About the Company
ABOUT ALU
ALU provides higher education for a higher purpose. Our students declare missions, not majors.
They develop the real-world skills to take on the world’s most pressing challenges. And they take ownership of their learning from day one through our peer and student-led approach – because ALU believes in the power and agency of young people to start shaping the future right now.
Together with a world-class faculty and staff, our students are igniting a ripple of positive impact across Africa and the world.
Our mission is not going unnoticed. CNN described ALU — which has campuses in Mauritius and Rwanda — as “The Harvard of Africa;” Fast Company ranked ALU one of the 50 most innovative organizations in the world and the most innovative endeavor in Africa; and The New York Times recognized ALU as one of the eight places in the world “where history is being made.” Join us.
About the Role
ALU is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to join ALU’s team (remote position). The Senior Legal Counsel will play a central role in the deployment of ALU’s strategy in Africa, while managing risks and ensuring that we remain compliant in all aspects of our mission.
In this highly autonomous role, the ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships across the institution, and master the ability of communicating complex legal issues and risks in terms that non-legal colleagues can understand.
HOW WE WORK
As a high-growth start-up, the ALU Team works in starkly different ways to traditional academic bureaucracies. We approach education from first principles, empower individuals to design, test, and implement creative new ideas, and work closely together to craft transformative learning experiences. We are deeply passionate about our students and excited by the challenge of building something entirely new.
ABOUT THE TEAM
You will work remotely under the leadership of the CFO, and thus will weigh in a number of decisions that will have financial implications for ALU.
You will collaborate with different teams across the organization, at different levels of seniority.
You will be working in a mission-driven environment, with passionate and interesting people. You will have opportunities for both personal and professional growth - ALU team members work hard but have a lot of flexibility and a great working environment.
ABOUT THE ROLE
THE ROLE
Amongst others, your main responsibilities will apply to this position:
Manage and mitigate legal risks by designing and implementing company policies, procedures, and programs.
Provide accurate, relevant, and timely counsel on a variety of legal matters that relate to Higher Education Institutions, to the Non-profit sector and ALU’s activities.
Manage Ethics and Compliance and governance services
Serve as key legal advisor on all business transactions, including but not limited to corporate matters, procurement, insurance, partnerships, acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures.
Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating simple and complex contracts and agreements.
Manage court cases and claims filed against or on behalf of the company; work with the appropriate executive(s) to define legal strategies and approve settlements of dispute
Assume ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the company conducts its business in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Promote legal, compliance and risk management best practice throughout the company.
Stay up-to-date with changes to legislation, particularly in relation to laws, rules and regulations that directly affect ALU in all our countries of operation.
Communicate with and manage any third-party bodies such as external counsel or auditors.
Structure and manage the company’s internal legal function, staff and budget, including the selection, retention, management and evaluation of all external counsel.
Advise on legal aspects of the company’s financing, including assessing and advising on current and future business structures and legal entities
REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's Degree in Law with strong academic credentials.
4+ years of legal experience in a multinational company or a top tier
national or international law firm.Strong legal experience in corporate and commercial matters.
Experience on managing external legal counsels.
Strong written and oral communication skills
Excellent negotiating and drafting skills.
Demonstrates a commercial mindset and business acumen.
Ability to deliver high-quality work under deadlines.
Other nice things to have are:
Master of Laws or L.L.M.
Mix of professional experience as in-house counsel and legal counsel in a top tier law firm with international clients or other relevant private or public practice.
Litigation skills to handle administrative procedures within public authorities and court litigation.