Senior Legal Counsel: Regulatory Legal at Absa

To develop a functional legal operating model and framework in a broadly defined business functional strategy; enabling horizontal alignment, implementation and adoption.

Job Description

An opportunity has become available for an Admitted attorney/ Lawyer with a track record of success to join our Group legal shared service team in the role of Senior Legal Counsel. The incumbent will provide advice and support to Absa group wide, on issues relating to regulatory matters, working with other functions to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of identifying, monitoring and providing analysis of regulatory matters. The ideal candidate will have experience in financial regulatory and banking or insurance background.

Other responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Proactively identify and manage legal risk/opportunities.
• Provide functionally excellent non-contentious legal advice (written and verbal) and proactively keep the business units abreast of legal and regulatory developments.
• Act on legal risks notified in the legal risk reports, by raising it with the business stakeholders and addressing it as far as possible in whatever way and means required to sufficiently mitigate risk
• Proactive monitoring of compliance of the legal risk control framework
• Provide high quality support to the business as required by interacting with different legal and business stakeholders
• Coach and mentor junior team members on a regular basis on how to improve their own productivity and use of the bank’s processes and systems
• Ensure that subordinates are trained and equipped with appropriate skills and knowledge regarding all products, solutions and services

Education and Qualification:

• B Comm Law and LLB; or B A Law and LLB; or B Juris and LLB; or BProc and LLB
• Admitted attorney or advocate in RSA or other similar jurisdiction
• Degree from a leading educational institution with good academic results

Skills and Experience:

• Strong negotiation skills.
• Business awareness, prioritisation of risk and strong commercial focus
• Ability to take a commercial view within legal constraints
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders to their point of view and maintain credibility with a senior audience