Senior Legal Counsel

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Job Summary

To develop tactical strategy and delivery plans, formulate associated practice/s and to ensure operational implementation and adoption i.t.o. legal methodology, governance and delivery objectives.

Job Description

Leadership and Management

• Contribute to the development and execution of Legal Function objectives, strategic priorities and operational plans.
• Build strong relationships with business stakeholders and provide commercially focused legal support that enables business objectives while managing legal risk.
• Operate independently with minimal supervision, demonstrating sound judgment, accountability and the ability to guide, coach and supervise junior team members where required.
• Foster a high-performance culture through collaboration, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement initiatives.

Commercial Acumen

• Demonstrate strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities in complex legal and commercial matters.
• Provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice that balances risk management with business objectives.
• Drive effective cost management, including the prudent use of external counsel and legal resources.
• Consistently deliver high-quality outputs across multiple competing priorities while meeting agreed timelines and stakeholder expectations.

Risk and Control

• Promote a strong culture of legal risk awareness across the Bank by embedding legal policies, standards and control requirements within business processes.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, governance frameworks and internal policies.
• Proactively identify, assess, manage and report legal risks and emerging regulatory developments.
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the Legal Function’s role within Absa and its interaction with Risk, Compliance, Company Secretariat and Business Units.

Collaboration and Teamwork

• Collaborate effectively across Legal, Compliance, Risk and business teams to achieve strategic objectives and deliver integrated solutions.
• Build strong relationships across jurisdictions and functions, actively breaking down silos and leveraging expertise across the wider Absa Legal network.
• Share legal knowledge, best practices and lessons learned to strengthen the capability of the wider Legal Function.

Technical and Professional Expertise

• Act as a trusted legal adviser to business stakeholders and infrastructure functions on complex legal, regulatory and governance matters.
• Maintain expert knowledge of banking, finance, commercial and corporate law developments, and assess their impact on the Bank’s operations and strategy.
• Apply sound legal judgment in structuring, negotiating and reviewing complex transactions and contractual arrangements.
• Demonstrate strong technical drafting, negotiation, presentation and stakeholder management skills.

Additional Behavioural Competencies (Recommended for VP-Level Senior Legal Counsel)

• Strategic Thinking and Business Alignment
• Influencing and Negotiation
• Decision Making and Sound Judgment
• Stakeholder and Relationship Management
• Resilience and Delivery Under Pressure
• Coaching and Developing Others
• Integrity, Professionalism and Ethical Conduct
• Innovation and Continuous Improvement