Job Specifications
Location: Casablanca, Morocco
Description
Africa50 is an infrastructure investor and asset manager that contributes to Africa's growth by developing and investing in bankable projects, catalysing public sector capital, and mobilizing private sector funding.
Africa50 has raised over US$1 billion so far from 33 African countries, the African Development Bank, two African Central Banks and Africa's largest pension fund. Africa50 has an independent investment process and seeks to generate commercial risk adjusted returns for its investments across key infrastructure sectors: Energy (including power generation and related parts of the value chain), Midstream gas, Transportation, ICT, Health infrastructure, Education and Fintech.
Purpose of the Role
The Legal Counsel, Administration and Governance acts as the Assistant Corporate Secretary and takes care of corporate administration and governance. This position ensures the integrity of governance processes across the Africa50 Group, including wholly owned subsidiaries, third party funds and provides legal oversight on institutional, administrative, and operational matters.
Principal Responsibilities
The Legal Counsel, Administration and Governance will assist the department with:
International Public Law and Institutional Matters
Providing advice on international public law including sovereign immunities issues and other legal matters relevant to international financing institutions;
Advising on administrative, governance, institutional and personnel matters.
Board and Shareholder engagement
Acting as the primary liaison with Africa50's investor relations team on shareholder and board matters and reporting obligations;
Planning and executing Board communications strategy;
Preparing and coordinating materials for shareholder meetings and board meetings across the Africa50 Group, including drafting/supervising the issuance of minutes and corporate resolutions and related documentations etc.
Contractual and Operational support
Drafting, reviewing and negotiating Africa50's operational contracts including rental agreements, utility contracts and agreements with major suppliers of goods and services etc;
Reviewing and negotiating early-stage legal documents such as non-disclosure agreements, Memorandum of Understanding and other preliminary instruments etc.
Governance and Structuring
Advising on the early-stage structuring of third-party funds, including coordinating the formation, registration and licensing of fund vehicles;
Assisting on overseeing the governance of Africa50 subsidiaries;
Coordinating and overseeing the corporate secretarial services of fund administrators;
Assisting in implementing the governance framework for Africa50 Group;
Advising on board composition, fiduciary duties and conflict of interest protocols for fund vehicles and their affiliated entities;
Coordinating the issuance of materials for fund-related board and shareholder meetings with fund administrators;
Facilitating efficient channels for communication and information sharing between Africa50 Group and the subsidiaries.
Candidate Profile
Essential Qualifications & Experience
A degree in private and public law, international finance, commercial law, comparative and corporate law;
At least three years' experience in a top-tier law firm;
At least five years' experience working as an in-house lawyer (ideally in the private sector);
Experience working on issues relevant to asset managers, private equity firms or international financing institutions.
Fluent in written and spoken English.
Business Acumen
Independent, pragmatic and business-oriented, with the capacity to solve problems;
Able to work as a partner with business colleagues to get actions done efficiently, quickly, and in a legally appropriate manner;
Familiarity with the work of other asset managers and private equity institutions or development finance institutions.
Executing for Results
Commitment to consistent delivery of the highest quality outputs, with deep technical understanding and rigorous attention to detail ensuring that all documents, advice and communications meet the highest professional standards;
Applies legal expertise across all verticals with the ability to respond swiftly and accurately to evolving demands;
Operating with a strong sense of urgency and ownership, anticipating risks and identifying issues early. Demonstrates flawless execution skills, ensuring that deliverables are provided in a timely manner;
Must be result-autonomous, result-oriented, self-motivated and possess the ability to be "hands on";
Ability to work under pressure, navigating competing priorities, tight timelines and maintain a high degree of performance across functions in a multicultural organization
Excellent drafting skills and communication skills: produces clear, concise and legally sound documents that require minimal revisions.
Building Relationships and Using Influence
Ability to listen and communicate ef
About the Company
Africa50 is a pan-African infrastructure investor and asset manager that contributes to Africa's growth by developing and investing in bankable projects, catalyzing public sector capital, and mobilizing private sector funding, with differentiated financial returns and impact. Africa50 currently has 35 shareholders, comprised of 32 African countries, the African Development Bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), and Bank Al-Maghrib. Africa50 provides support at every stage of the project cycle. Its operations ...
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