Senior Legal Advisor (PE & Funds) at Sanlam Group

Purpose of the Role

This role will be responsible for:

• Providing strategic, commercial and risk based legal guidance to relevant funds across the Sanlam Investments (SI) cluster to structure and negotiate transactions, ensure regulatory compliance, mitigate legal risk and support informed business decision making, while enabling the business though proactive legal advice, strong governance and effective risk management.
• Specific focus areas will include various Investment Funds, Private Equity and M&A. 

Overview of Role Responsibilities (Level 1-13)

Legal risk management:

• Risk identification and mitigation - proactively identify, assess and flag legal risks and provide appropriate advice to business on management of these risks.
• Reporting – report material legal risks to the SI Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Risk Officer of the relevant business.

Funds legal support:

• provide end-to-end legal support across the establishment, structuring, operation, amendment and termination of investment funds, including reviewing and advising on fund documentation, investor arrangements, service provider agreements, fund administration agreements, regulatory requirements and related governance processes.

Transaction support:

• assist with the legal structuring, negotiation and execution of transactions, including fund-related transactions, private equity transactions, M&A activity and other strategic initiatives, ensuring that transaction documents are commercially appropriate, legally robust and aligned to business objectives.
• support the closing of transactions by coordinating legal workstreams, managing conditions precedent and execution requirements, resolving legal issues that arise during implementation and ensuring appropriate handover to business and operational stakeholders.
• Governance and approvals: facilitate engagement with relevant governance forums and key approval committees to ensure that legal, regulatory and commercial considerations are appropriately presented, approvals are obtained timeously and all required governance steps are properly documented.
• Stakeholder collaboration: work collaboratively with business, investment, finance, tax, compliance, risk, operations and external legal advisers to understand business needs, provide practical and commercially focused legal advice and facilitate legal delivery in a manner that enables business outcomes while maintaining appropriate legal and governance standards.
• Legal templates and knowledge management: contribute to the development, maintenance and continuous improvement of legal templates, playbooks, guidance notes and knowledge resources to promote consistency, efficiency and best practice across the legal function and support effective knowledge sharing within the team.

Minimum Requirements

• Legal degree with relevant post-graduate qualification.
• Admitted attorney of the High Court with Ten (10) years related experience of which four (4) years have been at Senior Management level in a private equity or investment funds role.
• Investment and financial industry experience.
• Knowledge and experience commensurate with this role and having dealt with the regulatory environment both onshore and offshore covering all service lines offerings.
• Successful analytical experience, with ideas on how to drive the organisation.
• Ability to conceptualise and implement ideas.
• Excellent managerial, organisational, leadership and verbal/written communication skills.
• Analytical and strategic thinker who can plan, organise, execute and report out ideas and results.
• Practical and commercial approach to problem-solving.
• Experience at influencing behaviours at all levels of the organisation.
• Experience in leading and motivating a multi-jurisdictional, multi specialism team.
• Ability to produce and present effective presentations and training sessions. 

Required Skills

Presentation Skills - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to communicate and deliver information verbally in a clear, concise and compelling manner to other people. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Written Communication - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to express ideas, request actions, formulate plans, and policies by means of clear and effective writing. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Law and Regulations - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to professionally interpret and apply knowledge of laws. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Legal Communication - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to communicate effectively on legal matters. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Legal Research - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to research and apply legal concepts and information. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Legal Compliance and Procedures - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to ensure adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies within legal proceedings and documentation. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

General Experience

• Substantial general work experience together with comprehensive job related experience in own area of expertise to fully competent level. Minimum 8 years.

Managerial Experience

• Experience of general supervision of more junior colleagues.

Education

• Degree with 10 years related experience.
• Technical - Contributing strategically

Legal risk management 

• Legal risk identification, assessment and mitigation
• Relevant financial services, investment management, funds or asset management industry experience, with an understanding of the legal, regulatory and governance environment applicable to these businesses.
• Relevant private practice and/or in-house legal experience supporting fund formation, transactions, regulatory advice, contract negotiation and complex commercial legal matters.

Required Behavioural Competencies

• Ensures Accountability
• Instils Trust
• Business Insight
• Optimises Work Processes
• Organisational Savvy
• Manages Complexity
• Balances stakeholders - Contributing independently
• Plans and aligns - Contributing independently