Legal Officer

CARE International in Kenya is looking for well organized and highly motivated individuals who are result-oriented to fill the following position:

Job Title: Legal Officer
Ref: LO/2/2014

Title Holder: TBD
Grade: To be determined after Job assessment with HR
Workstation: Nairobi, with at least 30% travel to the field for investigations, research, clients’ discussions,assessments, verifications and representation.
Effective date: March 2014
Contract Period: Initial 6 month with possibility of Extension
Reports to: Country Director

Job Summary
The Legal Officer provides management with legal advice and undertakes legal actions emanating from organization’s relationships. She/he will play advisory and representation role, in handling various legal aspects the organization.

The incumbent identifies, mitigates risks and actively addresses risks emanating from contractual engagements and organizational relationships.

S/he proactively analyses, researches and provides advise related to contractual matters between CARE and parties, program contracts with organization, consulting with the legal counsel, managers, leases,funding agreements, and licenses. S/he undertakes case follow ups including fighting lawsuits and preparing reports.

The legal officer works to ensure the legal protection of all the operations of the organization.

The incumbent will advice and guide the senior management on compliance to all legal issues and to ensure organizations compliance with legal requirements.

S/he has to manage various tasks and study contracts, hold consultations with management and CAREs legal counsel to make decisions about legal matters.

Legal Officer Tasks and Responsibilities
Responsibility 1: Legal advice and representation (60%)

• Interacts with CARE Kenya counterparts such as members of the Senior Management Team to advise them on all aspects of legal implications specific to projects or programs.
• Prepares inputs in all decision making procedures and for planning strategies and informs contracts and agreements
• Assessing/Reviewing legal documents (i.e. contracts and agreements), and ensures legal protection of the organization.
• Provides advise on risks and mitigation measures and follows corrections and implementation of mitigation measures
• Takes part in high level planning/ organizing meetings and gives legal advices to avoid lawsuits and legal consequences
• Preparing reports on all legal matters and presenting them to management and to legal representative (s)
• Develop and maintain a network of peers with other legal advisors of similar organizations in Kenya.

Legal Support

• Prepare, manage and keep up to date the legal cases register for CARE Kenya, in close coordination with the Deputy Director, Program Support and the Country Director.2.2. Works closely with CARE Kenya’s legal counsels / advisors on all legal matters of the organization
• Ensures appropriate research for all legal cases – legitimacy of contract deals, lawsuit investigations etc.
• Assessing ongoing cases and executing the best course of action
• Prepare legal queries and facilitates solicitation of legal opinions from external counsel to identify legal and regulatory risks and issues for pursuit
• Assessing agreements and partnership deeds for minimizing /eradicating risks and exposure
• Assisting in drafting different types of legal documents
• Performing investigations on the litigation causes, collecting evidences to present to legal representatives and/or in the court and, arranging the groundwork to successfully represent the organization
• Ensures the compliance and renewals of all licenses, contracts, agreements and permits of the organization
• Handling tax issues
• Managing legal implications of new contracts of the organization
• Preparing/updating legal documents and ensuring confidentiality
• Keeping track of new updates in corporate and business law and provide advice and follow up management actions accordingly.
• Performing negotiations for contracts with other parties
• Participating in planning of budgets for legal pursuits and reviewing requests for payments
• Ensuring organizational information and knowledge is copyrighted and protected and ensuring enforcing copyrights.

Responsibility 2: Risk Management (30%)

• Ensure and provide support to the CO for timely identification of legal risks to the CO and communicating to the director and the head of departments for mitigation measures
• Protecting organization from legal litigations
• Ensuring mitigation measures are implemented timely to prevent loses, enhancing accountability and performance
• Works with other departments to ensure that all legal formalities like tax payments, assets maintenance, agreements of lease and other obligations are fulfilled in time
• Participates in risk management sessions that have a bearing on legal matters, reviews risk reports for purposes of managing key risks and efficiency in the risk management process.
• Provides guidance and supports follow ups on investigative audits reports and their outcomes
• May be required to travel to different locations to resolve legal issues, support investigative audits/follow ups, and assess the real estate value on behalf of the organization
• Keeps track of the latest changes and law regulations with regards to organizations’ status and advises accordingly
• Attends committee meetings and articulates necessary measures to mitigate legal risks and gurantee protection of the organization’s interest.

Spending Authority: None

Contacts/Key Relations

• Internal: Receives management support from the Country Director and designates, other directors and unit heads program/program support managers
• External: Liaison with organization legal representative

Working conditions:
1. Normal working conditions in a city setup. The employee will also undertake frequent visits to partners and to external sources for purposes of meeting Job responsibilities. This includes travel to remote areas and therefore has exposure to road and air travel risks and security risks.

2. Qualifies for commuter and telephone allowance to enhance communication with external and internal stakeholders for work related assignments.

Professional Qualifications and Experience Desired

• Degree in Law, and an advocate of the high court of Kenya
• A minimum of 3 years experience in a similar position with good organizational skills.
• Excellent knowledge about all types of legal matters related to the operations of an organization and corporate law, law of contracts, criminal and civil law
• Excellent logical and examination skills
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills
• Excellent decision making abilities
• Excellent analysis capabilities
• Be able to work long hours and visit remote locations whenever necessary
• Team leadership skills essential including: team management and staff development skills; implementation of performance management systems and ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, as well be able to work effectively and efficiently as part of a team, in a fast–paced environment requiring multi‐tasking and work under pressure
• Experience in negotiating with external parties

Applications
If you feel you meet the requirements for any of these positions, send your application letter indicating the reference number, title of the position along with an updated CV and telephone contacts of three professional referees to:

The Human Resources & Development Manager,
CARE International in Kenya,
Email: Vacancies@care.or.ke

so as to be received not later than 28th February, 2014.

Only short listed candidates will be contacted.CARE is an equal opportunity employer and promotes gender equity.

Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.

CARE International in Kenya does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. (Application, interview, meeting, processing, training or any other fees).