Legal Advisor at SANEDI

Purpose
The DSI Energy Secretariat Programme requires a Legal Advisor to support the Programme. The Legal Advisor is expected to support the Head of DSI Energy Secretariat and the IP & Commercialisation Manager by providing legal services, including but not limited to those outlined below.

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum qualification LLB
• Admitted as an attorney or advocate
• Minimum 5 years’ post-admission experience
• Knowledge of SOE governance frameworks
• MS Office fluency
• Knowledge of IP law
• Proven track record in applying intellectual property law and the IP legal process
• Familiarity with the South African National System for Innovation

Knowledge and skills required

• Public Finance Management Act
• Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act No. 51 of 2008
• Knowledge of State-Owned Enterprises Governance
• Knowledge in Contract Management
• Knowledge of Ethics, Compliance & Risk Management
• Knowledge of energy sector advantageous
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Written and verbal skills
• Communication skills
• Administrative skills
• Report writing skills

Job Requirements (Soft skills)

• High level of problem-solving and analytical skills
• Demonstrated interpersonal and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and oral communication abilities
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with all levels of the organization and with counterparts in outside organizations
• Ability to write clearly and concisely
• Ability to work in a team and individually
• Ability to manage outside counsel and other external service providers for quality work product, value, and efficiency
• Ability to facilitate and contribute to collaborative decision-making processes and work effectively on cross-functional teams

Responsibilities of the role

• Provide legal advice as it relates to but not limited to Intellectual Property (IP)
• Negotiating, drafting and vetting of contracts (MoU, MoA, SLA, NDA, project-specific agreements, project-funding agreements etc)
• Conduct IP due diligence and legal opinions in relation to IP
• Counsel internal clients, including Management, on Intellectual Property matters, protection and exploitation, expansion, risks and opportunities
• Specialist IP legal knowledge including patent preparation
• Oversee the contract management process and the execution of agreements with third parties
• Handle a variety of IP related legal matters and give sound advice
• Review IP related legal documents and provide advice on appropriate actions and provide legal opinions on a variety of requests which may be complex in nature
• Manage and advise on all external service providers for the filing and renewal of patents
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks
• Ensure compliance with the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act, 2008
• Reviewing and drafting other legal documents, including patents and trademark papers, licensing agreements, etc
• Conducting research and remaining current on changes in local, regional and international trends and best practices
• Risk Management