Senior Principal Officer, Legal Services (MG5) at National Social Security Fund (NSSF)

Reporting to the Assistant Manager, Legal & Regulatory Services he/she will be responsible for ensuring the management of pre-litigation processes including collection of evidence, pre-trial procedures, preparation of witnesses, preparation of legal briefs, development of strategies and testimonies.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Represent the Fund before any court or tribunal as a witness or to watch brief as necessary or to defend or to sue on behalf of the Fund;
• Manage relationships with external counsel to ensure co-ordination and collaboration;
• Review and assess the services of external counsel and making recommendations/reports to the Manager, Legal and Regulatory Services as appropriate.
• Review budget that relates to advisory services;
• Review legal briefs and rendering legal opinion on contract;
• Prepare/amend any policy and strategic issues as and when required;
• Review contracts both local and international including loan, mortgage, pledge, guarantees and providing warranted recommendations to protect the Fund’s interest;
• Develop contract negotiation strategies and builds capacity for contract negotiation;
• Oversee, review and draft contracts and development of standard templates for the Fund’s use;
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive contract management database ensuring all Fund contracts are well archived and appropriately serialized; and

Maintain a contractual risk register and develop mechanisms to identify early warning of risk to enable early interventions and mitigation;

JOB REQUIREMENTS/SPECIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor of Laws Degree from a recognized institution;
• Master of Laws Degree from a recognized institution is an added advantage;
• Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the Council for Legal Education;
• Admitted as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya;
• At least seven (7) years’ relevant cumulative work experience, three (3) of which should have been in a supervisory position;
• Membership to a relevant and accredited professional body such as the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and/or Institute of Certified Secretaries (ICS);
• Supervisory course from a recognized institution; and
• Proficiency in computer applications.