Legal Counsel, Emerging Market Alternative Credit

Ninety One; Cape Town; Presencial; ZAR 1.200.000 - 2.200.000; Tempo integral

Resumo da vaga

Ninety One in Cape Town seeks a senior legal professional to lead origination support for corporate credit and infrastructure debt transactions. You will structure, negotiate and review finance documents under English and South African law.

You will advise on governance, risk and investor matters, manage external counsel and contribute to fund-level compliance. A SA-licensed attorney with 6–10 years in corporate or leveraged finance is ideal.

Qualificações

• Qualified lawyer with SA admission and international finance exposure.
• Experience in corporate/ leveraged/ infrastructure finance.
• Strong ability to structure and negotiate complex finance documents.

Responsabilidades

• Lead legal structuring, due diligence, and document review for corporate credit and infrastructure debt transactions.
• Support capital markets activity including bond issuances and note programmes.
• Manage external counsel and maintain quality and cost discipline across mandates.
• Advise on governance, conflicts, and reputational risk across origination and portfolio management.
• Provide fund-level legal support including investor letters and regulatory filings.

Conhecimentos

Analytical thinking

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Cross-border work experience

Investment governance

Formação

LLB or equivalent law degree

Admitted as an attorney in South Africa

Post-graduate qualification (LLM)

Descrição da vaga

About us:

Ninety One is an independent, active global asset manager withR4 trillion* of assets under management.

Established in South Africa in 1991, as Investec Asset Management, the firm started offering domestic investments in an emerging market. In 2020, almost three decades of organic growth later, the firm demerged from Investec Group and became Ninety One.

Our distinctive capabilities sit within differentiated fixed income and credit as well as specialist equities, and we have a unique perspective and approach to investment opportunities presented by emerging markets and the energy transition.

*as at30 June 2026

Ninety One is an equal opportunities employer. Our imperative is to attract and retain the best talent by providing a corporate environment where people from varying backgrounds can develop professionally and build a rewarding career.

About the team:

The EM Alternative Credit (EMAC) platform is one of Ninety One's highest-growth teams, investing across private credit, leveraged finance, infrastructure debt, high yield and structured credit in emerging and frontier markets. The platform operates a rigorous origination-to-execution model with deep in-house legal capability embedded within each deal team.

The role offers direct origination exposure on some of the most innovative corporate and infrastructure credit transactions in the region, and a clearly defined area of accountability within the EMAC platform.

In this role you will:

Transaction execution

• Lead, support and co-ordinate legal structuring, due diligence investigations and reviewing and negotiating finance documents (including credit agreements, security and related agreements) on corporate credit and infrastructure debt transactions, including but not limited to leveraged finance, direct lending, mezzanine, high yield and structured credit, primarily under English and South African law
• Support DCM and capital markets activity including bond issuances, note programmes, private placements and listed structured products on the JSE and other regional exchanges
• Support secondary market trading activity, including loan transfers, sub-participations, secondary bond purchases and the associated documentation, KYC and transfer mechanics
• Oversee and manage external counsel, with a strong emphasis on quality control, scope discipline, fee management and consistent execution standards across mandates
• Support the legal function on restructurings, workouts and recovery scenarios, including documentation of revised terms, security re-perfection and co-lender co-ordination, with appropriate management of external counsel

On-going management

• Advise on ongoing portfolio company matters including amendments, waivers, consents, refinancings and restructurings
• Manage external legal counsel on portfolio workstreams, ensuring that scope, output and cost remain proportionate to the underlying credit position and the platform's commercial objectives
• Prepare or co-author concise memoranda and updates for the EMAC investment committee, executive committee and co-lender groups on legal risk, structuring options and recommended action

Governance and reputational risk

• Support the platform's consideration of governance, conflicts and reputational risk matters as they arise across origination and portfolio management, working closely with the wider EMAC team, compliance and risk
• Contribute to platform governance documentation, conflicts protocols and the legal aspects of investor and stakeholder engagement on sensitive matters

Fund-level legal support

• Provide secondary support on fund-level legal workstreams including fund documentation, investor side letters, regulatory filings and compliance matters, working alongside the wider EMAC legal team

You should consider applying if you have:

• LLB or equivalent law degree from a recognised university; admitted as an attorney in South Africa
• Articles or training contract completed with substantive South African or African finance practice
• Post-graduate qualification (LLM or equivalent) advantageous but not required
• 6–10 years total post-qualification experience, with the bulk of that experience in corporate finance, leveraged finance, infrastructure finance or related areas
• Demonstrable leveraged finance or structured finance experience, ideally gained working with a major South African bank's leveraged or structured finance team, or in the finance practice of a top South African or international firm
• Substantive infrastructure finance exposure: project finance experience is not a requirement but will be of clear assistance
• Experience in debt capital markets, including bond issuances, note programmes, high yield and private placements; familiarity with secondary market mechanics for loans and bonds is valued
• Exposure to alternative credit strategies — direct lending, mezzanine, distressed debt or special situations — is highly valued
• Cross-border SADC or broader sub-Saharan African transaction experience is secondary but preferred; candidates with demonstrable comfort across more than one jurisdiction will be of particular interest

Some of the attributes we look for in a person are:

• High conviction and be comfortable sharing opinions
• Ability to analyse, interpret and assimilate information
• Investment lead and passionate about markets
• A strong belief in doing the right thing
• The ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships
• The ability to ‘approach and own’ and continuously look for opportunities to develop