About the position
JOB TITLE: HEAD OF LEGAL SERVICES (12 MONTHS FIXED-TERM CONTRACT)
PURPOSE OF THE JOB: Reporting to the General Legal Counsel, the successful candidate will identify, manage and mitigate the legal risk exposure of sefa by the provision of sound and reliable legal advice on the laws and legal practices impacting on the business and by the provision ongoing support to executive management and staff on legal implications of contracts and transactions, with specific responsibility for drafting contracts, and instituting and defending any legal proceedings, where necessary.
KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS: The incumbent will be required to perform, inter alia, the following key focus areas:
- Render professional legal advice to ensure all actions/resolutions are complying with statutory requirements;
- Co-operate with other legal entities in developing sound working relations and minimise areas of dispute or potential dispute in the legal context;
- Provide legal advice/assistance in the formulation of policies and procedures to ensure that sefa complies with all relevant legislation as well as its constitutional mandate;
- Interact with external legal advisors of sefa and/or other external legal advisors with regards to any legal matters;
- Assist Executive Management in the interpretation of any legal documents on legal implications and make recommendations and/ or comments;
- Provide legal advice or comments on reports that must be tabled;
- Ensure that legal processes are timeously attended to including serving of summons or applications, affidavits, conclusion of settlement agreement as well as attendance of Court hearings;
- Conducting research and recommending best practice models;
- Ensure that Legal department complies with all the relevant legislations applicable to sefa;
- Provide legal input in all submissions to managements to ensure that sefa's interests are protected;
- Assess the legal risk of the transactions of sefa's business;
- Consult with external attorneys in respect of complex legal matters;
- Draft and review agreements and other legal documents;
- Ensure that all sefa contracts are approved as legally sound before signature;
- Planning and managing the financial and human resources.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:
- Law Degree;
- A Post Graduate Degree in Law;
- Admitted Attorney;
- 5 - 10 years' experience in Legal, including 5 years in a senior managerial position with substantial experience preferably in financial service and/or SMME field;
- Knowledge of conveyancing;
- Strong management and business capabilities;
- Ability to influence and build excellent external and internal working relationships;
- Ability to function and influence at all levels in the organisation including executive level;
- Ability to work independently and at strategic, operational and tactical levels;
- Ability to proactively facilitate and influence key role players.
CRITICAL COMPETENCIES:
- Strategic capability;
- Passion for development;
- Business Acumen;
- Analytical ability and Decisiveness;
- Passion for development;
- Committed to the values of the organisation;
- Written and Verbal communication;
- Report writing.
Desired Skills:
- Management skills
- Business Acumen
- Report Writing
- Conveyancing
- Strategic Management
Desired Work Experience:
About The Employer:
Small Enterprise Finance Agency Soc Ltd (sefa), a development finance institution (DFI), established to provide access to finance for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) including Cooperatives seeks to employ the Head of Legal Services. sefa is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and is an entity under the Executive Authority of the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD).
