Senior Legal Counsel at Tala (formerly InVenture)

An ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the financial services space in Kenya, (preferably also with exposure to emerging markets), and must be willing and able to roll up their sleeves to solve problems. Candidates are expected to have a deep sense of accountability for (and demonstrated experience delivering) results as well as the success and growth of teams. A great candidate’s teams and colleagues should consider the candidate to be an excellent communicator and decision-maker, adept at ensuring a large, varied audience understands issues, context, tradeoffs between different solutions, and reasons for decisions.

What You'll Do

• Work closely with non-legal teams to advise on product regulatory strategy and assist in structuring new lines of business
• Manage regulatory compliance, corporate governance and other compliance matters in Kenya. This includes work on emerging legislation such as the regulation of digital lenders and data privacy.
• Manage Tala’s licensing and registration obligations for existing and future business lines in Kenya
• Stay up to date on relevant rules and regulations and work with the GlobalLegal team to evaluate how they may affect Tala’s innovative and growing business
• Draft, review and negotiate commercial contracts and other documentation on a wide range of matters including marketing, collections and payment support services
• Interact with regulatory bodies as needed
• Manage external counsel

Qualifications

• 5-9 years of post qualification legal experience with a minimum of 2+ years at a top tier law firm in Kenya, preferably on fintech, finance or corporate matters;
• A law degree from a leading university or law school;
• A demonstrated passion for Tala’s mission and an interest in keeping abreast of the latest regulatory landscape relating to Kenyan startups and the fintech sector; ;
• Experience with consumer finance and financial regulation
• Strong contractual skills with demonstrated experience with drafting, negotiating and reviewing commercial contracts
• Strong analytical and communication skills with the ability to communicate with business teams to understand and analyze business processes from a legal perspective
• Strong attention to detail and highly organized
• Self-starter who is comfortable with ambiguity and working independently and autonomously on both high level projects and the day-to-day requirements and paperwork of a lean legal department;
• Demonstrated ability to work efficiently and independently, prioritize workflow, meet demanding deadlines, and manage multi-faceted projects in a fast-moving environment
• Willingness to work across time zones globally

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in-house, preferably at a startup and/or in the fintech industry
• Experience with financial services regulations
• Experience working with international teams