Role Overview
The Principal Legal Services Officer supports the Legal Services Manager by providing technical legal leadership in the preparation, drafting, vetting, and negotiation of contracts, company loan documents, leases, and other formal agreements between Geothermal Development Company (GDC) and various stakeholders. This crucial role also encompasses ensuring comprehensive and cost-effective insurance coverage for company assets and personnel, and offering strategic legal advice to the organization.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Assisting in reviewing complex, sensitive, and high-risk legal matters to determine which cases pose the greatest threat to the security of the Company.
- Providing legal advice and assistance as necessary.
- Assisting in ensuring that the Company’s insurance portfolio is run in the most cost-effective manner.
- Spearheading debt collection from staff whose engagement with the company has ceased.
- Ensuring that the preparation, drafting, and negotiation of contracts, leases, formal agreements, and other legal instruments between GDC and other parties are done in the Organization’s best interest.
- Monitoring developments in legal research, participating in outreach programs to strengthen corporate governance, and improving the quality of service delivery.
- Drafting legal documents, interpreting and implementing laws and rulings, including government policies and regulations.
- Assisting in establishing and maintaining contractual agreements with appointed external legal counsel.
- Gathering evidence in cases involving GDC to establish and verify basis for legal proceedings, formulate legal defense, or initiate legal action.
- Conducting legal research, developing concept papers, preparing legal briefs and opinions, as well as developing effective defense strategies, arguments, and testimony in preparation for legal proceedings.
- Assessing staff performance, identifying training needs, and designing and implementing training programmes to equip staff with appropriate job competencies to improve service delivery.
- Ensuring complete and accurate company records in compliance with the requirements of the Companies Act.
- Liaising with the Attorney General’s Chambers, Registrar General, law enforcement agencies, and stakeholders throughout the country in connection with the prosecution of offenders and to develop and advance criminal cases when the violation warrants more severe action.
Job Specifications and Qualifications
Required Experience and Education
- A minimum period of eight (8) years of relevant work experience, three (3) of which must have been in a supervisory role.
- Master’s degree in a relevant field from a recognized institution.
- Bachelor of Laws degree from a recognized institution.
- Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the Council of Legal Education.
- Completion of a Supervisory course lasting not less than two (2) weeks.
Professional Requirements
- Must be an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
- Membership to relevant professional body – Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya (ICPS (K)).
- Fulfilled the provisions of Chapter Six (6) of the Constitution of Kenya.
Key Competencies and Skills
- Excellent Interpersonal skills
- Management skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Good Team player mentality.
- Excellent Negotiation skills.
- Analytical abilities.
- Critical thought process.
- Excellent organization skills.
- Proficiency in computer applications.
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