Senior Legal Counsel, Technology and Corporate Functions at Safaricom Kenya

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Legal Advisory, Risk Management & Dispute Resolution
• Provide strategic legal counsel on technology procurement, cybersecurity, data privacy, and corporate governance matters.
• Embed compliance-by-design principles into technology projects and corporate initiatives.
• Identify and mitigate legal risks across technology operations and governance frameworks.
• Manage disputes related to technology & corporate functions’ contracts ensuring minimal impact.
• Contractual Management & Negotiation
• Draft, review, and negotiate high-value technology procurement agreements, cloud service contracts, and corporate functions-related agreements.
• Ensure agreements safeguard organizational interests while enabling innovation and compliance.
• Maintain and update templates for technology and corporate agreements to reflect evolving regulatory and business needs.
• Policy and Legislative Monitoring & Compliance
• Monitor ICT and corporate functions’ legislation to anticipate emerging trends.
• Prepare briefs and recommendations for leadership on regulatory developments.
• Maintain compliance registers for technology licenses, audits, and governance certifications.
• Ensure timely reporting to internal stakeholders and regulators.
• Stakeholder & Team Management
• Partner with Technology, Corporate Functions, Risk, and global counterparts to align legal strategies with business priorities.
• Foster collaboration within Legal Services CoE and across business units.
• Provide clear strategic direction to legal and regulatory support teams aligned with organizational priorities for Technology and Corporate Functions.
• Set performance expectations and ensure accountability for delivery of high-quality legal and compliance outcomes.
• Mentor and coach junior legal professionals to build expertise in technology, corporate governance and policy advocacy.
• Foster a culture of collaboration within the Legal Services CoE and across business units

Core competencies, knowledge and experience

• Customer Obsession
• Deepen team connection to our customers and communities.
• Foster authentic relationships with customers and partners that build trust.
• Explicitly take customer-centric decisions and take personal ownership to achieve results.
• Simplify processes through digitalisation and promote a digital mindset and digital first customer experience.
• Stay focused on the big priorities, know when to make meaningful trade-offs and demonstrate brilliant execution.
• Purpose
• Create an inspiring vision for your team to drive strategy and performance.
• Show ambition and courage, empowering others to go beyond the plan.
• Bold and challenge teams to reimagine how things are done.
• Prompt new thinking and ideas by asking “what if” questions.
• Use knowledge of the external environment (customers, partners, competition, external bodies) to identify and act on opportunities for growth at pace.
• Innovation
• Create psychological safety so everyone can have an impact.
• Fuel innovative ideas from others and test them to enable growth.
• Explore successes and failures with curiosity and resilience; fearlessly recognizing lessons learned.
• Share your ongoing learning and personal purpose with others.
• Learn fast from digital adoption, using learnings to drive simplicity, scale and efficiency.
• Collaboration
• Articulate your team’s role in making our strategy happen, prioritizing and aligning resources with current and future needs.
• Actively collaborate to break silos and hold your team accountable to do the same.
• Develop others to make the most of their talents and coach them to take ownership to get things done.
• Create an inclusive environment ensuring the safety and wellbeing of others.
• Live our Purpose and demonstrate the highest standard of integrity.

Qualifications

• At least ten (10) years’ knowledge and progressive experience in commercial and technology legislation within Telecommunications, Technology, or corporate sectors of which three (3) should have been in a senior leadership role.
• 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.
• Relevant professional certification (e.g., Arbitration/Mediation & Negotiation Skills; ICT Law, Data Privacy, Cybersecurity, Corporate Governance, or Intellectual Property)
• Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M) from a recognized institution is an added advantage.
• Possess high professional and ethical standards.
• Be a strategic thinker with an analytical mind.