Legal and Compliance Officer

About the role

The Legal and Compliance Officer will be based on‑site in Cape Town, reporting to the Legal and Compliance Manager. This role ensures that Paragon Finance’s lending and funding activities comply with all relevant laws and regulations while supporting the business with practical legal advice.

Key responsibilities

• Monitor changes in legislation and regulatory requirements affecting lending and funding.
• Keep internal policies up to date and ensure they are consistently applied.
• Review, draft, and negotiate contracts, agreements and other legal documents.
• Support the Legal and Compliance Manager with litigation matters and liaise with external counsel.
• Assess legal risks for new products, deals and partnerships and advise on compliance implications.
• Conduct internal compliance checks, support audits and manage regulatory reporting.
• Provide training to staff on legal and compliance requirements.
• Collaborate with management and operational teams to foster a strong compliance culture.

Required profile

• Strong foundation in law with ability to apply legal principles to financial products.
• Proficiency in regulatory and legal compliance for financial, lending and data‑protection regulations.
• Experience preparing, reviewing and negotiating legal documents.
• Ability to identify, assess and manage legal issues in lending transactions and corporate operations.
• LLB or equivalent; admission as an attorney or similar qualification is advantageous.
• Experience in financial services, banking or lending environments is beneficial.
• Litigation experience is a plus.
• Comfortable using technology such as CRMs, document‑management platforms and AI‑assisted tools.
• Strong analytical, risk‑assessment and problem‑solving skills with high attention to detail.
• Effective communication and stakeholder‑management abilities.
• High level of integrity.

Required skills

• CRM systems
• Document management platforms
• AI‑assisted tools