Senior Legal Officer at Trade and Development Bank (TDB)

Job Summary

• Reporting to the Deputy Group MD and General Counsel, as a member of the Legal Services Department, the Senior Legal Officer, provides legal advice support to the Bank and respective departments and units in relation to external customers, service providers, business partners and consultants to protect the Bank’s interests and mitigate any legal risks.

Responsibilities
The Senior Legal Officer performs the following duties:

• Collaborate with business units in undertaking the appraisal due diligence, as and when required to obtain approvals of prospective financing transactions.
• Negotiate, draft or review, and administer documentation related to financing transactions in a timely manner with the relevant parties, ensuring compliance with TDB’s Charter and Policies.
• Draft or review commercial contracts to ensure that TDB’s interests are protected and in line with Charter and Policies.
• Manage the closing process for the loan and security documentation by coordinating and following up with internal stakeholders, the obligors, and external counsel to ensure satisfaction of conditions precedent to financial close.
• Manage the legal process on litigation/ arbitration/receivership matters, including by managing and supervising the work of external counsel with a view to protect the Bank’s interests.
• Contribute to the process of submitting loan transactions to the various committees of the Bank, by advising the relevant business teams, to ensure that the submissions and resulting committee decisions are in line with the appropriate policies and procedures of the Bank.
• Coach, mentor and supervise junior team members in the Department to ensure they acquire the right skills to support timely delivery of quality legal services.
   

Qualifications and Competencies

• Juris Doctor’s degree or a Master’s degree in Law (LLM) and Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB) from an accredited institution.
• Qualification to practice law in any jurisdiction relevant to the Bank’s business or in any of the Bank’s member states.
• A minimum of 8-10 years of experience as a finance and banking transactional lawyer, including international work experience in a commercial, financial, or legal advisory institution and/or public sector financial body (e.g., International law firm, multi-national corporate, bank, insurance company, investment advisory firm, DFI, Ministry of Finance, National Treasury, Sovereign Wealth Fund).
• Proven track record and experience as a banking, finance, and corporate lawyer.
• Strong legal drafting, problem solving, negotiation, organizational and planning skills with the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment, manage dynamic priorities, and work under pressure to deliver on strict deadlines.
• A results-oriented individual with excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.
• Fluency in verbal and written English is a requirement. Knowledge of TDB’s other working languages (French or Portuguese) would be an added advantage.