Legal Counsel (South Africa)

dotdigital; Milnerton; On-site; ZAR 1,389,000 - 1,738,000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-growing SaaS company is seeking a Legal Counsel to provide pragmatic legal advice, primarily focusing on commercial contracts and data privacy. This role requires a qualified lawyer with over 5 years of experience and a strong understanding of data protection laws. You will work closely with various teams and be instrumental in the success of the business. The environment is dynamic and offers opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Parental leave

Medical benefits

Paid sick leave

Dotdigital day

Share reward

Wellbeing reward

Wellbeing Days

Loyalty reward

Qualifications

• Must have over 5 years' post-qualification experience (PQE).
• Proven experience in drafting and negotiating commercial contracts.
• Strong understanding of data protection and privacy law.

Responsibilities

• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements.
• Providing pragmatic legal advice to the business.
• Partnering with teams across the business.

Skills

Commercial contracts negotiation

Data privacy expertise

Communication skills

Commercial acumen

Proactive legal advice

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.

Your responsibilities will include:

• 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.

We are looking for someone with:

• Qualification: 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. If you have any additional requirements or adjustments to assist an application then please don’t hesitate to contact us and advise us how we can best support you.