Legal Counsel at The Heineken Company

Purpose:

• To ensure that the company operates within the law at all times, offer counsel on legal issues, be a strategic partner for the organization and drive responsible business conduct.

Key responsibilities:

Legal Advisory 

• Provide expert and strategic legal advice to management.
• Set internal governance policies and manage the impact of external factors.
• Assist with ensuring compliance with relevant policies, including Competition Law and Dawn Raid Guidelines, Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest, Anti-Bribery, Gifts & Entertainment and Ethics & Whistleblowing
• Create associations of trust and respect with key stakeholders.
• Deal with external parties to the extent necessary at the time (regulators, external counsel, politicians and clients).
• Draft agreements that minimize risks and maximize legal rights.
• Keep abreast of legislative changes.
• Handle all potentially litigious matters in a commercially viable manner and ensures where possible that recourse to courts is a last resort.
• Support the commercial portfolios (sales, marketing and procurement) primarily through the Legal Manager and Legal Counsel: IP and Marketing

Intellectual Property & Marketing 

• Manage and protect the company’s intellectual property, such as trademarks, logos, brands.
• Advise on activities of competitors and all other parties involved in the business of passing off of company products or infringing on company’s intellectual property.
• Advise on marketing and brand campaigns, sponsorships and promotional activities. Draft, review and negotiate marketing-related agreements and ensure adherence to competition law, advertising standards, and consumer protection regulations and the associated environmental law considerations.

Case Management 

• Assist with products complaints received from consumers; appropriately to such complaints.
• Maintains and regularly updates a record of all cases involving the company. 
• Ensures that competent external lawyers are appointed to represent the company in litigation matters.
• Assist external lawyers in researching and preparing the company’s cases either as plaintiffs or defendants and vets all papers/documents to be filed by the lawyers on behalf of the company.
• Engage with the company’s external contacts, other lawyers, other persons and government officials with a view to resolving legal and general corporate and regulatory matters.

Supply Chain:

• Implement and champion the use of Ironclad (CLM) for standardised templates to minimize risk and ensure consistency.
• Support with drafting, review, and negotiation of agreements, tenders, procurement contracts, and service-level agreements.
• Collaborate with supply chain and procurement teams to integrate legal considerations into operational decisions.

Sales:

• Implement and champion the use of Ironclad (CLM) for standardised templates for trade terms, distribution contracts and promotional arrangements to minimize risk and ensure consistency.
• Monitor and mitigate risk related to anti-competitive practices and support with creating awareness and ensure adherence to competition law policies.
• Provide legal input on commercial initiatives and trade programs.

 Ad-hoc Legal matters 

• Assist the International team on various legal matters.
• Manage and co-ordinate ad-hoc legal projects.
• Dealing with the various regulatory bodies on behalf of the Company, and filing the statutory periodic returns with such bodies (where needed). 
• Assist with implementation and development of legal tech solutions.

Education, Competencies & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB)
• Desired – completed articles at a reputable law firm. 
• Min 3 years of experience in a legal field.

Leadership competencies:

• Focuses externally
• Thinks globally
• Shape, drive to win and deliver
• Fosters collaboration and connection
• Engages and inspires others / role model
• Develops people and teams 

Functional competencies:

• Strategic acumen - direction and alignment
• Business Analysis and Challenge
• Integrating Perspectives
• Risk Management
• Stakeholder Management

Closing Date: 27/01/2026