The Legal Counsel will provide essential support to Acumen’s Amplify investment team, covering investment transactions, legal due diligence, contract review and negotiation, and post-investment support during the portfolio phase. The successful candidate is expected to deliver timely and relevant legal advice, collaborate efficiently on transactions while managing overall risk to Amplify, coordinate with external counsel, and maintain cohesion within the Global Legal Team.
Principal Areas of Accountability
Deal Documentation & Coordination
The Legal Counsel will work closely with the Amplify investment team to drive Amplify’s debt investments throughout the entire investment lifecycle, including:
- Structuring deal instruments.
- Developing term sheets.
- Conducting due diligence.
- Negotiating and finalizing investment documentation.
- Managing outside counsel and coordinating stakeholders to closing.
- Providing necessary legal advice during pre- and post-investment stages.
- Providing learning sessions to the team from time to time.
Contract Review and Management
The role involves drafting and reviewing grant and commercial contracts for the Amplify team. The scope covers finance, banking, and commercial issues, including general contracts, intellectual property, data privacy, employment, governance, and formation matters. Responsibilities may include providing learning sessions to relevant teams.
Project Management
The role requires coordination and oversight of local and international external counsel across multiple jurisdictions. This includes:
- Defining and scoping legal workstreams.
- Ensuring consistency of legal positions and documentation across countries.
- Managing legal budgets, challenging unnecessary scope or costs.
- Ensuring timely, pragmatic, and commercially-focused advice aligned with Amplify’s risk appetite.
- Developing and implementing various projects, requiring self-discipline, problem-solving skills, and creating milestones for timely execution (e.g., developing templates and resources).
Compliance
In collaboration with Acumen’s Risk and Compliance Manager, the Legal Counsel will ensure Amplify’s activities comply with local laws and best practices. Other responsibilities include:
- Navigating relevant local laws across multiple jurisdictions.
- Keeping abreast of regulatory developments and liaising with outside counsel.
- Memorializing guidance, rolling out compliance recommendations, and advising programmatic teams.
- Providing learning sessions to the Amplify team on regulatory and compliance matters.
Global Legal Operational Support
This role involves managing operational initiatives related to legal matters, cross-functionally and cross-regionally throughout Acumen. Support ranges from developing and communicating internal legal guidance, updating processes to reflect best practices, supporting teams with proper recordkeeping, and collaborating with the Director of Legal to create efficiency and scale within the Global Legal Team.
Qualifications and Skills
- Minimum of 8 years+ experience practicing transactional law, specifically with a strong banking/finance law and/or commercial/corporate law background, covering debt financing structures.
- Experience working directly with lenders, borrowers, or investors.
- Familiarity with investment funds, banks or credit funds is a plus, as is experience in Africa or with the solar off-grid sector.
- Familiarity with lending-related regulatory considerations, including financial services licensing, cross-border lending restrictions, FX risks, security enforceability, and interfaces with KYC/AML and sanctions frameworks.
- Experience with downside credit scenarios (loan amendments, restructurings, or enforcement processes) is highly desirable.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity, distill complicated ideas clearly, think strategically, and develop innovative solutions.
- Ability to work proactively and under pressure, and deliver projects independently with minimal oversight.
- Ability to stay organized and keep stakeholders in the loop. Good project management and stakeholder management skills.
- Strong organizational and diplomacy skills, including excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Commitment to accuracy, attention to detail, and follow-through.
- Amenable to working with different time zones in an efficient manner.
- Commitment to, and enthusiasm for, the organization’s mission and business model.
- Self reflective and aligned with Acumen values.
- Permanently authorized to work in Kenya.
- License to practice law in a major jurisdiction (UK, US or France). Alternatively, demonstration of having done part or all of studies and/or work placements in a major jurisdiction (UK, US or France).
- Admission in Kenya is an advantage but not required.
