Legal Counsel (South Africa)

Dotdigital; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 000 000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-growing SaaS company in South Africa is seeking a proactive Legal Counsel to join its global team. You will provide legal advice on commercial contracts and data privacy, working across departments to support business growth while managing legal risks. A strong understanding of data protection and over 5 years' experience in commercial law are essential. This role offers a varied workload and the chance to make a significant impact within a collaborative environment.

Benefits

Parental leave

Medical benefits

Paid sick leave

Share reward

Wellbeing reward

Loyalty reward

DEI Commitment

Qualifications

• Over 5 years' post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Proven experience with tech/SaaS clients in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Strong understanding of data protection and privacy law.

Responsibilities

• Drafting and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Providing pragmatic legal advice.
• Partnering with teams across the business for legal support.
• Monitoring legal and regulatory developments.
• Assisting on strategic projects and dispute resolution.

Skills

Commercial negotiation

Legal risk management

Data privacy expertise

Communication skills

Education

Qualified lawyer in a common law jurisdiction

Job description

The Company

Dotdigital is a thriving global community of passionate, dedicated professionals, committed to the collective success of the organization and its clients.

Our core principles of innovation, teamwork, and client-focused solutions drive us to approach challenges with a growth mindset and take ownership of our work.

At Dotdigital, collaboration and curiosity pave the way for meaningful connections and learning opportunities with diverse peers.

Our work environment encourages knowledge sharing, fosters exploration, and cherishes creative ideas.

Combined, these guide us towards a shared vision in which brands around the world exceed customer expectations through the adoption of responsible marketing practices.

The Product

Dotdigital is an all-in-one customer experience and data platform (CXDP) that empowers marketing teams to exceed customer expectations with highly personalized cross-channel journeys.

With Dotdigital, marketers can seamlessly unify, enrich, and segment customer data.

Breaking down data silos, Dotdigital streamlines decision-making and paves the way for marketing creativity that delivers customer engagement at scale.

With powerful AI capabilities, Dotdigital makes it easy to automate deeply personalized experiences across web, email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, push, social, ads, and more.

About the Role

We are looking for a commercially-focused and proactive Legal Counsel to join our dynamic global legal team. This is a fantastic opportunity for a lawyer to become a true business partner, providing pragmatic advice and directly contributing to the success of a fast-growing SaaS company.

You will be a key advisor to the business, working across all departments and global locations.

This role offers a diverse and engaging workload, with a primary focus on commercial contracts and data privacy, and the chance to make a real impact on our legal and compliance framework.

As Legal Counsel, you will be integral to our global operations, responsible for providing clear, actionable legal advice.

Responsibilities

Commercial Contracts: Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements, including customer SaaS agreements, data processing agreements (DPAs), supplier contracts, partnership agreements, and NDAs.

Legal Advice: Acting as a trusted advisor to the business, providing pragmatic legal advice on various matters.

Stakeholder Partnership: Partnering with teams across the business, particularly Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, and Product, to provide legal support that enables growth while managing risk.

Process Improvement: Supporting the continuous improvement of our legal processes, including the development and maintenance of contract templates, legal playbooks, and training materials for the business.

Compliance & Research: Monitoring legal and regulatory developments relevant to the SaaS and digital marketing industry, and translating them into actionable guidance for the business.

General Legal Support: Assisting the wider legal team on strategic projects, corporate matters, and dispute resolution as required.

About You

You are a pragmatic and proactive lawyer who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about technology.

You excel at balancing legal risk with business objectives and can communicate complex legal concepts to non-legal colleagues with ease.

Qualifications: A qualified lawyer in a common law jurisdiction with over 5 years' post-qualification experience (PQE).

Experience: Proven experience in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts, gained either in-house or at a reputable law firm (experience with tech / SaaS clients is a significant advantage).

Data Privacy Expertise: A strong understanding of data protection and privacy law is essential for this role.

Commercial Acumen: You are commercially astute with a problem-solving mindset, focused on finding solutions and enabling the business to achieve its goals.

Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

Attitude: A self-starter with a collaborative, can-do attitude, who is highly organised, detail-oriented, and eager to take on new challenges.

UK-Headquartered Business: Experience with a UK-headquartered business is desired.

Why Us

"It's a fast-paced environment, but the work is genuinely interesting. We're a small, collaborative group, so you get great exposure to all parts of the business and a really varied workload. It's a great environment to develop as an in-house lawyer."

Interview Process

15min Screening Call with Team Talent

Written Task

First-Stage Interview with the Hiring Manager

Second-Stage Interview with Key Business Stakeholders

Benefits

Parental leave Medical benefits Paid sick leave Dotdigital day Share reward Wellbeing reward Wellbeing Days Loyalty reward DEI Commitment

As an equal opportunities employer we are committed to equality in all its practices with regard to race, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.