Legal Services Executive

Our client a prominent business name in the Eastern Cape with subsidiary companies operating in retail distribution and logistics businesses; is seeking to employ a vastly experienced Legal Services Executive to join their Group Executive Team based in Port Elizabeth.

Requirements:

Educational

• LLB degree with postgraduate qualification in
  Corporate Law Tax or Competition Law
  advantageous.
• Admission as an Attorney or Advocate in South Africa.

Technical Legal Expertise

• Advanced drafting and negotiation skills for complex commercial agreements.
• Strong command of:
  • M&A legal frameworks
  • Corporate restructures and reorganisations
  • Tax aspects of transactions and corporate structures
  • Competition law compliance
  • Preference share and equity instrument structuring
  • Cross-sector regulatory compliance

Strategic and Analytical Skills

• High-level analytical capability to assess legal risk in diverse industries.
• Ability to structure transactions with commercial tax and regulatory optimisation.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a commercial mindset.
• Ability to issue clear concise and defensible initial legal opinions.

Leadership and Communication

• Executive presence and ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills including the ability to translate complex legal issues into actionable business guidance.
• Experience managing external counsel and multidisciplinary teams.

Personal Attributes

• High integrity and sound ethical judgement.
• Commercially astute with strong business orientation.
• Ability to operate under pressure and manage multiple high-value matters simultaneously.
• Strategic thinker with a proactive approach to risk mitigation.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate across diverse business units.

Responsibilities:

Transactional Legal Support

• Draft negotiate and review agreements relating to:
  • Mergers and acquisitions
  • Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
  • Preference shares structures equity instruments and funding arrangements
  • Business disposals reorganisations and restructures

Corporate Governance and Compliance

• Oversee compliance with the Companies Act 71 of 2008 King IV and internal governance frameworks.
• Ensure group-wide compliance with:
  • Competition law requirements
  • Sector-specific regulatory frameworks (energy food processing gambling etc.)
  • Tax legislation including Income Tax Act VAT Act and sector-specific tax regimes

Regulatory and Sector-Specific Advisory

• Advise on licensing operational compliance and regulatory obligations across investee sectors:
  • Energy: NERSA licensing environmental compliance PPAs
  • Beverages and Dairy: food safety regulations labelling supply agreements
  • Fishing and Processing: quotas maritime regulations export compliance
  • Agricultural Processing: health standards distribution agreements
  • Gambling: licensing compliance frameworks regulatory reporting

Executive Leadership and Strategic Input

• Participate in executive-level strategy formulation investment evaluation and risk management.
• Provide legal insight into capital allocation restructuring initiatives and portfolio optimisation.
• Engage with external counsel regulators and transaction advisors.
• Support the Board and its committees with legal analysis reports and recommendations
• Monitor legislative developments affecting the Group and prepare impact assessments.
• Maintain and update group policies delegations of authority and compliance registers.
• Provide guidance on board processes resolutions shareholder communications and statutory filings.
• Prepare initial legal opinions on transaction feasibility risk exposure regulatory implications and tax considerations.
• Conduct legal due diligence on prospective investments and divestments.
• Structure transactions to optimise tax efficiency regulatory compliance and shareholder value.

Please note that if you do not receive a response within 2 weeks your application has been unsuccessful.

Required Experience:

IC

Employment Type : Full-Time
Department / Functional Area: Legal
Experience: years
Vacancy: 1