Governance Officer at MFS Africa

The Role 

• This role plays an integral part in the Group’s governance oversight and company secretariat function, reporting to the General Counsel & Head of GRC and Group Company Secretary.
• This role will support the Group Company Secretary with all matters related to the Group’s governance and company secretarial function, both at the Holding Company level and with subsidiary companies.     

The duties and responsibilities captured within this role are as follows: 

Company/Corporate Administration:  

• Facilitating Board & Board Committee meetings; including servicing of notices of meeting, managing the governance calendar, preparing agendas, and circulating relevant papers. 
• Taking and producing minutes to record the business transacted at the meetings and the decisions taken. 
• Following up on action items from Board and Board Committee meetings.  
• Drafting resolutions and lodging required forms and statutory filings with Companies House and other similar registers in other jurisdictions. 
• Updating statutory books and serving as custodian thereof. 
• Dealing with correspondence, collating information, writing reports, and communicating decisions to relevant company stakeholders. 
• Monitoring changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment and advise the Group Company Secretary of matters effecting the organisation. 
• Supporting the process of conducting periodic Board evaluations. 
• Coordinating and managing legal entity changes, and the establishment of new legal entities. 
• Coordinating company secretarial support for all Group operating companies; and oversee adherence to the expected governance practices by the local entities. 
• Managing engagement with external providers of specialized or specific jurisdictional company secretarial support. 

Governance arrangements: 

• Maintaining, and updating the Group Corporate Governance Framework (“CGF”) and Subsidiary Governance Framework (“SGF”) and serving as the custodian thereof. 
• Drafting and maintaining subsidiary governance frameworks specific for each significant subsidiary company. 
• Monitoring and updating the Policy Management Framework (“PMF”) and the group-wide policy register and serving as the custodian thereof. Overseeing the Group’s policies, monitoring the policy review cycle and ensuring policy reviews are undertaken by policy owners as per the approved timeframe.  

Other responsibilities: 

• Conducting ad-hoc research on relevant topics which may affect the organization. 
• Drafting governance related policies and procedural documents, as required. 
• Serving as the custodian of specific group-wide registers, such as regulatory approvals, key governance documents across the group, and correspondence with key stakeholders. 

Skills and Competencies 

• Superior verbal and written communication skills in English. French language skills would be a plus.  
• Strong legal research skills and experience.  
• Able to articulate one’s views in a clear and concise manner.  
• Excellent listening skills, analytical and problem-solving aptitude.  
• Able to work autonomously in a highly demanding and often ambiguous environment. 
• Comfortable working in a diverse, collaborative environment involving different stakeholders and subject matter experts. 
• Some African experience would be preferable. 
• Passionate about consistency, quality, and integrity in governance 
• Collaborative working style, with the ability to identify and organize resources required to deliver on projects. 

Qualifications and Experience 

• Governance and secretarial experience required. 
• Understanding of the UK Corporate Governance Code. 
• Understanding and knowledge of relevant governance standards and frameworks.  
• 3-5 years in a legal and/or corporate administration role.