Senior Legal Counsel at The Coca-Cola Company

The successful applicant will be involved in complex legal matters draft opinions, draft and/or review complex agreements and relevant legal documentation, conduct negotiations with customers, suppliers and service providers in the best interest of the group. They will also provide strategic legal advice to external counsel and in some instances represent CCBA Group in matters involving statutory and regulatory bodies. In this regard, the candidate will own the end-to-end litigation process that they are assigned to which may include liaising and coordinating with clients, witnesses, external counsel, and any other external legal experts involved in the process. They also play a role in ensuring adherence to CCBA Group’s Code of Business Conduct and Anti-Bribery compliance program, and other internal policies and procedures.

The applicant may reside in any of the CCBA footprint of countries: South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia & Zambia.

Key Duties & Responsibilities    

Acting as a legal expert to the organisation by:

• Maintaining and constantly updating their knowledge of the law in the territories where CCBA operates
• Providing advice and training in relation to relevant legal issues and on-going compliance matters in CCBA territories, monitoring regulatory changes and educating the business accordingly and
• Providing guidance to the business on internal policies and procedures of CCBA and The Coca-Cola Company such as anti-bribery, trade sanctions, code of business conduct, and other standard operating procedures.
• Overseeing, mandating, and reviewing the drafting of legal documentation, such as written agreements, letters, and opinions and
• Assisting in developing the intellectual capital of the business and developing processes and procedures for the efficient provision of legal services and to mitigate risks.

Providing legal guidance and support for Merger and Acquisition (M&A) deals and critical business projects by:

• Forming part of the M&A deal committee and/or project team and contributing to the strategy and design of each matter and identifying any potential legal constraints or concerns with the deal and/or project
• Participating in due diligence efforts
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating all legal documents and ensuring compliance with competition law and other relevant law, internal policies and procedures as well as the expectation of our shareholders and
• Working and collaborating with external legal counsel and professional team. 

Taking the lead on litigation and general disputes by:

• Working with business colleagues to analyse and understand the legal challenges inherent in assigned legal matters
• Developing a legal strategy and source resources to execute the strategy
• Overseeing and taking the lead on the preparation of the legal case through research, using external legal advisors and drawing on resources in the organisation and
• Coaching business colleagues on the legal strategy and assisting them to prepare for any legal events such as statutory body or court appearances.

Contributing to the development of an internal legal practice by:

• Overseeing the development and drafting of policies, procedures, and training programmes for the business on relevant legal issues
• Providing input and leading projects and initiatives on systems, work practices and work methodologies that can improve the internal practice of law
• Overseeing the establishment and maintenance of a knowledge repository of internal legal knowledge and external legal information sources and
• Driving efforts to ensure that CCBA is fully compliant and up to date with relevant legislation and relevant industry and internal policies.
• Establishing trusted internal relationships with the legal team and internal stakeholders by:
• Engaging closely with all levels of the business and provide legal support where necessary
• Working closely with the external and internal legal colleagues and build trusted relationships
• Meeting regularly with direct manager to report progress
• Attending team meetings, contribute meaningfully, raise issues and brainstorm solutions
• Contributing to the shared knowledge of the team by sharing insights, understanding and experience; and
• Supporting internal improvement initiatives within the legal function to ensure continuous business improvement.
• Skills, Experience & Education    

Qualifications:

• Qualified Lawyer  

Experience:

• Strong technical skills, knowledge and experience of South African law is preferred
• Previous experience in M & A, Competition Law, Litigation and / or FMCG multi-national will be an advantage.
• Excellent understanding of commercial law is a pre-requisite.  
• Minimum of 15 years of post-qualification experience. 

General    

• The advert has minimum requirements listed.
• Management reserves the right to use additional or relevant information as criteria for short-listing.