Head of Division, Legal Affairs at ECOWAS Bank

Job Summary

• Reporting to the Director of Legal and Corporate Affairs, the Head of Division, Legal Affairs shall contribute to the provision, organization, supervision and coordination of the various legal services required as part of the Bank's operational and other services.

Duties

• Organize, manage and supervise the Division;
• Provide orientation, supervision and assessment of the work of the division's legal officers;
• Supervise and input project appraisal reports;
• Coordinate the preparation and monitoring of legal opinions and documents;
• Coordinate assignments performed by each legal officer in response to requests from the other departments of the Bank ;
• Supervise the active involvement of the legal officers in negotiations relating to the Bank's operations;
• Consider, supervise and annotate the legal aspects of projects and assist in project restructuring;
• Supervise the legal officers during negotiation of loan agreements, presentation of documents to the Board of Directors, and signing of loan agreements;
• Supervise the review of supporting documents provided by promoters in fulfillment of conditions precedent to loan disbursements;
• Make available, manage, and monitor guarantees taken by the Bank in the course of financing projects;
• Interpret the Bank's texts relating to all its operations, including sovereign transactions;
• Prepare the Division's budget in consultation with the Director of the Department;
• Assist the Director of the Department in the consideration of legal matters on the agenda of meetings and various other governing bodies of the Bank;
• Supervise the distribution of cases and relations with external counsels (lawyers, notaries and bailiffs);
• Handle complex and confidential legal issues as instructed by the Director of the Department and the Bank's top management;
• Implement the Anti-Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction mechanism;
• Carry out all other duties assigned by Management.

Qualifications, Experience and Skills

• Master's degree in Law or equivalent qualification from a recognized University or Tertiary Institution;
• Minimum of ten (10) years working experience preferably in a legal division of an investment and/or a development bank or a Law firm;
• Minimum of three (3) years relevant experience managing a legal department ;
• High competencies in project financing (project appraisal, legal arrangements, drafting guarantee agreements and acts …) ;
• Excellent analytical and review skills leading to relevant solutions and concrete action plans;
• Excellent drafting skills;
• Proven ability to present ideas and mobilize support for them;
• Excellent ability to speak at least two of the three working languages of the Bank fluently;
• Strong sense of responsibility, discipline and organization;
• Team player, attentive listener and quick learner;
• Ability to adapt, initiate and manage innovations and changes;
• Ability to work under pressure and manage a team in a multicultural environment ;

General Requirements
Candidates must:

• Be citizens of ECOWAS Member States;
• Not be above 45 years of age;
• Be computer literate (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint)
• Be fluent in French and/or English and/or Portuguese, and proficient in one of the other two languages.