SMI 19722 - In-house Legal Manager – Commercial & Insurance Law | East Rand

Employer Description

A well-established organization within the financial services industry based in the East Rand.

Job Description

Our client is seeking an experienced Legal Manager to provide strategic and operational legal support across its business operations. The successful candidate will be responsible for advising Executive Management on legal, contractual and commercial matters, managing the organizations contractual framework and identifying and mitigating legal risks within the South African non-life insurance environment.

This role requires an admitted Attorney with strong commercial and contract law expertise, sound knowledge of the South African insurance and financial services regulatory landscape and the ability to provide practical, commercially focused legal advice that supports business objectives while safeguarding the organizations legal and commercial interests.

You will be responsible for:

• Providing practical, commercially focused legal advice to Executive Management and business units on legal, regulatory, contractual and commercial matters.
• Identifying, assessing and mitigating legal risks arising from business operations, products, contractual arrangements and commercial relationships.
• Advising management on the legal implications of proposed business initiatives, products, structures and commercial arrangements.
• Monitoring material legal and regulatory developments and assessing their potential impact on the business.
• Escalating significant legal risks and recommending appropriate mitigation measures.
• Drafting, reviewing, negotiating and managing commercial and insurance-related agreements, including binder agreements, intermediary agreements, outsourcing agreements, service level agreements, risk-sharing and cell arrangements, non-disclosure agreements, supplier and service provider agreements, software and technology agreements and other commercial contracts.
• Ensuring that contractual agreements adequately protect the organisations legal and commercial interests and appropriately address liability, indemnities, termination provisions, confidentiality, data protection, intellectual property, service levels and regulatory obligations.
• Leading and supporting contractual negotiations with insurers, brokers, service providers, business partners and other stakeholders.
• Developing and maintaining standard contractual templates, approved legal clauses and contract management procedures.
• Providing legal guidance on the regulatory framework applicable to the South African non-life insurance industry.
• Managing and overseeing the contract lifecycle management framework, ensuring that executed agreements are appropriately recorded, stored and retained in a centralised repository.
• Maintaining contract registers and monitoring agreement commencement and expiry dates, renewal periods, termination notice periods, contractual deliverables, commercial obligations and review requirements.
• Implementing controls to ensure that contracts are reviewed, renewed or terminated within the appropriate timeframes.
• Coordinating the migration of contractual information into approved contract management systems and providing periodic contract status and risk reports to management.
• Providing legal support to Executive Management and relevant governance committees.
• Drafting EXCO, MANCO and Board meeting minutes, coordinating meeting agendas and supporting effective governance processes.
• Assisting with the development, review and implementation of governance frameworks, policies and procedures.
• Supporting the effective management of legal disputes and external legal service providers, where required.
• Preparing legal reports, correspondence and documentation and providing accurate, timely legal input to support business decision-making.

• A relevant Bachelors degree in Law, such as BCom Law, or an equivalent qualification.
• Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Skills

The successful candidate will have:

• A minimum of 5 years post-admission experience in a commercial legal environment, with strong exposure to contract drafting, review and negotiation.
• Sound knowledge of South African commercial and contract law, with a strong understanding of the regulatory environment governing the insurance and financial services industries.
• Experience within the short-term insurance industry or a related financial services environment will be advantageous.
• Strong contract lifecycle management capabilities, including the negotiation, administration and monitoring of commercial agreements.
• Excellent legal research, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to provide practical, commercially focused legal advice.
• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize competing demands and manage multiple deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to engage effectively with Executive Management and stakeholders across the business.
• High levels of professionalism, integrity, discretion and confidentiality when handling sensitive legal and commercial information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• A proactive, detail-oriented and solutions-driven approach, with the ability to work independently and effectively under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal skills, adaptability and sound judgement when managing complex legal and commercial matters.

• Employer provident fund contribution, included in the total cost to company (CTC).