Senior Manager Legal Services at The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA)

Key outputs: 

Business Strategy Leadership: 

• Contribute in developing the USAASA and USAF Strategy. 
• Manage that legal services risks are managed by identifying risks, placing them on the risk register, developing and implementing mitigation strategies and monitoring risks on an ongoing basis and reporting quarterly 
• Resolve challenges hindering or threatening the successful achievement of the departmental objectives through identifying the challenges, diagnosing, addressing, and resolving issues/matters. 
• Develop the legal and governance strategy.  

Legal Services: 

• Provide timely and accurate legal advise to the organisation on a wide range of matters, including contracts, employment law and regular compliance. 
• Draft and review contracts, memorandum of understanding, service level agreements, legal opinions and legal letters with supplier, customers and partners ensuring that Usaasa’s interest are protected. 
• Develop and implement compliance policies and procedures to ensure adherence to the relevant laws, regulations and industry standards. 
• Provide legal expertise and advice by maintaining legal expertise and knowledge, responding to legal queries within agreed turnaround time and providing comprehensive legal analysis and opinion on legal queries within the agreed timelines 
• Litigate on behalf of USAASA to achieve the desired optimal outcome by investigating and gathering evidence on litigation matters, gain expert legal opinion and input when required to improve the USAASA litigation outcomes and implementing litigation strategies to achieve litigation objectives within agreed timeframes
• Report on litigation matters by tracking progress and reporting as per standards within agreed deadlines. 
• Make recommendations on contract renewal / extension / termination by reviewing the contract, identifying required contract action, developing a contract plan and implementing by the agreed deadline. 
• Develop contract templates for standard transactions by identifying required standard templates, developing and distributing within agreed deadlines 
• Participate in the Legal Service Provider selection process by developing scopes of work for Service Providers, evaluating existing and potential legal service providers and appointing based on defined selection criteria and alignment with expertise, scope of work and work deliverables within SLA 
• Manage Legal Service Providers by measuring performance against scope of work, budget / costs and delivery deadlines monthly and addressing non-performance within SLA 

People Management: 

• To build capacity within the team and provide leadership and direction to develop skills and competencies, addressing development needs and providing coaching and mentoring and to direct reportees. 
• To monitor, evaluate and manage the team performance through implementing the HR policy, implementing performance process and, when required, instituting compliant disciplinary action. 
• To build a cohesive, high performing team through motivating, guiding, coaching, mentoring and leading in a fair and consistent manner to deliver on the organisational performance and strategic requirements. 

Financial Management: 

• Manage legal services budget compliance by tracking service provider billing and invoicing and comparing against the allocated and planned legal budget on a quarterly basis. 
• Monitor the expenditure to ensure it is I line with the unit’s budget allocation. 
• Ensure no audit findings on the unit’s procurement processes. 

Requirements:

Qualifications:

• Matric
• University Degree in the field of Legal, B. Proc / B. Comm LLB or Master’s is an added advantage. 
• Admitted Attorney/Advocate 

Experience: (including relevant sector specific experience) 

• Minimum 8 years corporate legal experience, including labour, contract and litigation experience 
• 5 – 7 years Management experience 
• 2 – 5 years Board engagement experience 
• 5 - 7 years as a Legal Practitioner, either in corporate or legal practice environment 
• A demonstrable and proven track record in drafting legal documents, contracts and agreements and policy formulation. 
• Ability to set and manage priorities judiciously. 
• Strong labour law experience to advise in all pertinent matters as well as to chair all disciplinary matters. 
• Project Management or contract management knowledge. 
• Ability to work in a team and across functional teams.