Specialist - Contract Management.Corporate Services

MTN Group; Roodepoort; On-site; ZAR 400,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading telecommunications company in Roodepoort is seeking a Legal Support Specialist to manage contracts and provide legal guidance for product development. The ideal candidate will have over 3 years of experience in commercial drafting, preferably in a law firm, and knowledge of the telecommunications industry. This role involves negotiating agreements and ensuring compliance with legal standards.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years commercial drafting experience in a reputable law firm.
• Experience in handling and negotiating contracts.
• Legal/technical qualifications advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Create and conclude standardized agreements for designated business units.
• Provide legal support for product terms and conditions.
• Monitor execution of contract milestones and lifecycle.

Skills

Commercial drafting

Negotiation

Legal risk analysis

Relationship management

Education

Legal qualification

Experience in telecommunications

Job description

2. Context (Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organisational mission)

• Create and conclude standardized agreements for designated MTN business units and negotiate the same under the supervision of the Senior Manager Commercial Legal dedicated to the designated business unit.
• Provide legal support for the Products environment in the development of product terms and conditions and ad hoc Legal requirements from the designated business unit.
• Monitor execution of contract milestones as stipulated in various agreements.
• Monitor contract lifecycle and ensure that expiring contracts are renewed on time before they expire, where applicable.
• Provide inputs into agreement models for the designated business units as requested from time to time by the responsible Senior Manager: Commercial Legal.
• Legal and contract support for AdHoc projects for the designated business units.
• Protect MTN against Legal risk by identifying and highlighting risks to appropriate stakeholders within the business such as Legal, Management, and/or Executive Management.

Key Accountabilities :

Responsible for creating, negotiating, and concluding Customer Agreements.

• Prepare the required standard contracts once instructions are received from the respective business area.
• Provide contract support to the designated business units.
• Analyze contract issues and legal risk once contract negotiations ensue and liaise with the different internal business units/stakeholders (including Senior Manager: Commercial Legal) to mitigate the legal risk or to provide business feedback to the Customer or service provider.
• Drive the finalization and conclusion of agreements once they have been provided to the Customer or service provider and escalate to the responsible Senior Manager: Commercial Legal where necessary.
• Report on Agreements status on a monthly basis.
• Create and maintain relationships with suppliers and serve as the single point of contact for matters concerning contracts.
• Maintain records for correspondence and documentation in relation to established contracts and those in progress.
• Communicate and present information to stakeholders about all contract-related matters.
• Monitor contracts and move forward with close-out, extension, or renewal according to what’s best for the company.
• Solve any contract-related problems that may arise with other parties and internally with the company itself.
• Develop and/or amend contract management processes, guidelines, and governance frameworks.
• Report on all matters where proper policy has not been followed.
• Liaise with suppliers/business partners to drive performance and compliance with key performance indicators and service level agreements.
• Provide contract management and administration functions to support the delivery of project/command objectives.

Responsible for all EBU Fixed Line Tender reviews and support.

• Attend to all NDA requirements attached to tenders received, ensuring the proper policies are followed in terms of NDAs and escalate in time where the opportunity might be at risk due to policy.
• Liaise with all appropriate internal stakeholders to address all Legal and contract issues relating to the tenders.
• Escalate or advise if deadlines are not achievable for appropriate action to be taken.

Establish appropriate relationships with internal stakeholders in various business units to conclude agreements.

• Build strong long-term relationships with stakeholders in different business units who impact contracting to ensure proper support and feedback during the contract negotiation phase.
• Develop a high-level understanding of the environment, technologies, and appropriate agreement structures to provide general contract/legal advice on proper contracting models.
• Provide inputs in terms of processes that can be enhanced to conclude contracts more quickly and efficiently.
• Report on all matters where proper policy has not been followed.

Context :

• Highly sensitive and confidential nature of work undertaken - requires stringent legal regulation.
• Exposure to corporate and government entities.
• Growing need for legal and risk-related advice due to new business development.
• Regulatory environment (collaboration with regulatory advisors).
• Focus on competition laws.
• Changes in corporate behavior.
• Rapid growth of the company, products, and services.
• Insurance environment, within and outside of SA.
• Over 80% of the company’s business relationships governed by contracts.

Key Performance Areas :

Reporting

• Prepare monthly reports for management.
• Report potential commercial risks and develop mitigation plans.

Customer Satisfaction

• Build and maintain solid relationships with all customers – internal and external.
• Understand customer needs and requirements and tailor service delivery accordingly.
• Ensure customer needs are satisfied by employing appropriate systems, processes, and procedures.
• Adopt a proactive approach to prevent future problems.
• Identify trends and patterns in customer requests to improve service delivery continually.

Creativities (improvement / innovation)

• Recommend improvements on current contracts based on trends and standards.
• Seek creative ways to minimize risk and close deals while mitigating deal breakers.
• Continuously develop and improve standard documentation and processes for efficiency.
• Conduct proactive research and communicate results and recommendations swiftly to build a competitive advantage.
• Negotiate the best possible deals aligned with business strategies.
• Network extensively to build and maintain relationships (internal and external).
• Encourage and maintain relationships proactively.
• Communicate actively and resolve conflicts effectively.
• Build professionalism, loyalty, and commitment to the organization.

4. Job Requirements (Education, Experience, and Competencies)

Education & Experience :

• Minimum of 3 years of commercial drafting experience in a reputable law firm or as a proprietor.
• Experience in telecommunications is advantageous.
• Legal/technical and/or further legal qualification is an advantage.
• Experience in handling and negotiating.

5. Training

Training :

• Basic GSM Technology.
• Compliance issues specific to the telecoms industry.
• MTNSA’s systems and PPPs.
• Products and services.