Legal Head

Manav Sansadhan Vikas Salaahkar; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Manav Sansadhan Vikas Salaahkar seeks a seasoned Legal Head to steer legal, regulatory and compliance across a multi-entity group. The role reports to the Managing Trustee and is engaged on a professional retainership with Bar Council compliance.

You will supervise a compact legal team, advise the Board on governance, draft and vet contracts, ensure education-sector regulation compliance (AICTE/UGC), and manage litigation and registrations across southern India.

Qualifications

• LL.B. from a UGC-recognised university is mandatory; LL.M. preferred.
• Must be enrolled Advocate registered with State Bar Council and maintain active bar enrolment.
• Additional certifications in governance or company secretarial practice are advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage legal, statutory, and regulatory compliance across the Trust and affiliated entities.
• Advise the Governing Board on legal risk, governance, and policy.
• Draft, review, and vet contracts, MOUs, and legal correspondence.
• Oversee compliance with education-sector regulatory frameworks (AICTE, UGC, state government).
• Manage litigation and coordinate with external counsel when needed.
• Maintain statutory registers, licences, approvals, and renewals across group entities.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Contract drafting

Litigation management

Policy design

Stakeholder management

Advisory skills

Education

LL.B.

LL.M.

Job description

Role Overview

The organisation is seeking an experienced Legal Head to lead all legal, regulatory, and compliance functions across a diversified, multi-entity group. This is a senior leadership position reporting directly to the Managing Trustee or a designated member of the Governing Board, with the incumbent formally engaged and remunerated through the parent Trust and its two founding educational institutions. The role's functional scope, however, extends well beyond these institutions to cover other affiliated educational institutions, hospitality and cultural-venue ventures, a diversified real estate and agricultural portfolio spanning residential, commercial, plantation, and farmland holdings across South India, and other affiliated business ventures and sister concern entities. The incumbent will build and lead a compact legal function, engage external counsel where required, and act as the single point of contact for all legal and regulatory matters across the group. This is a full-time engagement structured on a professional retainership basis, consistent with applicable Bar Council regulations governing practising advocates.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all legal, statutory, and regulatory compliance matters across the Trust, its founding institutions, and all affiliated entities.
• Advise the Governing Board and senior leadership on legal risk, governance, institutional policy, and strategic decision-making across the group.
• Draft, review, and vet all contracts, vendor agreements, memoranda of understanding, and legal correspondence across group entities.
• Oversee compliance with education-sector regulatory frameworks, including affiliating university, AICTE, UGC, and state government requirements.
• Manage legal affairs of affiliated educational institutions beyond the two founding colleges, ensuring group-wide regulatory consistency.
• Handle legal matters of hospitality, comfort-stay, cultural, and event-venue ventures operated under the wider group.
• Oversee the group's diversified real estate portfolio, including residential and commercial property transactions, title verification, and documentation.
• Manage legal affairs of plantation, coffee, tea, and farmland holdings across South India, including land records and regulatory compliance.
• Manage litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution proceedings across the group, coordinating with external counsel where required.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with trust law, societies registration requirements, and applicable charitable governance regulations.
• Advise on employment law, labour compliance, service rules, and disciplinary proceedings across group entities.
• Handle legal matters of other affiliated business ventures and sister concern companies as required.
• Maintain statutory registers, filings, licences, approvals, and renewals across all group entities.
• Represent the organisation and its affiliated entities before regulatory authorities, courts, tribunals, and government bodies as required.

Required Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree in Law (LL.B.) from a UGC-recognised university is mandatory; a Master's degree in Law (LL.M.) is preferred but not mandatory. The candidate must be an enrolled Advocate, registered with a State Bar Council under the Advocates Act, 1961, and must maintain active, uninterrupted bar enrolment throughout the engagement. Any additional certifications in corporate governance, compliance, or company secretarial practice will be considered a meaningful advantage during evaluation.

Required Experience

A minimum of 1215 years of post-qualification legal experience is required, with substantial experience in an in-house counsel, legal head, or senior legal advisory capacity within a reputed organisation. Prior experience within the education sector, trust or society governance, or work with multi-entity, not-for-profit organisations is strongly preferred over purely transactional corporate practice. Exposure to real estate transactions, agricultural or plantation land matters, and legal oversight across a diversified group of affiliated entities will be considered a strong advantage. Experience independently handling litigation, regulatory compliance, statutory filings, and institutional governance matters, without heavy reliance on external counsel, is considered essential for success in this role.

Technical and Functional Skills

• Corporate and civil litigation management
• Contract drafting, vetting, and negotiation
• Regulatory compliance (AICTE, UGC, State Government, affiliating universities)
• Trust and society law
• Real estate and agricultural land law, including title verification across residential, commercial, and plantation holdings
• Labour and employment law
• Arbitration and alternative dispute resolution
• Corporate governance frameworks and institutional policy design
• Statutory filings, registers, and documentation management
• Multi-entity and group-wide legal management across diversified business verticals
• Legal risk assessment and advisory

Soft Skills and Behavioural Competencies

• Strong stakeholder management and advisory skills with senior leadership
• Excellent legal drafting and negotiation ability
• High personal integrity, confidentiality, and discretion
• Sound judgment under regulatory and reputational pressure
• Strong leadership and cross-functional coordination skills
• Clear, precise written and verbal communication
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision

Preferred or Value-Added Qualifications

• Prior experience advising educational trusts, engineering or management colleges, or affiliated university institutions
• Exposure to NAAC, NBA, or AICTE regulatory and accreditation processes
• Additional certification in corporate governance, compliance, or company secretarial practice
• Familiarity with property and land-related litigation and regulatory processes

Professional Tenure and Background

Candidates should demonstrate a stable, progressive career trajectory within reputed law firms, corporate legal departments, or institutional legal functions. Prior tenure advising trusts, societies, or educational institutions of comparable scale and complexity will be viewed favourably during evaluation. A track record of long-term engagements reflecting reliability and institutional trust is preferred over frequent short-term assignments.

Compensation and Benefits

The engagement is structured as a full-time professional retainership, consistent with Bar Council regulations applicable to practising advocates, rather than a conventional salaried employment arrangement. Retainer payments will be officially processed through the parent Trust and its two founding educational institutions, even though the role's functional responsibilities extend across the wider affiliated group. Retainership terms will be commensurate with the candidate's experience and seniority, and will be discussed directly and transparently with shortlisted candidates during the selection process.