Role Purpose
The role of Senior Legal Counsel serves as the primary point of contact and source of advisory on all open and anticipated legal cases for and against the company across the network. The incumbent will be required to provide legal support and advisory services across the network through proactive identification, communication, and mitigation of all legal risks in line with the overall business strategy.
He/she will be required to manage all legal risks on assigned Company commercial legal transactions as well as litigation proceedings and progress within assigned units or stations as guided by the Departmental Team Leader (Company Secretary & Director Legal, Risk and Compliance) and appointed external Lawyers.
Key Responsibilities
- Legal Advisory & Preventive Lawyering: Provide legal advice and preventive lawyering to both Hub and all outstations, aiding in identifying significant legal obligations, risks, and opportunities to ensure that legal problems and risks are identified and dealt with before they emerge as significant risks to the business.
- Contract Management: Represent and safeguard the interests of the Company in contract matters including Commercial, Joint Ventures, Financing, Aircraft Leases, Registration, Procurement/tendering both locally and at all outstations. Provide solutions and incorporate clauses that protect KQ in commercial contracts.
- Litigation Management: Act as the central point in the company for all litigation matters and manage all legal issues at the Group and country level in liaison with external legal counsel or third parties. Manage the process of engaging external counsel, including giving effective instructions to external counsel and negotiating appropriate fee structures for all legal engagements.
- Legal Instruments & Corporate Governance: Review and/or prepare all legal instruments entered into by the company to ensure that the company’s interests are protected. Provide advice to all stakeholders on corporate authorities and work closely with senior management to ensure relevant board and committee approvals are obtained on a timely basis. Develop instruments for use, governance-related documents, and templates that support operations at Legal.
- Documentation & Filings: Prepare legal and quasi-legal documentation such as proxy forms, powers/delegations of attorney, tender documentation and liaise with notaries to arrange for documentation to be legalized. Assist with filing of documentation in other jurisdictions for updates to the company international locations and subsidiaries, business and trade registrations, and license renewals.
- Intellectual Property & Competition Compliance: Provide general competition law advice to the business and conduct training on competition compliance. Manage the company’s intellectual property portfolio in conjunction with external counsel and the marketing team.
- People Management: Manage and develop direct reports, including individual performance development, objective setting, performance support, mentorship, and career coaching in relation to the delivery of day-to-day tasks and projects.
- Other Duties: Handle other assignments of a legal nature as delegated by the Departmental Director.
Core Skills & Interpersonal Attributes
- Ability to maintain confidentiality, inspire trust, and demonstrate high personal integrity is crucial.
- Working experience in budgeting and planning.
- Demonstrated ability to create legal defensive or proactive strategies.
- Strong conceptual, analytical, documentation, and presentation skills with the ability to influence and negotiate at different levels.
- Superior team leadership, team working, and co-operation skills with the ability to drive change management.
- Strategic, creative, and analytical thinker with excellent stakeholder and risk management skills.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills as well as excellent communication skills.
- Must be a person of unquestionable integrity, a team player, results-focused, customer-focused, and resilient.
