Legal Advisor

Job Description

Title:

Legal Advisor

Our client is a dynamic forward-thinking organization operating across South Africa and the broader Sub-Saharan Africa region. They are known for their commitment to operational excellence and strategic growth within a fast-paced evolving commercial landscape. This is an excellent opportunity to join a business that values autonomy practical solutions and a positive energetic team culture where legal expertise directly drives commercial success.

Our client is seeking a highly capable and pragmatic Legal Advisor to provide end-to-end legal support across our South African and Sub-Saharan African operations. This role is ideal for an admitted attorney who thrives in a hands-on drafting-intensive environment and enjoys bridging the gap between complex legal requirements and practical business needs.

You will be instrumental in managing high-stakes commercial negotiations overseeing critical supplier relationships and ensuring robust compliance frameworks (including data privacy). A significant part of your impact will involve driving efficiency by leading the implementation and optimization of our new contract lifecycle management system. If you are resilient possess a strong sense of ownership and prefer rolling up your sleeves over purely theoretical work this role offers significant scope for influence and growth within a team that prioritizes integrity and a collaborative spirit.

• Lead the drafting review and negotiation of complex commercial agreements including strategic supplier contracts technology licenses and cross-border service agreements.
• Own the end-to-end Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) process including driving the successful implementation and adoption of the new document management system.
• Oversee legal aspects of supplier management ensuring rigorous integration of Know Your Customer/Business (KYC/KYB) requirements into contracting and onboarding.
• Provide practical commercially-aware legal guidance on general operational matters and ad-hoc employment/HR queries across the region.
• Manage litigation and dispute resolution processes efficiently developing clear strategies and overseeing external counsel engagement and budget adherence.
• Ensure continuous compliance with relevant commercial laws data privacy regulations (including POPIA) and cross-border trade requirements across jurisdictions.
• Proactively identify assess and mitigate commercial and legal risks particularly within high-volume supplier engagements.
• Develop and deliver internal legal training to promote risk-conscious behaviour across business units.

Must-Haves (Essential)

• Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB BCom Law or equivalent).
• Admitted Attorney of the High Court.
• Minimum 4 years post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Strong background in drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts including supplier and technology agreements.
• Experience supporting operations within South Africa.
• Exceptional commercial drafting and negotiation skills.
• High degree of attention to detail with strong document discipline.
• Proven ability to work autonomously take ownership and drive matters through to completion.

Nice-to-Haves (Beneficial)

• Experience implementing or optimising contract or document management systems.
• Exposure to Sub-Saharan Africa jurisdictions.
• Familiarity with POPIA and or GDPR frameworks.
• Experience managing intellectual property portfolios.

Required Experience:

Unclear Seniority

Key Skills
Administrative Law,Intellectual Property,Court Proceedings,Advocacy,Legal Research,Contract Law,Criminal Cases,Legal procedures,Law,Private Practice,Legal Documents,Trial Preparation,Labor Law,Legal Advice,Arbitration Law

Employment Type : Full-Time
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1