Legal Counsel

The Legal Counsel is a senior position that will support the AP Executive Committee (Exco) on a wide range of strategic legal topics, with the view ensuring that 30 protected areas are well managed by 2030.

African Parks adopts a holistic approach to protected area management, based on strong business principles. Through its long-term management agreements with government, it is responsible for all elements, including infrastructure, biodiversity conservation, tourism development, community development and law enforcement. Central to this are the partnerships/arrangements that AP enters into, be they with government partners, technical partners (other conservation NGOs, global research institutes), commercial partners (3rd party operators and investors), financial partners (institutional donors, foundations, philanthropy) or services providers.

A significant component of the role will hence relate to the management of these partnership agreements at the institutional level - from drafting to supporting negotiations and monitoring of these legal frameworks. In practical terms, this may entail inputting on a management agreement with a government for the management of a new park, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a new partner for AP Incubation programme, or a funding agreement for a transformational gift (>$10m).

The Legal Counsel will be responsible for ensuring legal compliance across the organisation - including social and environmental safeguards - identifying areas of risk or non-compliance, and proposing strategies for managing and mitigating these risks. In particular, the Legal Counsel will be responsible for AP’s Legal Register and will sit on the Finance, Risk and Audit (FR&A) sub-committee of the African Parks Board. The Legal Counsel will also be key into supporting Exco in business development, guiding the creation of adequate administrative and legal structures where required.

The Legal Counsel is a high-level, cross-cutting position that offers exciting perspectives to truly help the leading conservation organisation in Africa achieve its vision of 30 sustainably managed protected areas by 2030, for the benefit of nature and people

**Key tasks and responsibilities**
- Support Exco on topics related to the legal status and registration of various legal entities (Head Office, Fundraising Boards, parks).
- Support Exco on issues related to Environmental & Social safeguards (e.g. illegal mining in a park).
- Develop and participate in the negotiation of strategic agreements at an Institutional level: partnership agreements with governments, commercial agreement with 3rd party operators and investors, cooperative agreements with NGOs, etc.
- Support Fundraising team with the drafting or review of critical funding agreements.
- Provide management support for ongoing agreements or contracts, and assist with compliance reviews.
- Oversee the management of potentially highly impacting contractual and legal disputes.
- Support Exco and executives in response to hostile communication.
- Identify areas where external legal expertise is needed and coordinate this external support in the various countries where AP operates.
- Support Due Diligence processes at an Institutional level, including review of local legislation in new countries of operation (e.g. new park development).
- Conduct an AP liability review at Head Office and park level and ensure that all mechanisms are in place and compliant to prevent any reputational or financial risk.
- Coordinate legal audits in parks and provide legal risk mitigation strategies and action plans, in coordination with the Safeguards, Compliance, Assurance and Risk (SCAR) manager.
- Maintain the legal register, containing all legal matters in process and their status for the entire organisation.

**Profile**
- LLB degree.
- Minimum 10 years working experience in a similar function in a multi-jurisdictional organisation.
- Ability to handle complexity and understand a wide range of laws and regulations (various African jurisdictions, commercial law, labour law, environmental law, human rights, etc.).
- Excellent judgment and ability to anticipate legal issues or risks in a variety of contexts and legislations.
- Strong drafting skills.
- Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills.
- Proficient in MS Office.
- Highest level of integrity and confidentiality.
- Precise, analytical and rigorous.
- Fluent in English - spoken and written. Proficiency in French or Portuguese is an advantage.
- Passion for Africa, its wildlife and its people.