Legal Counsel, Secretariat Services and Regulatory Affairs at Alfred & Victoria Associates

Job Summary & Purpose

• This role is responsible for providing all legal secretariat services across the Organisation as well as liaising with regulatory agencies, preparation of regulatory reports and managing relationships with regulatory bodies for all business operations

Organisational Relationships:

• Reports to: General Counsel / Company Secretary
• Direct Reports from: Legal Officer
• Internal Relationships: All Staff.

External Relationships:

• Legal consultants/ External solicitors
• Government agencies and court officials
• Law enforcement agencies (e.g. the Police)
• External Auditors
• Shareholders.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Group Head, General Counsel / Company Secretary in providing legal advice and secretarial services to the company on compliance with applicable rules and regulations.
• Assist the Group Head, General Counsel / Company Secretary in coordinating the Board reviews/evaluation.
• Ensure that all statutory records, i.e. register of shareholders / directors, information memoranda, minutes of Board meetings, share ownership structure and changes in any of these, are in accordance with the relevant regulations/acts.
• Liaise with relevant functional SBUs within the Organisation to ensure that disclosure requirements are met for annual financial statement preparation.
• Monitor and advise the Group Head, General Counsel / Company Secretary on corporate governance trends and changes in relevant legislation.
• Assist the Group Head, General Counsel / Company Secretary in monitoring to ensure statutory returns are made to the relevant authorities.
• Implement legal strategies to ensure minimal interruptions to company operations from third parties.
• Provide assistance to the Group Head, General Counsel / Company Secretary during liaisons with external regulators and advisers, such as lawyers and auditors on behalf of the company.
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment, and advise management on current legislation, regulatory issues, or legal risks that might impact company’s strategies and operations.
• Liaise with Government agencies to ensure that the company obtains relevant licenses, permits and approvals for business operations.

Person Specifications

• Academic Qualification: First Degree in Law (LLB, BL)
• Professional Qualification: Membership of relevant professional bodies such as Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Nigeria (ICSA)
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years or relevant experience with at least 2 years in a supervisory role.

Key Skills & Competencies:

• Proven hands-on technical capacity in dealing with and advising on matters of corporate, business and commercial law, encompassing contracts/agreements, litigation, arbitration and legal risk management.
• Strong ability to communicate effectively – oral and written.
• Deep knowledge of and very current with developing legal issues and trends, institutional policies and procedures, regulations and by-laws as well as the legal environment within which they operate.
• Excellent planning and record management skills.
• Strong negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Strong leadership skills, intuitiveness and ability to pay attention to details.
• Strong analytical and crisis management skills.
• High level of integrity, objectivity and professional scepticism.
• Proficiency in the use of MS Office Suite i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

Key Performance Metrics
Performance Area:

• Regulatory and Statutory Knowledge
• Stakeholder Management
• Corporate Secretariat
• Legal Advisory
• Customer Service
• Communication
• QHSE.

Performance Indicators:

• Liabilities incurred due to legal and/or regulatory breaches and non-compliance.
• Reduction in cases and disputes arising due to adequate knowledge and application of the laws and regulations.
• Response to queries and requests.
• Unattended requests and/or queries.
• Cost savings/ reduction in liabilities due to relationships with authorities and/or third parties.
• Delay in preparation of board meeting reports.
• Quality of advice/ recommendations given.
• Availability of legal advice when required.
• Cost-savings from recommendations.
• Effectiveness of service delivery and support to the business.
• Turnaround Time (TAT) on delivery of assigned tasks.
• Effectiveness and timeliness of upward and downward communication and feedback.
• Strict adherence and compliance to QHSE policies and safe work rules.

Salary
Very Attractive.