maintaining and expanding Plan’s fundraising portfolio globally, including through corporate development, working with donor contracting and social finance.
• To support Plan on expanding its humanitarian work and capacity to respond to humanitarian crises by tailoring GH legal’s approach to working in fast-paced and emergency settings while maintaining high standards of legal and regulatory compliance.
• To lead as a regional focal point for legal advice in a particular region.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility.
• This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key Relationship
Internal:

• General Counsel (high)
• Deputy General Counsel/Legal Counsels/Trainee Secondee (high)
• Director of Global Risk Management and Insurance and Risk and Insurance Team (high)
• Company Secretariat Team (high)
• Safeguarding Children and Young People Unit (medium)
• Executive Office (medium/low)
• Managers and coordinators of specific functions, projects and programs (medium)
• Sub Regional Directors, Country Directors, National Office Directors, finance/admin managers and HR managers at Plan International’s headquarters, regional and country offices and at Plan National Organisations (medium)
• International Board, Members’ Assembly and Committees (low)

External:

• External law firms in UK, US and developing countries (high)
• Lawyers and compliance officers working in other NGOs (low)
• Service Providers (low)

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Knowledge:

• Qualified as a lawyer in the UK and/or the US.
• Experienced at providing legal advice internationally on a diverse range of issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of the legal and compliance issues affecting international not-for-profit organizations.
• Knowledge and understanding of corporate governance issues, including as they affect international organizations and the not-for-profit sector.

Skills:

• Highly effective at using legal skills to solve problems and identify and implement pragmatic solutions.
• Able to develop efficient, effective legal, compliance or governance systems and processes that are user-friendly and fit for purpose, and to identify ways to streamline systems and processes to minimize effort and maximize value.
• Strong legal drafting skills and powers of analysis with excellent attention to detail including when under pressure
• Able to apply legal expertise to develop and implement legal or governance systems, processes and policies.
• Ability to think and advise strategically.
• Able to influence and build strong relationships with different types of people at all levels.
• Self-motivated, efficient and highly organised.
• Creative problem solver.
• Highly effective prioritisation of competing requests.
• Ability to influence those over whom the post holder has no direct responsibility.
• Strong on delivery and effective completer-finisher.
• Spanish highly desirable.

Behaviours:

• Highly professional, customer-focused, constructive and positive in approach.
• Flexible and proactive, resilient, comfortable with and adapts well to change.
• Team player, highly collaborative, able to work effectively.

Desirable:

• French or Spanish language skills would be highly advantageous.

Plan International's Values In Practice:

• We are open and accountable
• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people.

We strive for Lasting Impact:

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together:

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organisation to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are Inclusive and Empowering:

• We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential.
• We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace.
• We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.

Physical Environment:

• Typical office environment

Level of Contact with Children:

• Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction

Application Closing Date
23rd August, 2023.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
• We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
• Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.
• We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.
• Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
• A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
• Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.