Senior Legal Counsel

About the role

The Senior Legal Counsel will provide expert legal advice and manage the drafting, review, and settlement of commercial contracts for the Vinmart Group of companies. This role involves handling complex, multi‑functional transactions across several jurisdictions and supporting executive management with risk‑focused guidance.

Key responsibilities

• Deliver commercial legal advice to senior executives, focusing on complex transactions, risk identification and mitigation.
• Represent Vinmart in negotiations with third parties and structure commercial transactions.
• Draft, review and negotiate a wide range of contracts, ensuring compliance with local law, international dispute‑resolution mechanisms and tax considerations.
• Conduct ongoing legal research and stay current on regulatory changes in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia.
• Liaise with internal stakeholders (CEO, directors, business unit heads) and external advisors (tax, finance, legal).
• Develop and review policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure organizational compliance with statutes and regulations.
• Provide strategic commercial‑legal input to various Vinmart entities.

Required profile

• LLB or equivalent degree and admission to practice as an attorney or advocate.
• Minimum 5 years post‑qualification experience as a practising lawyer or legal officer in a large corporate environment.
• Extensive experience drafting and settling commercial contracts such as shareholder agreements, joint‑venture agreements, M&A documents, lease agreements, franchise and distribution contracts, consulting agreements, tender responses, EPCM contracts, facility agreements and security documents.

Required skills

What we offer

• Opportunity to work on high‑impact, cross‑border commercial transactions.
• Collaborative environment with senior leadership.
• Professional development within a growing regional group.