Senior Legal Counsel West Africa

Black Pen Recruitment; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel for the West African region. The ideal candidate will have extensive legal experience and bilingual proficiency in French and English. You will manage the company’s legal affairs and build relationships with various regulatory authorities across several countries. This role requires excellent communication skills and a strong understanding of payment regulations. The position is full-time and offers remote work flexibility.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of legal experience in French-speaking West Africa.
• Experience managing corporate governance issues.
• Experience with compliance-related issues (e.g., AML, CFT).

Responsibilities

• Manage the company’s legal and regulatory affairs function in West Africa.
• Work closely with Commercial, Compliance, Finance, and HR functions.
• Craft and implement legal strategies regarding disputes and litigation.

Skills

Bilingual in French and English

Excellent understanding of payments, remittance, and FX regulation

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Practical and commercial approach

Education

Law degree from accredited, top-tier University

Admitted to practice law in Cote d’Ivoire or Senegal

Job description

French/Arabic Speaking Senior Legal Counsel West Africa (Remittance/FX/Stablecoin/Cryptocurrency)

London, England, United Kingdom

About the job French/Arabic Speaking Senior Legal Counsel West Africa (Remittance/FX/Stablecoin/Cryptocurrency)

Our Client is the largest and the firstlicensed on/off-ramp platform for stablecoins in Africa. They are dedicated to offering innovative solutions in the African stablecoins space. Our client is committed to making stablecoins accessible and understandable for everyone, providing their customers with secure and user-friendly platforms for their financial transactions.

Job Type: Full Time l Remote

Location: London

Requirements

• Law degree from accredited, top-tier University
• Admitted to practice law in Cote d’Ivoire or Senegal (strong preference for additional qualification in e.g. France, UK, U.S.)
• Bilingual in French and English (Arabic a plus)
• 5+ years of legal experience in French-speaking West Africa (either on-the-ground or actively from Europe) as an associate with a leading international or local law firm and/or as an in-house attorney with a major financial services institution or Fintech
• Excellent understanding of payments, remittance and FX regulation and related commercial transactions (exposure to cryptocurrency a plus)
• Experience managing corporate governance issues and company secretary duties
• Experience analyzing and advising on compliance-related issues (e.g., AML, CFT)
• Experience interacting with a wide variety of regulatory authorities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Practical and commercial approach, with an entrepreneurial mindset

Responsibilities

• Manage the company’s legal and regulatory affairs function in Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Mali
• Work closely with the company’s Commercial, Compliance, Finance and HR functions
• Actively manage and build relationships with relevant regulatory authorities (e.g. AMF-UEMOA, BCEAO, CENTIF, etc.)
• Actively manage and build relationships with external counsel
• Craft and implement legal strategies regarding disputes and litigation, and regulation and licensing matters

Reporting Lines

• Reports to: Assistant General Counsel & Chief Data Protection Officer