Manager: Commercial Legal and Collections

Bidvest Bank; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 2,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Bidvest Bank is seeking an experienced executive to manage the Bank’s Commercial Legal and Collections functions. The role focuses on mitigating legal and credit risk, driving recoveries across the lifecycle, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

You will support governance through Credit Committee processes and negotiate and draft commercial agreements across business units. The successful candidate will bring an LLB and admission as a legal practitioner, 5+ years in financial services law, and

Qualifications

• LLB degree and admission to practice in good standing.
• 5 years legal experience preferably in financial services.
• Proven experience in commercial recoveries and collections.
• Minimum 3 years in a management role.
• Litigation and insolvency experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice across the Bank’s Commercial Legal and Collections functions.
• Draft, review, and approve commercial legal agreements and security documentation.
• Conduct legal due diligence on transactions and funding applications.
• Monitor legal risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Manage litigation for and against the Bank.
• Oversee end-to-end legal recovery lifecycle from early distress to post write-off.
• Oversee high-value and complex recovery matters requiring legal intervention.
• Direct litigation strategy and execution.
• Oversee collateral realization and security enforcement.
• Ensure alignment between recovery strategies and credit risk objectives.
• Engage and manage external legal service providers.
• Ensure quality and accuracy of all legal documentation and processes.
• Oversee legal case management and recovery tracking systems.
• Maintain regulatory reporting and ensure compliance with internal policies.

Skills

Banking law

Insolvency

Regulatory compliance

Legal drafting

Credit risk

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Litigation management

Team leadership

Education

LLB degree

Admitted legal practitioner

Job description

Primary Purpose

To manage the Bank’s Commercial Legal and Collections functions, incorporating commercial legal advisory, litigation, governance, and strategic debt recovery. The role is accountable for mitigating legal and credit risk exposure, driving recoveries across the lifecycle (early distress to post write-off), ensuring regulatory compliance, supporting governance through Credit Committee and Senior Credit Committee processes and fulfilling a commercial legal function within the business regarding negotiating and drafting of commercial agreements across the Business Units

Qualifications

• LLB degree
• Admitted legal practitioner

Experience

• 5 years legal experience preferably in a financial services
• Proven experience in commercial Minimum legal aptitude
• Experience in legal recoveries and collections
• Minimum 3 years in a management role
• Litigation and insolvency experience

Competencies

• Strong knowledge of banking law, insolvency, and recovery processes
• IFRS9 impairment understanding
• Legal drafting and advisory expertise
• Credit risk and financial analysis capability
• Regulatory and compliance knowledge
• Commercial and Financial acumen
• Strategic thinking and decision-making
• Strong leadership and stakeholder influence
• High resilience and ability to manage complex matters
• Results-driven with strong accountability
• High ethical standards and integrity

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice across the Bank
• Draft, review, and approve Commercial legal agreements and security documentation
• Conduct legal due diligence on transactions and funding applications
• Monitor legal risks and implement mitigation strategies
• Manage litigation (for and against the Bank)
• Oversee end-to-end legal recovery lifecycle (early distress to post write-off)
• Manage high-value and complex recovery matters requiring legal intervention
• Direct litigation strategy and execution
• Oversee collateral realization and security enforcement
• Ensure alignment between recovery strategies and credit risk objectives
• Engage and manage external legal service providers
• Ensure quality and accuracy of all legal documentation and processes
• Oversee legal case management and recovery tracking systems
• Conduct financial crime and compliance-related investigations where applicable
• Maintain legal and collections records and reporting integrity
• Ensure adherence to internal policies and regulatory requirements
• Act as Secretary Senior Credit Committee
• Prepare, record, and maintain accurate and audit-defensible minutes
• Present weekly (Credit Committee) and monthly (Senior Credit Committee) updates
• Provide ongoing regulatory reporting
• Analyze trends and recommend improvements
• Ensure adherence to all applicable legal and regulatory frameworks
• Monitor legislative developments impacting banking and recovery processes
• Maintain robust internal controls within Legal and Collections functions
• Develop and implement compliance monitoring frameworks
• Liaise with regulators and law enforcement where required
• Work with Learning & Development and Internal Communications teams to design and implement appropriate financial crime education, learning and communication for employees.
• Take ownership for driving own career development.
• Preparation and signing off of the development plan

This position is advertised in line with our commitment to Employment Equity.