Fixed Term Contract: Legal Advisor (JHB North) at Aspen Pharma Group

OBJECTIVE OF ROLE

• To responsibly, pro-actively and efficiently service the legal requirements of business units within Aspen SA Commercial. To manage and minimise Aspen Pharmacare’s legal and compliance risk.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Commercial Agreements

• Provide well- considered, practical, high quality & timeous legal advice to enable Aspen’s commercial goals whilst mitigating risk where possible, design and implement solutions to achieve legal cost saving and efficiency to the company
• Ensure accuracy in vetting, drafting and negotiating commercial agreements by:
• Identifying Aspen’s rights and obligations in terms of these agreements to ensure best outcome for Aspen
• Liaising with business partners and third parties to negotiate and resolve agreements
• Timeously collating and addressing comments from all business partners
• Manage execution process of agreements through to confirmation of filing in the Aspen’s contracts repository, subject to SOPs and ways of working agreed within the team
• Continually assess and improve templates

Social Media Marketing & Digital (including CPA, MCA, ECTA & POPIA)

• Provide well- considered, practical, high quality & timeous legal advice to enable Aspen’s sales & marketing whilst mitigating risk where possible, design and implement solutions to achieve legal cost saving and efficiency to the company
• Mitigate risk to the business whilst optimizing efficiencies and ensuring business objectives are achieved as required

Legal Opinions/Legal Solutions

• Research legal implications of relevant legislation and case law as require
• Provide opinions and recommendations on legislation/agreements/projects to business on request
• Comment on new and amended legislation and regulations
• Update relevant business areas with legislative amendments and recommend and oversee implementation of any necessary changes to policies/templates/training to empower and enable business partners on legal topics where possible

Projects/ImprovingEfficiencies

• Assist in implementing projects e.g. POPIA that will assist in ensuring business compliance with legislation, enhance business efficiencies, better enable business
• Improving, updating of policies / templates /processes
• Keep business informed of projects by updating at meetings, having training sessions, providing templates to gather info, processing info received, providing feedback to stakeholders
• Identifying gaps in policies, templates and/or processes
• Updating, drafting and implementing templates, processes to improve business efficiencies and ways of working to optimise output in terms of quality & cost saving 

Anti-trust / IP / Litigation Support

• Be aware of and understand the implications of these areas of the law
• Raise potential litigation/IP/anti-trust matters to the Legal Counsel, with analysis of the merits of the matter and suggested solutions
• Liaise and keep stakeholders informed were required
• Take initiative to stay informed of developments in these areas of the law

Legal Reporting & Meetings

• Take accountability to manage and track legal matters from end to end, including submission of reports to the Legal Counsel
• Submit weekly status reports to the Legal Counsel on current matters
• Log matters on iManage and keep iManage Tracker updated with matters

Learning & Development

• Develop knowledge of the pharma industry
• Continually develop knowledge of the pharma industry through on the job learning and attending workshops or other formal learning opportunities

Requirements
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Matric / Grade 12
• Undergraduate Degree & Law Degree (LLB)

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Admitted Attorney
• 10 years working as an Attorney in a Law Firm and/or a corporate environment
• Additional Legal qualifications / courses are a bonus
• General commercial knowledge and experience
• Experience in independently drafting and vetting legal agreements is essential
• General business experience, and specialised pharmaceutical industry experience is a plus
• Exposure in drafting and negotiating local and international legal agreements
• Legislation and legal practice management
• Knowledge of policy and procedure
• General and specialist pharmaceutical industry knowledge or exposure
• Knowledge of business including a sound understanding of the Aspen Group structure and strategy
• Good corporate governance knowledge
• Transaction/deal life cycle steps and management

SOFT SKILLS AND COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS

• Taking full personal responsibility for management from end to end and closure of allocated matters in the shortest possible time
• Organisational, time management and planning skills in light of fluid workload and portfolios
• Problem solving, logical, analytical thinker who is solutions and service oriented
• An ability to translate business problems into legal solutions
• Robust interpersonal skills including negotiation skills, listening skills and influence
• Excellent communication skills, written, verbal and non-verbal
• Conflict resolution
• Decision making skills and demonstrated ability to work at a level of independence and exercise of discretion in managing legal matters
• Ability to deal with uncertainty, seek detail, take initiative and be regularly adaptable
• Attention to detail
• Ability to manage support staff effectively
• Demonstrated ability to work in-consultation with relevant team and streams
• Positive 360-degree feedback from peers, external and internal business areas
• Team player with uncomplicated personality is essential

COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED 

• Advanced PC literacy on all MS Word applications (including Windows, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel)
• Verbal and written proficiency in the English language
• High legal drafting skills 
• Administrative and organizational skills
• Electronic database management skills