Background

d.light is a global leader in making transformative products available and affordable to low-income families. d.light has sold 35 million products, including solar lanterns, solar home systems, TVs, radios, and smartphones, impacting the lives of over 180 million people. Our vision is to transform the lives of one billion people with sustainable products by 2030.

Position Description

The Head: Legal and Compliance reports to the CEO and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. Infrequent travel will be required to operations across Africa, India and China.

The Head: Legal and Compliance will be responsible for managing and mitigating legal, compliance and regulatory risk. Providing legal advice to the group, company secretarial services to the parent company and guidance on corporate governance.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Legal
  

• Formulate and implement the company’s legal strategy.
  

• Provide legal advice to the business and its leaders.
  

• Identifying and mitigating legal risks.
  

• Assist with corporate and commercial transactions.
  

• Negotiate, draft and review various agreements (i.e. shareholders agreements, loan agreements, commercial agreements).
  

• Manage litigation arising across the group.
  

• Manage external attorneys working on behalf of the company.
  

• Reporting to the Board of Directors on Legal and Compliance risk.
  

• Prepare and manage the legal and compliance budget.
  

• Compliance
  

• Advise on, and ensure compliance with legislation, policy, material contracts and industry practices applicable to the Company.
  

• Conducting and overseeing internal reviews periodically to ensure that compliance procedures are followed.
  

• Informing, educating, and training employees on matters that are associated with regulations, policy, material contracts and industry practices.
  

• Evaluating business activities to assess compliance risk.
  

• Implement and monitor ABC, AML, labor and human rights policies, supply chain risks and related policies.
  

• Coming up with effective plans to manage or mitigate compliance risk.
  

• Preparing appropriate compliance reports for regulatory agencies, investors, or other key stakeholders.
  

• Company Secretarial
  

• Convening and servicing board meetings of the parent company, including but not limited to producing agendas, taking minutes, conveying decisions, handling meeting correspondence.
  

• Providing legal advice during and outside of meetings.
  

• Training directors and members of the senior leadership team on corporate governance matters.
  

• Keeping up to date with any regulatory or statutory changes and policies that might affect the organization.
  

• Ensuring that policies are up to date and are approved.
  

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Requirements

Desired Skills and Experience

• Legal Degree.
  

• Admitted Attorney.
  

• At least eight years post articles experience.
  

• Previous experience in the FMCG industry would be advantageous.
  

• Excellent command of the English language (written and spoken).
  

• Strategic mindset – decision-making ability to consider both short term and long-term objectives.
  

• Highly effective communicator - Ability and experience in communicating with all levels of management regarding management information needs and providing decision support.
  

• Experience in working in a fast-paced environment and/or companies in a high growth phase.
  

• Experience in putting in place systems and processes to help companies with scale.
  

• Experience with companies operating in multiple emerging market countries, ideally with experience in East Africa.
  

• Dynamic, innovative self-starter with a personal ambition to succeed and ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines.
  

• Self-management – core stakeholders are spread over international time zones.
  

• Always exhibit a high level of integrity.
  

• Has the ability to lead change positively.