Legal Counsel

**How will you CONTRIBUTE and GROW?**: In this position, the incumbent is accountable to provide assistance to the Head of Legal - Southern Africa, on legal matters relating to the company and its affiliated companies within Southern Africa, including but not limited to: pre-litigation and litigious claims commercial, contractual or civil disputes labour and employment law interpretation and/or negotiation of a wide range of commercial, operational and supply chain contracts provision of legal support to the various functions of the organisation in the areas of business development, sales and marketing, finance, procurement, human resources, engineering, operations and maintenance assist in the management of corporate governance, legal and regulatory compliance, and statutory secretarial duties Main Accountabilities: **1. Corporate Governance & Company Secretariat** - Assist in preparing and reviewing board and shareholder documentation, including agendas, resolutions, board packs, and minutes. - Support compliance with the Companies Act, King IV Principles of Corporate Governance, and Group frameworks. - Maintain statutory registers and ensure timely submissions to the CIPC. - Prepare and file amendments to company records (e.g., changes in directors, officers, share registers, resolutions). - Facilitate board, statutory committee, and shareholder meetings, including drafting agendas, minutes, and resolutions. - Provide governance training to directors, prescribed officers, information officers, and statutory committee members. - Liaise with regulators such as the B-BBEE Commission, Competition Commission, Information Regulator, and others. **2. Commercial & Contractual Work** - Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of contracts including supply, procurement, distribution, partnership, and services agreements. - Support the contract lifecycle (renewals, amendments, terminations). - Advise business stakeholders on risk allocation, obligations, and rights. - Provide legal input in tenders, bids, and procurement processes. - Maintain proper filing and management of executed contracts. **3. Labour & Employment Law** - Provide day-to-day advice to HR on labour relations and employment law. - Draft and review employment contracts, HR policies, and procedures. - Advise on misconduct, disciplinary, grievance, and incapacity matters. - Support restructuring, retrenchment, and collective bargaining processes. - Represent the company in CCMA proceedings and liaise with external labour attorneys. - Ensure compliance with South African labour laws, including the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity Act, and Occupational Health and Safety Act. **4. Debt Recovery & Litigation Support** - Draft and issue letters of demand, acknowledgements of debt, breach notices, and other legal correspondence. - Manage external debt collection attorneys and business rescue practitioners. - Lodge claims in business rescue, liquidation, or sequestration proceedings. - Attend creditors’ meetings and liaise with liquidators and curators. - Support litigation, arbitration, and mediation, including briefing and managing external counsel. **5. Compliance & Regulatory Matters** - Monitor developments in laws and regulations across Southern Africa, with focus on corporate, commercial, labour, safety, consumer, data privacy, and competition law. - Assist with compliance programs including ethics, anti-corruption, data protection, and Code of Conduct initiatives. - Support internal and external compliance audits and regulatory inspections. - Contribute to updating the compliance risk management plan. - Provide compliance and ethics training across the organisation. **6. Advisory & Business Partnering** - Provide legal advice to Sales, Commercial, Operations, Finance, HR, and other functions. - Conduct legal research and prepare memoranda on emerging risks. - Ensure legal advice is pragmatic, business-oriented, and aligned with Group strategy. - Act as a legal partner in strategic projects and business development. - Handle Ethical Alerts in coordination with the Head of Legal. **7. Departmental Administration & Knowledge Management** - Maintain departmental records, templates, and precedents. - Prepare regular legal reports and updates for management. - Support the monitoring of legal spend and external counsel performance. - Develop internal training materials, guidance notes, and tools. **__________**: **Are you a MATCH?**: **Educational requirements** - Education: LLB, or Bachelor of Laws / Bcom of Laws with LLB degree or equivalent **Experience** - Admitted Attorney (or < 3 years post serving Articles of Clerkship at a reputable law firm) - 2 to 3 years experience in the field of corporate/company law, commercial, corporate governance, legal and regulatory compliance. **Knowledge and Know-how specific to the job** - Solid understanding and knowledge of South African laws, regulations, codes a