Legal Counsel

Role Summary The Legal Counsel will be responsible for offering guidance, legal advice, and support to the Senior Leadership Team and the organization at large. The overarching purpose of this position is to guarantee that the conservancy is legally protected and capable of carrying out its job successfully by creating and maintaining a viable legal framework for the organization. Responsibilities: Contract Review & Legal Documentation: Review, draft, and approve contracts, MOUs, SLAs, consultancy agreements, supplier contracts, and partnership agreements. Ensure contracts adequately protect the Conservancy from legal, financial, and reputational risks. Maintain a central legal contract register with key terms, expiry dates, and risk flags. Advise departments on contract interpretation and enforcement. Litigation Management: Coordinate all litigation matters involving the Conservancy. Liaise with external advocates, insurers, regulators, and courts. Track legal cases, costs, timelines, and outcomes of court cases and prepare periodic litigation status reports for management. Recommend to management cost effective out-of-court settlements where appropriate. Labour & Employment Relations: Advise the human capital department and other departments on various HR processes i.e disciplinary cases, grievances, terminations, suspensions, and appeals in line with the Employment Act, CBA provisions and Internal Policies. Support management in labour disputes, union engagements, conciliations, and court cases. Ensure alignment of HR practices with labour laws, prevailing CBAs, and best industrial relations standards. Provision of Legal Advisory: Advise and guide the conservancy on a wide range of legal issues, including contracts, compliance with laws and regulations, and internal policies, to ensure the organization operates within legal frameworks and safeguards its interests. Compliance Monitoring: Ensure adherence to local, regional, and international laws, including environmental, conservation to monitor compliance with donor and stakeholder requirements and to mitigate risks. Stay informed about legal developments and changes in legislation that may affect the Conservancy’s operations, ensuring proactive adjustments to policies and processes. Policy Development and Training: Develop and implement policies to reduce legal risks and enhance compliance while educating employees regularly on legal concerns and best practices to promote a culture of accountability and minimize risks. Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with internal and external teams, government agencies, and community partners to address legal needs and provide timely resolutions to legal issues impacting the conservancy. Legal Risk Management: Evaluate legal risks associated with the conservancy’s operations and provide actionable recommendations to protect the organization from potential legal liabilities. Data Protection & Regulatory Compliance: