Legal Advisor: Commercial

**Job Advert Summary**:
Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is a talent driven, customer
- centric and impact focused organisation. In our endeavour to support technology innovation with socio-economic outcomes; we seek to infuse the organisation with team players that find resonance as value creators, agile thinkers, progressive attitudes, customer-centricity, dynamic work ethic and an optimistic disposition. We aim to harness these attributes in a manner that they culminate into a culture of teamwork, impact and accountability.

**Job Purpose**

To provide legal services, including support and advice to all TIA Business Units, and, in respect of TIA projects/programs, to ensure that TIA is protected by sound legal contracts.

**Minimum Requirements**:

- Minimum: Seven (7) years’ post admission experience.
- Two (2) years’ experience in a commercial or intellectual property environment and/or prior exposure to the technology innovation environment.

**Knowledge and Skills**
- Litigation experience.
- Laws, legislation and compliance requirements for the various operational aspects of TIA.
- Sound Knowledge of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No. 1 of 1999).
- Knowledge of local and international legal trends applicable to TIA.
- Investment trends for technology development (optional).
- Funding Instruments and Commercialisation

**Duties and Responsibilities**:**
Financial Management**
- Provide input and assistance in the preparation of the budget and forecasts for the Legal department.

**Stakeholder Relations**
- Participate in establishing cooperative customer relationships with stakeholders internally and externally.
- Provide quality services that meets corporate programme and project needs of TIA.
- Represent the Head: Legal Services on various committees as may be required.

**Internal Processes**
- Provide input in the formulation of the operational business plan for the Legal Services BU.
- Provide input in the formulation of legal policies, guidelines, frameworks and business processes.
- Provide input in the review Standard Operating Procedures of the Legal Services BU.
- Assist with monitoring of turnaround times to ensure timeous completion of work.
- Capture all legal information relating to TIA operations on the applicable systems.
- Ensure an optimal process for workflow management is implemented in the BU.
- Produce workflow management status reports as and when required.
- Assist with quality assurance of work produced by the Legal Advisors.
- Maintain a Contract Register/database.
- Perform due diligence on TIA’s projects and programs.
- Draft contracts for TIA operations, TIA projects and TIA programs.
- Draft legal opinions.
- Identify and report on potential legal risks.
- Live the values and culture of TIA
- Ensures that Departmental Information systems and tools are optimally utilised to execute core tasks.
- Identify and implement development opportunities to ensure continuous improvement of work effectiveness and efficiency.
- Identify root causes of delays in the processes and implement measures to address the delays.
- Project information accurately using the relevant information management systems in place.
- Provide support and assistance to other Legal Advisors to achieve their milestones.
- Ad-hoc - any other related work allocated by Line Manager, as and when required.

**Governance and Compliance**
- Participate in the internal and external audit exercise and resolution of all audit matters in the BU.
- Ensure compliance with applicable legislation.
- Ensure compliance with all TIA’s policies, frameworks, guidelines and systems (performance management, HR, finance, Stakeholder information, fund management, reporting, etc).
- Ensure compliance with regards to the implementation of internal policies and procedures.
- Proactively identify and address internal and external risks to protect the organisation.

**Quality**
- Ensure information systems and tools are optimally utilised to execute core tasks.
- Quality assure all reports, memos, working papers.
- Proactively identify continual improvement strategies.
- Monitor agreed quality initiatives ensuring that it is aligned to business processes and delivered as agreed.
- Initiate new projects that will improve how the Legal Services BU supports the business.

**Learning and Growth**
- Mentor other Legal Advisors to transfer knowledge and skill
- Attend work-related, self-development courses including training (both external and internal) seminars, conferences, webinars and workshops