Legal Counsel NGO Job Save the Children

Looking for a legal job in Kenya? Save the Children is hiring a Legal Counsel skilled in legal advisory, regulatory compliance, contract management, and risk mitigation.

Team and Role Purpose

The role holder will be part of SCI’s Legal team, which is responsible for providing high quality, strategic legal advice and support to SCI’s Global Teams and across SCI’s 54 Country Offices, on legal issues across SCI and the wider Save the Children movement. In this role, the successful candidate will primarily support SCI’s international programme delivery.  
This is a fantastic opportunity to join our brilliant, dynamic team of lawyers, where you you’ll have the opportunity to be involved in fascinating, challenging and meaningful work as part of an innovative and ambitious organization whose mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. 

Role purpose

The role holder will be expected, depending on experience and business needs, to: 

• Advise on SCI’s international programming operations (including legal risk) by supporting SCI’s Country Offices across its five regions (Asia; East and Southern Africa; Latin America and the Caribbean; Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe; West and Central Africa) in their corporate or contractual enquiries (including in areas such as procurement, programming, awards and finance);
• Provide legal advice relating to SCI Global Teams operations in matters of global scope or implication (such as global policy changes or discussions in the areas of transformation delivery, HR, awards, partnerships, procurement, finance, treasury and fundraising); 
• Advise on governance requirements of a global organisation; 
• Take the lead on managing certain contractual and legal risk matters/projects; 
• Take the lead on managing relationships with certain SCI Global Teams;
• Be involved with managing other aspects of the legal team, for example law firm pro bono relationships, internal team training initiatives etc.; and
• Undertake line management (formal or informal) and/or proactively undertake the mentoring of more junior members of the team.

Responsibilities

Delivering high quality and professional advice and support to SCI Country Offices and Global Teams on a diverse range of legal issues, including:

• Advising SCI’s Country Offices in one or more of its five regions, providing timely, pragmatic and solutions-oriented legal support, including acting as Regional Legal Business Partner for one of those regions if required;
• Advising Global Teams and senior stakeholders on matters of global scope or implication, including on legal risk and governance-related matters;
• Advising on the legal aspects of scaling up programming operations, in particular, in a humanitarian crisis;
• Advising on issues arising under Save the Children’s own internal framework;
• Managing advice from and relationships with SCI’s external legal advisors and helping SCI stakeholders to interpret and apply such advice;
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of contracts (including partnership agreements, goods and services contracts, and other legal frameworks with Governments, multi-lateral agencies, United Nations agencies, private sector and other NGOs), including providing advice and legal support to other Global Teams Business Partners, Country Office and Global Teams stakeholders and wider Save the Children constituents. This could include advising on complex commercial contracting for our Supply Chain and Transformation Delivery functions; 
• Support with identifying opportunities for training and new legal tools to manage and mitigate organisational risk, developing and delivering such training and tools; 
• Support with legal team initiatives, for example relating to managing and fostering pro bono law firm relationships, identifying training and mentoring opportunities within the legal team;
• Advising on legal compliance areas such as fraud, sanctions and anti-terrorism, either working in conjunction with SCI’s legal compliance team or independently (as required and as appropriate); and
• Undertake line management if required (formal or informal) and/or mentoring of more junior members of the team.

Experience and Skills
Essential

• Post-qualification experience gained in a reputable private practice or in-house legal team in one or more of the following areas of law: general corporate/commercial, charity/not-for profit, dispute resolution, regulatory.
• Demonstrated ability to business partner with a function / team / client to understand their priorities and to come to pragmatic, legally appropriate solutions. 
• Sound judgement and ability to manage tasks and multiple stakeholders in a pressured environment. 
• Skilled at applying technical expertise to solving problems in a practical way. 
• Strong time management / prioritisation skills and ability to work efficiently to tight deadlines. 
• Strong inter-personal skills and proven ability to communicate technical and complex information and ideas effectively to different audiences and across different cultures.
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English. 
• Calm disposition, constructive approach and positive outlook, particularly when working under pressure.
• Team player, with a full appreciation of the value of collaboration. 
• Commitment to the mission, vision and values of Save the Children. 

Desirable

• Experience in one or more of the following areas of law: employment, finance, data protection, intellectual property or dispute resolution.
• Experience in the international development / humanitarian and/or charity sectors.
• Experience working in an international organisation
• Experience operating in a range of jurisdictions, including instructing overseas counsel.
• Experience working in an in-house legal team
• Ability to work in another of SCI’s core languages, aside from English (French, Arabic or Spanish) desirable but not essential.
• UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister; strong candidates who are qualified lawyers in non-common law jurisdictions will be considered.
• Mid-level post-qualification experience years (PQE)

Education and Qualifications  

• UK or common law qualified lawyer or barrister; strong candidates who are qualified lawyers in non-common law jurisdictions will be considered.
• Mid-level post-qualification experience years (PQE)

How to Apply

Click here to apply