General Manager - Legal Finance.Group Legal

MTN Group; Roodepoort; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading telecommunications company in South Africa seeks a General Manager: Group Legal (Finance) to manage legal risk and compliance efforts across the organization. The role requires at least 10 years of experience in legal and compliance, along with an LLB degree and strong negotiation skills. This position offers the chance to work in a dynamic environment focused on fostering growth and innovation.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in legal risk management and compliance.
• Expertise in financial structuring and regulatory approvals.
• Strong negotiation and drafting skills in complex transactions.

Responsibilities

• Oversee legal team’s risk management and compliance strategy.
• Advise on financial structuring and compliance.
• Manage external counsel regarding legal matters.

Skills

Legal risk management

Compliance strategy

Financial structuring

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Education

Minimum 4 year LLB degree

LLM or other Masters degree advantageous

Admitted Attorney with at least 10 years PQE

Job description

Overview

MTN is operating in an environment where legal and compliance excellence has become critical for success. There is increased regulatory scrutiny and oversight, as well as competitive intensity, across all markets in which MTN operates.

The General Manager : Group Legal (Finance) must therefore ensure successful management of deliverables in the context of the following factors:

• The geographic complexity of MTN’s footprint across Africa and the Middle East
• Increasingly competitive and highly dynamic telecommunications landscape
• Constant changes and challenges in the regulatory and legal environments in which MTN operates, and the need for compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Responsibility to appropriately balance legal risk management and compliance with the commercial needs of the business
• Dynamic organizational evolutions and related changes in internal policies and processes
• Responsibility to work closely with the Group and OpCo Legal, Finance, Treasury, Tax, Boost and other stakeholder teams
• High level of complexity and critical thinking, encompassing situations where the job requires the application of significant analytical skills, decision-making under pressure, and the ability to solve complex, non-routine problems
• Multi-jurisdictional financing structures and arrangements
• Heightened regulatory scrutiny (i.e. Exchange controls, anti-money laundering sanctions and tax transparency)

We at MTN are a purpose and value-led organization. At MTN, we believe that understanding our people’s needs and aspirations is key to creating experiences that delight you at work, everyday. We are committed to fostering an environment where every member of our Y’ello Family is heard, understood and empowered to live an inspired life.

Our values keep us grounded and moving in the right direction. Most importantly, they keep us honest. It is not something we claim to be. It is in our DNA.

As an organisation, we consider it our mission to create an exciting and rewarding place to work, where our people can be themselves, thrive in positivity and ignite their full potential. A workplace that boosts creativity and innovation, improves productivity, and ultimately drives meaningful results. A workplace that is built on relationships and achieving a purpose that is bigger than us.

Our commitments go beyond an organisational promise. It is in our leadership and managerial ethos to meaningfully partner with our employees, customers and stakeholders with a vision to realise our shared goals.

Live Y’ello

• Lead with Care
• Can-do with Integrity
• Collaborate with Agility
• Serve with Respect
• Act with Inclusion

The General Manager : Group Legal (Finance) – Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, embed and execute the legal team’s risk management and compliance strategy by rendering internal legal expertise for financial structuring and regulatory approvals.
• Input into Legal policies / regulations, legislative framework and future impact of Finance related policies and legislation.
• Identify, manage and provide advisory services of potential impact of legal and regulatory risks.
• Liaise with and advise internal stakeholders, review and comment on RFPs.
• Provide expert legal services on Finance matters including Finance Documents (Note Programmes, Preference share funding arrangements; bank loan facilities and intercompany loan arrangements Treasury support including hedging arrangements).
• Legal drafting of agreements in relation to intercompany arrangements.
• Provides legal oversight on high value cross Opco financial arrangements.
• BEE transactions and related arrangements; and Exchange Control Compliance & applications.
• Provide legal insight into technical accounting compliance and risk disclosure matters, ensuring adherence to applicable standards.
• Provides support for the finalization of audited accounts, including the attestation and management representation letters.
• Provide advisory support with regards to debt management, including debt covenant management arising from finance arrangements across the MTN entities.
• Legal advisory support with regards to security instruments issued in respect of finance arrangements and security for funding or debt facilities.
• Provide legal guidance through drafting, vetting, negotiating and settling of final versions of legal agreements (Finance Documents) and other documents (including intercompany contracts, engagement letters, fee letters and proof of concept documents).
• Project management and co-ordination, to ensure the successful closing of transactions and completion of post-closing tasks.
• Prepare tactical reports and attestations as required for Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer to the Group Audit Committee, Group Risk Committee, Finance and Investment Committee.
• Manage external counsel, to review and ensure that the advice and guidance received is of the level required and appropriate, adequately addresses MTN’s risk and is provided on a cost- effective basis.
• Manage, and take ownership of, own matters without oversight, subject to escalations of key risks to Group Chief Legal Counsel, the Executive : Group Treasury, the Executive : Finance and / or other stakeholders.
• Provide strategic advice and guidance to Opco’s when required.
• Manage and participate in special projects undertaken by different business departments, including but not limited to structural separations, funding requirements and other related legal matters.
• Assist with business continuity and crisis management.
• Provide sound legal advice on all financial matters and projects, based on research, analytics, and best practice.
• Review, evaluate and provide expert guidance on all Legal Financial matters.
• Support the Tax team on legal drafting of all documentation and contracts relating to Intercompany Transfers / Charges (provisioning of management services, contracting with the Opco’s, engaging with third party service providers).

Role Dependencies

• Active support from the Group treasury team and the Group tax team, Group Finance Operations, Boost and other stakeholders, including the business and the Opcos
• Understanding of the MTN business strategy and operational environments
• Deep understanding of the relevant legal and compliance environments
• Timely decision making and reporting
• Alignment of internal stakeholders including the Group treasury team, the Group tax team, Group Finance Operations the business and the Opcos

Education

• Minimum 4 year LLB degree
• LLM or other Masters degree advantageous
• Admitted Attorney with at least 10 years PQE
• Fluent written and spoken English required
• Working knowledge of French advantageous

Experience

• 8-10 years of experience at a reputable law firm or corporate (in both banking and finance)
• Considerable exposure and participation in negotiations and drafting of highly complex transactions documents (locally and internationally)
• Experience working across diverse cultures and geographies advantageous
• Strong knowledge of financial services and exchange control laws, regulations and policy required
• Strong knowledge of corporate laws, regulations and policies required across multiple jurisdictions