Legal Officer

Full job description

Responsibilities:

The Legal Officer will work closely with the Legal team under the supervision of the Head, Legal and Company Secretary and within his/her delegated authority, the Legal Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

Legal Services

· Draft and review legal agreements such as Logistics and Supply Base Services Agreement, Confidentiality Agreement, EPC Contract Agreement, MOU, MOA, Service Level Agreements, Finance Agreement, Lease Agreement, JV Agreement etc.

· Provide internal advice on corporate legal issues, business and labour matters to the Company and its Strategic Business Units (SBUs).

· Provide commercial legal support to all departmental projects and job functions.

· Liaise with external counsels.

Compliance

· Monitor, ensure adherence to, and identify changes in laws, regulations, guidelines, and specifications.

· Match up all relevant regulatory and statutory requirements with Company business activities in accordance with ISO 9001:2015 QMS standards.

· Conduct periodic regulatory, anti-corruption and anti-bribery compliance reviews; prepare and submit mandatory reports required from industry regulators; and properly document all regulatory compliance matters.

· Ensure compliance to corporate governance, code of ethics principles ad sustainability requirements.

Free Zone Management Registry

· Develop, enforce and provide advisory services on Free Zone policies and procedures

· Administer the Free Zone Management registry.

· Identify new and emerging regulatory issues that may affect the Free Zone and coordinate with legal and non-legal expert resources, as necessary, to help analyse and address such issues.

· Attend meetings with investors and government agencies as required and ensure that they are conducted in accordance with Free Zone rules and in a legal manner.

· Serve as a leading voice for Free Zone in building and strengthening the Management’s relationship with industry partners, government agencies, investors, international organisations, and industry coalitions in order to effectively shape and advance the Management’s position on important public policy issues across the region.

· Carry out administrative duties as required.

Company Secretarial

· Monitor the maintenance of the registers and other records required to be maintained by the Company under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) and Nigeria Export Processing Zones Act (NEPZA Act).

· Attend meetings of the Company and its SBUs, providing all necessary secretarial support services in respect of the meetings with the applicable rules and regulations.

· Monitor the rendering of all statutory returns and give notification to the Corporate Affairs Commission and as required under CAMA and NEPZA Act.

· Provide all such other administrative and other secretarial duties as directed by the Legal Superintendent.

· Implement and oversee corporate documentation and data management.

Employee Relations Management

· Promote staff morale and workplace safety in accordance with IMS policies;

· Ensure that the highest standards of quality and customer care are achieved;

· Form successful relationships, working with all levels of the organization;

· Work flexibly and under own initiative to achieve objectives

SHEQ and Security Responsibilities

· Ensure all work is performed in line with HSE and Security policies, procedures and standards.

· Ensure all SHEQ legislations are adhered to.

· Reporting of all incidents in line with set of HSE and Security procedures.

SHEQ Authority

· You shall have the authority to report all HSE related unsafe act and conditions to your supervisor and/or SHEQ department.

· Participate in all safety related activities within the Company, including and not limited to daily toolbox talks and HSEQ meetings.

Compliance

· All employees of the Company are to comply:

· with all QMS/HSEMS Corporate policies and Procedures,

· to the use of approved electronic documents,

· to the established access permissions and risk management policies set by the management.

· With statutory, regulatory and legal requirements associated with duties.

· Failure to comply may lead to disciplinary actions including termination.

Risk and Opportunities

· Identify risks and provide treatment plans for them.

· Seek for and identify opportunities that can be exploited by the organization.

· Report risks and opportunities in line with the Company’s risk management manual.

General

· The Employee may also be required to perform duties not directly related to their area of experience or expertise, in which case proper instruction will be provided by the Company;

· Ensure that the highest ethical standards are maintained in all activities;

· Conduct him/herself in a dignified and respectful manner that reflects well on the Employer and also sets an example for the other employees.

Knowledge, Skills and Ability

· Basic communication skills

· High ethical awareness and integrity.

· High level of business acumen and customer orientation.

· Strong attention to detail.

· Ability to work under pressure and autonomously where required; and multitask

· Ability to quickly build and maintain relationships at senior levels, both externally and internally.

· Oral and written communication skills

· Legal research

· Must be proficient in Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc.)

· Organisation skills, with the ability to prioritize and react at short notice.

· Ability to solve problems and use initiative to improve legal and commercial situations.

· Self-Motivated and willing to learn new processes;

· The resilience to deal with periods of work pressure and diplomacy to deal with difficult. employees, customers, contactors and others in the course of their duties;

· Reliable, with the ability to maintain high levels of service;

· Motivated with the ability to effectively work on own initiative;

· Physical fitness and mental agility to successful function for an extended period if required.

Education and Qualifications

• LL.B. (Hons) with minimum of second class upper division from a reputable university.
• Barrister
• A valid NYSC discharge or exemption certificate will be required.

Experience

• A minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in the practice of law, including legal analysis, research and writing is required.
• Experience at a leading law firm dealing with corporate and commercial law or infrastructure matters is required, especially in the preparation, review, negotiation and documentation of commercial and infrastructure contracts
• Experience in a position directly assisting a senior official is desirable.