Legal Counsel, Technology and Corporate Centres at Safaricom Kenya

Job Description

• Reporting to the Senior Legal Counsel, Technology and Corporate Centers, the role holder will provide skilled and professional legal services with a focus on the drafting, review and completion of Technology and Corporate Centers contracts, as well as offering legal advisory support on matters affecting these functions.
• In addition, the role holder will manage designated legal processes in line with the Legal Services Charter, support litigation matters arising within the Technology & Corporate Centers portfolio, and ensure compliance with company wide governance, safety and statutory obligations.

Responsibilities

Compliance & Safety

• Uphold the company code of conduct, policies and procedures, ensuring integrity and accountability in every aspect of your work.
• All employees have a responsibility to adhere to safety, health, and wellbeing policies, guidelines and procedures in all actions and decisions.

Contracting & Legal Advisory

• Draft, review and negotiate contracts in line with the Legal Services Charter, departmental SLAs and ISO standards.
• Provide legal advisory support during technology procurement, corporate sourcing processes, and vendor negotiations.
• Provide legal interpretations on statutory requirements affecting Technology & Corporate Centers.
• Provide legal advisory support to cross functional teams where projects intersect with Consumer, Enterprise and Financial Services business units.
• Support departmental risk management initiatives, including legal risk identification and mitigation strategies.

Property, Site Acquisition & Documentation

• Implement established processes for site acquisition and lease completion.
• Prepare and review legal documents for properties, retail shops, office spaces, parking spaces and transmission sites. 
• Verify, negotiate and complete documentation and update Oracle EPM records for all property matters. 
• Monitor, track and manage renewals, variations and/or surrender of leases and tenancy agreements. 
• Flag statutory and regulatory requirements affecting site acquisition and property operations (land laws, NEMA, KCAA, county legislation). 
• Support training and awareness sessions for internal teams on applicable legislative changes.

Legislative Monitoring & Regulatory Support

• Maintain compliance registers for technology licenses, ICT certifications and related governance obligations.
• Monitor ICT and corporate legislative developments and prepare impact briefs for the Senior Legal Counsel.

Stakeholder Management & Cross functional Collaboration

• Partner with Technology, Corporate Functions, Supply Chain, Risk, Data Privacy, Cybersecurity and other teams to ensure legal support is aligned to business priorities. 
• Represent the Legal Department in tender evaluation committees as required.

• Engage with statutory bodies (NEMA, KCAA, County Governments) through advisory channels where necessary.

Reporting & Administrative Responsibilities

• Prepare weekly and monthly KPI reports for the section. 
• Prepare monthly Oracle EPM reports capturing status of all KPIs. 
• Maintain detailed contract inventories in liaison with Supply Chain and ensure periodic reconciliation to maintain accuracy.

External counsels Management

• Undertake management and performance evaluation of the law firms on the company’s panel for Technology & Corporate Centers.
• Manage and monitor legal fees relating to property and litigation matters to ensure alignment with approved rates.

Deputization

• Deputize for the Senior Legal Counsel – Technology & Corporate Centers as required, ensuring continuity of services.

CORE COMPETENCIES, KNOWLEDGE AND QUALIFICATIONS 

Core competencies

• Customer focus and ability to deliver simple, clear and timely legal advice.
• Collaboration and ability to work across functions with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Digital-first mindset with an appreciation for technology‑driven processes.
• Innovation and problem solving, with the ability to anticipate issues.
• High integrity, professional ethics and accountability.

Functional competencies 

• Strong contract drafting, review and negotiation capability. 
• Understanding of ICT legal domains (data protection, cybersecurity, cloud, software licensing). 
• Knowledge of procurement law, public policy and regulatory frameworks. 
• Strong legal research and statutory interpretation skills. 
• Ability to manage multiple matters in a fast-paced technology environment.
• Basic project and process management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years legal knowledge and progressive experience in commercial and technology legislation within Telecommunications, Technology, or corporate sectors. 
• Proven track record in negotiating complex technology and corporate functions’ agreements and managing related disputes. 
• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from a reputable Commonwealth University. 
• Completion of the Kenya School of Law Diploma and admission as an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. 
• Member in good standing of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and compliant with all professional requirements.