Legal Manager at MFS Africa

The Role 

• This role is a commercial legal role within the Legal & Regulatory Affairs Department, with responsibility for providing legal and regulatory advice and guidance across the Group and to supports the Commercial team with legal advice and contract negotiations.    

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

Commercial Legal Affairs:  

• Providing guidance and oversight to the business on legal matters. 
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating of agreements/contracts. 
• Providing legal support to the commercial teams through the drafting of and reviewing of contracts, negotiating of commercial terms and legal execution for commercial relationships. 
• Serving as legal advisor to support internal stakeholders such as IT, commercial, treasury, compliance and other support departments.  
• Oversight of the contract management tool/system for commercial contracting. 
• Oversight of contract lifecycles and arranging for re-negotiation of terms where necessary. 
• Conducting periodic reviews of existing legal documentation to ensure they remain relevant, applicable, and up-to-date.  
• Identifying legal and regulatory risks in transactions, contracts and other activities conducted by the Group. 

Regulatory Affairs: 

• Providing guidance and oversight on regulatory matters.  
• Monitoring and responding to regulatory developments across Africa and advising on the impact, if any, on MFS Africa and its business strategy.  
• Supporting the Group’s efforts in acquiring new licenses and/or expansion of existing licenses. 
• Playing a key role in ensuring MFS Africa’s compliance with the laws and regulations of each country in which we operate, by conducting frequent regulatory horizon scanning and advising on changes in law and regulation and how these might impact the organisation and its businesses. 

Other Legal Matters 

• Managing IP and IP registrations related to the business. 
• Handling of contractual disputes. 
• Together with external legal counsel, coordinating all litigation and legal proceedings. 
• Providing data protection and privacy related advice. 
• Carrying out legal audits from time to time to assess and monitor the legal standing of the organisation and its existing legal obligations. 
• Adhoc legal advice. 

This position is based in either Johannesburg, South Africa; Lagos, Nigeria; Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire; Port Louis, Mauritius, or Nairobi, Kenya and reports to the Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs.  

Skills and Competencies 

• Superior verbal and written communication skills – able to articulate one’s views in a clear and concise manner. 
• Excellent listening skills, analytical and problem-solving aptitude. 
• Creative and critical thinker, comfortable challenging the status quo and proposing innovative, constructive solutions to address business challenges. 
• Effectively manage relationships with multiple stakeholders (internal and external) at various levels of seniority, operating at both a strategic and tactical level. 
• Comfortable working in a diverse, collaborative environment involving different stakeholders and subject matter experts. 
• Passionate about consistency, quality, and integrity in legal and regulatory risk management. 
• High propensity towards execution, even under a high degree of pressure. 
• Able to work autonomously in a highly demanding and often ambiguous environment. 
• Collaborative working style, with the ability to identify and organize resources required to deliver on projects. 

Qualifications and Experience 

• Qualified lawyer or holder of Degree of Master of Laws in a relevant jurisdiction, with working experience within the financial sector or at a law firm 
• 5+ years’ experience in FinTech, consumer/digital financial services, and/or regulatory engagement. 
• Deep, demonstrable, practical knowledge of driving, interpreting, and applying regulation in the context of consumer financial services. 
• Pan-African exposure, experience, excitement, and expertise will be invaluable. 
• Understanding of market and industry developments within the broader financial services sector that relate to legal and regulatory risks in Africa.