Assistant General Counsel at Rainforest Alliance

Duties & Responsibilities

Purpose

• Effectively ensure legal conformity and minimize the probability of exposure; and
• Advise corporate and affiliate boards and representatives, and departments/staff, solicited and unsolicited, in all legal areas including (international) employment law, contract law, corporate law, civil law, data privacy, intellectual property, disputes and international human rights law.

Engagement

• Responsible for all regional contract law matters including drafting, negotiating and interpreting agreements including consultancy, employment, grant, lease, services, license, vendor, and other contracts;
• Responsible for advising on employment and labour law issues for the Africa region;
• Responsible for corporate governance matters for RA entities and branches in the Africa region;
• Assist the Legal, Global Internal Compliance, and HR departments with drafting policies and training staff;
• Collaborate and coordinate with external legal advisors/specialists/company secretaries;
• Manage the selection, oversight, vetting and engagement of outside counsel and/or specialist (including tax) advisors;
• Oversee, in coordination with the General Counsel and the relevant staff/department contract, employment and litigation disputes;
• Support data privacy matters in the Africa region;
• Being overall responsible for supporting Africa regional directors and staff with day-to-day legal advice;
• Review French translations of policies for accuracy;
• Assist in the global management of trademark and other intellectual property portfolios including disputes, registrations and licensing;
• Assist the office of the General Counsel with ongoing projects as assigned;
• Support risk management and compliance efforts across the organization; and
• Other projects and activities as assigned.

Delivery

• Deliver business legal services;
• Keep knowledge up to date through training and technical information by own initiative; and
• Attend relevant meetings, projects meetings, events and conferences, etc.

Education, Qualifications & Experience

• Qualification to practice law in any of Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya or the Democratic Republic of Congo;
• 6+ years law firm and in-house experience
• Familiarity with general corporate law in the Africa region;
• Experience with local government laws and regulations related to contracts/grants;
• Experience in anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies and rules;
• An affinity towards sustainable and corporate social responsibility;
• Excellent writing, editing and verbal communication skills in English and French required; and
• Excellent intercultural skills.

Terms of Appointment

This is an open-ended contract with a standard probation period. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

A benefits package is available and will depend on the candidate's location.

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, colour, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.