Safaricom is the leading provider of converged communication solutions in Kenya, offering a broad range of first-class products and services for Telephony, Broadband Internet, and Financial services. The company is committed to uplifting the welfare of Kenyans through value-added services and support for community projects.nThe Senior Legal Counsel, Financial Services - Legal & Regulatory role involves providing strategic legal oversight and counsel specifically tailored to Safaricom's financial services and fintech operations, ensuring compliance and robust risk management within a dynamic regulatory landscape.
Responsibilities
1. Regulatory Engagement and Advocacy
- Lead proactive engagement with financial services and fintech regulators to influence policy and legislative frameworks in favor of business objectives.
- Represent Safaricom in regulatory forums, consultations, and policy formulation processes, ensuring Safaricom’s positions are clearly articulated and adopted.
- Build and maintain trusted relationships with regulatory authorities to mitigate adverse actions and secure favorable outcomes.
2. Legal Advisory, Risk Management & Dispute Resolution
- Provide strategic legal counsel on complex commercial, financial services, and public sector digital transformation matters.
- Embed privacy-by-design and compliance-by-design principles into product development and lifecycle management.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate regulatory and legal risks across financial services operations, ensuring full compliance with applicable laws and standards.
- Manage and resolve disputes arising from financial services operations, ensuring minimal operational and financial impact.
- Oversee litigation processes and provide timely updates to leadership on contentious and potentially contentious matters.
3. Contractual Management & Negotiation
- Draft, review, and negotiate high-value partnership agreements and complex commercial contracts for financial services and public sector initiatives.
- Ensure all agreements safeguard organizational interests while remaining commercially viable and aligned with evolving product features and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain and update customer-facing templates (e.g., consumer T&Cs, agent agreements, B2C/C2B contracts) to reflect regulatory and business changes.
4. Policy and Legislative Monitoring & Compliance
- Conduct continuous legislative and regulatory watch to anticipate emerging trends impacting financial services and fintech.
- Prepare concise briefs and strategic recommendations for leadership on regulatory developments and their implications.
- Actively contribute to internal and external stakeholder sessions on key legislative issues such as AML, electronic financial services, and digital public infrastructure.
- Serve as custodian of critical compliance records, including registers of licenses, regulatory fines/sanctions, and inspection calendars.
- Ensure timely and accurate reporting to internal stakeholders and regulators, including monthly and ad hoc compliance reports.
- Drive adherence to internal governance frameworks and external regulatory obligations.
5. Stakeholder & Team Management
- Partner with cross-functional teams (Finance, Risk, Public Sector Digital Transformation, Vodafone/Vodacom counterparts) to align legal and regulatory strategies with business objectives.
- Support joint initiatives and maintain strong collaboration on global compliance matters, trademarks, managed service agreements, and international money transfer agreements.
- Provide clear strategic direction to legal and regulatory support teams aligned with organizational priorities.
- Set performance expectations, ensure accountability, and mentor/coach junior legal professionals to build expertise in financial services law, fintech regulation, and policy advocacy.
- Foster a culture of collaboration within the Legal Services CoE and across business units.
- Note: All employees must uphold the company code of conduct and adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies.
Core Competencies and Attributes
- Customer Obsession: Deepen team connection to customers, foster trusted relationships, take customer-centric decisions, and simplify processes through digitalization.
- Purpose: Create an inspiring vision, show ambition and courage, prompt new thinking, and use knowledge of the external environment to identify growth opportunities.
- Innovation: Create psychological safety, fuel innovative ideas, and learn fast from digital adoption.
- Collaboration: Articulate the team’s strategic role, actively collaborate to break silos, develop others, and demonstrate the highest standard of integrity.
Qualifications
- At least ten (10) years’ knowledge and progressive experience in commercial law within Financial Services and Telecommunications sectors, of which three (3) should have been in a senior leadership role.
- Proven track record in regulatory engagement and advocacy with financial services regulators, drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements, and managing litigation and dispute resolution for financial services matters.
- Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from a reputable Commonwealth University.
- Completion of the Kenya School of Law Diploma and admission as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
- Member in good standing of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and compliant with all professional requirements.
- Relevant professional certification (e.g., Arbitration/Mediation & Negotiation Skills; Fintech and Financial Services Regulation; Anti-Money Laundering (AML); Intellectual Property (IP); Legislative Processes/Drafting).
- Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M) from a recognized institution is an added advantage.
- Possess high professional and ethical standards.
- Be a strategic thinker with an analytical mind.
