Legal Manager at Bidvest Bank

PRIMARY PURPOSE

• The Legal Manager is responsible for providing expert legal support and guidance across the Bank, ensuring legal compliance, managing risk, and supporting business objectives.
• The role includes oversight of legal documentation, litigation, corporate governance, and effective management of the Legal department’s resources and outputs.

Key Performance Area (KPA)

Financial Management

• Ensure that losses do not occur as a result of customers and the Bank being exposed to legal risks
• Pursue potential cost saving / revenue enhancement initiatives for the Bank where applicable.

Stakeholder Management to drive Service Excellence

• Identify problem areas and ensure corrective action is taken.
• Analyse and assess business/customer requirements to provide timeous solutions.
• Responsiveness: Speed of responses, reaction time, going the extra mile, turnaround time.
• Building relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Operational Management

• Draft, review, edit, and revise contracts, agreements, and other legal and corporate documents to ensure accuracy and legal compliance.
• Provide sound legal advice and formal opinions to internal stakeholders across the Bank.
• Draft non-standard legal clauses in line with Bank policy and best practices.
• Conduct legal due diligence and assessments on funding applications, transactions, and other business activities.
• Monitor the legal and regulatory environment to identify potential risks and propose mitigation strategies.
• Manage the Bank’s intellectual property portfolio in collaboration with Bidvest Group and external legal advisors.
• Support the drafting of facility and security documentation based on approved credit sanctions.
• Review all documents requiring legal sign-off and ensure appropriate approvals are obtained.
• Keep abreast of relevant legislative developments and ensure communication of changes to impacted business units.
• Represent Legal in internal and external stakeholder meetings, providing strategic legal input as required.
• Facilitate legal training and awareness sessions when needed.
• Manage litigation on behalf of the Bank, ensuring protection of the Bank’s interests.
• Support the Company Secretary in governance, statutory compliance, and secretariat functions.
• Ensure effective record-keeping and document management within the Legal department.
• Promote clear and collaborative communication between Legal and business units.

People Management

• Lead and manage a team, providing guidance, mentorship, and professional development opportunities.
• Foster a culture of excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Recruit and retain talented professionals to support the bank's financial operations.

Personal and Intellectual Capital Development

• Take ownership for driving own career development
• Achievement of objectives/milestones set out in the development plan.
• Development of knowledge base and Intellectual Property.
• Broaden skills to ensure greater marketability and value within the bank.

Training

• Keeping abreast of own Development and ensure exposure is gained based on development areas

Qualifications

• Matric or equivalent essential
• Legal qualification essential
• Must be an admitted legal practitioner.

Experience

• 5-7 years post-admission corporate and commercial legal experience gained from financial services sector or legal practice.
• Experience in relation to legislation pertaining to the banking industry
• Previous managerial/supervisory experience

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• Ability to identify weaknesses in the control environment and implement change
• External Regulatory Knowledge
• Risk Knowledge
• Exchange Control Regulations
• Compliance and Reporting
• Understand the operations of the various systems within the Bank and how these feed into the reporting system
• Expert Knowledge and experience in Trade Services
• Attention to detail
• Conceptual Thinking
• Excellent Financial and business acumen
• Leaderships and management skills
• Able to manage a diverse workforce
• Research and analytical skills
• Excellent Communication skills