Tongaat Hulett

About the Opportunity

A leading organisation in South Africa is seeking an experienced Legal Counsel & Company Secretary to provide expert legal, governance, compliance, and risk advisory to its South African operations. This role is pivotal in ensuring strong corporate governance, legal compliance, and regulatory alignment while supporting strategic business decisions.

This is a career-defining opportunity for a legal professional who is proactive, ethical, and commercially astute, and is ready to influence senior leadership and drive organisational integrity.

Key Responsibilities

1. Legal Advisory & Commercial Support

Serve as the primary legal advisor to the SA leadership team.
Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts.
Manage legal disputes, litigation, settlements, and arbitration.
Interpret South African legislation (POPIA, NEMA, Companies Act) and assess business impact.
Oversee legal due diligence in property and commercial transactions.
Embed legal risk management in business decision-making.

2. Company Secretarial & Corporate Governance

Coordinate board and committee meetings, maintain statutory records, and file resolutions.
Ensure full compliance with Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) requirements.
Promote governance best practices aligned with King IV principles.

3. Compliance & Risk Management

Act as Compliance Officer for SA operations.
Implement and monitor adherence to Group-wide legal and compliance policies.
Advise on changes in legislation, draft policy responses, and oversee audit/investigation support.

4. Ethics & Leadership

Champion a culture of ethics, transparency, and corporate responsibility.
Lead implementation of Codes of Conduct and whistleblower programs.
Guide the MD and management team on governance frameworks.

5. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

Liaise with regulators, external legal counsel, auditors, and business leaders.
Represent the company in legal and regulatory forums.
Respond professionally and promptly to legal and compliance queries.

6. Legal Systems & Reporting

Manage legal matter tracking systems (LMM).
Maintain contract and document repositories.
Submit periodic legal reports to senior management and group stakeholders.

Qualifications and Experience Required

LLB degree (essential).
7–9 years post-qualification experience, including in-house corporate counsel experience.
Strong command of South African corporate and commercial law.
Exceptional drafting and contract negotiation expertise.
Working knowledge of CIPC processes and compliance procedures.
High integrity, confidentiality, and ethical reasoning.
Excellent communication and interpersonal influence skills.
Ability to multitask, prioritise, and work under pressure.
Commercially minded with a strategic outlook.

Why This Role?

Strategic leadership role with group-wide impact.
Opportunity to work with cross-functional senior teams and influence governance direction.
Be a trusted legal voice in a high-performance environment.
Grow within a robust legal and compliance framework supported by Group Legal.

🔗 Find similar jobs at:
👉 https://careerjunctionza.co.za/jobs/

✅ CV Tips for Legal Counsel & Governance Roles

Emphasise your legal specialisations: Highlight experience in commercial law, company law, and regulatory compliance.
Show leadership in governance: List board meeting coordination, compliance program implementation, or ethics initiatives.
Highlight in-house experience: Recruiters value candidates who understand legal risks in a corporate setting.
List certifications and continuing legal education: Showcase governance, risk, and ethics courses or workshops.
Quantify your impact: For example, “Negotiated contracts reducing litigation exposure by 30%” or “Oversaw legal compliance for operations with 500+ employees.”

🌐 Company Website:
https://www.sun.ac.za (or insert the actual company’s URL if different)

To apply for this job please visit applybe.com.