Senior Legal Advisor at IQbusiness

Job Description

• We are looking for a Senior Legal Advisor to join a leading Management Consulting and Technology business.
• The Senior Legal Advisor will act as a trusted advisor to the General Counsel and business leadership, ensuring IQbusiness operates within a sound legal and governance framework while enabling growth and innovation. The incumbent will balance risk management with commercial pragmatism, overseeing complex legal matters, providing strategic input, and guiding junior members of the legal team.
• This role is critical in supporting IQbusiness’s consulting, technology, AI, and corporate activities across South Africa and, where applicable, international jurisdictions.
• The person filling the role of Senior Legal Advisor is required to work flexibly with limited supervision in a changing environment with demonstrated high level analytical and problem-solving skills.

Reporting

• The Senior Legal Advisor will report to the General Counsel.

Responsibilities

Strategic Legal Advisory: 

• Provide high-level, commercially aligned legal advice to executives, service line leads, and project teams.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a broad range of contracts, including complex commercial, IT/digital, AI, teaming, leases, employment, IP, and M&A-related agreements.
• Identify legal risks in business initiatives and recommend mitigation strategies that balance commercial objectives with risk management.
• Provide legal opinions and respond to queries from internal stakeholders across business units.
• Support and manage litigation and claims in collaboration with external counsel, protecting the company’s interests.
• Provide advice on the legal aspects of company policies and procedures to mitigate risk.
• Advise the business on legal and regulatory issues related to market research.

Contracting and Commercial Enablement:

• Develop and maintain contracting standards, templates, and playbooks.
• Oversee the contracts lifecycle management process, including renewals and approvals in terms of shareholder governance.
• Guide business on workflows, registers, and document control.
• Assist in the development of tenders and other funding submissions and provide legal advice in regard to the application of government procurement and contract management requirements to ensure compliance and limit exposure and risk to IQbusiness.
• Assist with the development and update of legal documentation related to operational execution (e.g., Privacy Policies, Terms & Conditions, Competition Law Policy).

Corporate Governance & Company Secretarial:

• Support with company secretarial responsibilities within the subsidiary companies or board sub-committees from time to time.
• Ensure compliance with the Companies Act, King IV, B-BBEE, and related governance frameworks.
• Maintain accurate statutory records and support with CIPC filings, resolutions, and minutes.
• Liaise with auditors and professional advisors on corporate and governance matters.

Regulatory and Compliance Management:

• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments, including POPIA, Competition, Companies Act, and sector-specific laws.
• Develop, implement, and update compliance frameworks, policies, and risk registers.
• Lead compliance audits and prepare regulatory compliance reports for management and board committees.
• Provide practical guidance to the business on the impact of legislative and governance changes, including but not limited to POPIA, B-BBEE, AI regulation, ESG-related reporting, and emerging technology law.
• Design and deliver compliance training across the business.
• Establish reporting mechanisms for compliance breaches and oversee investigations in collaboration with HR and other stakeholders.
• Support continuous monitoring and assurance of compliance controls across business operations.

Data Protection and Privacy:

• Serve as a lead on the Data Privacy task team, ensuring ongoing POPIA and GDPR compliance.
• Manage data subject access requests and privacy impact assessments.
• Support operational data protection compliance initiatives.
• Provide and deliver POPIA-related training materials and sessions in collaboration with Learning & Development.
• Conduct thorough reviews of Data Processing Agreements

Employment Law: 

• Advise on all aspects of employment law, including employment contracts, contractor agreements, workplace policies, and termination procedures.
• Provide guidance to HR and management on disciplinary processes, employee relations, grievances, retrenchments, and restructuring.
• Ensure compliance with the Labour Relations Act, Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity Act, and related legislation.
• Support investigations of employee misconduct and provide recommendations on resolution.
• Assist in employment-related dispute resolution. 

AI & Emerging Technology Law: 

• Advise on AI-related risks, ethics, and opportunities in a wide range of consulting projects across the group.
• Monitor AI regulatory developments (e.g., EU AI Act, OECD AI Principles, South African developments) and assess their impact.
• Develop and implement an AI governance and compliance framework aligned with data protection, IP, and ethical use standards.
• Ensure contracts and policies address AI ownership, liability, and accountability in client engagements.
• Partner with technology and consulting teams to ensure responsible and compliant AI adoption.
• Promote adoption of AI-assisted legal tools for contract review, compliance, and knowledge management.
• Deliver training to internal stakeholders on AI legal responsibilities and governance practices.

Requirements 

• LLB and admission as an attorney.
• General knowledge of commercial and corporate law, IT law, intellectual property law, employment law, contract management and regulatory compliance and reporting.
• Minimum of 5 years post articles experience as a corporate legal advisor, ideally in a consulting or technology business.
• Strong commercial acumen and significant experience in corporate commercial matters.
• Strong legal research and statutory interpretation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to provide practical legal advice and exercise sound legal judgement.
• Demonstrated experience in dealing with or advising on organisational legal compliance issues, including commercial, IP, contract and employment related matters.
• Ability to assess and apply legal standards to emerging technologies.
• Adoption of legal-tech and AI tools to enhance efficiency.
• Up to date knowledge and experience of corporate governance including policy development and implementing systems and frameworks.
• Proven ability to engage and influence a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Well-developed conceptual, analytical and problem-solving skills with strong commercial judgement and decision making ability.
• Strong mentoring, coaching, and team development abilities.
• Excellent negotiation and dispute resolution skills.
• Listens, summarises and further develops and progresses ideas received from others.
• Shows confidence, maturity, integrity and a high level of energy and enthusiasm.