Legal Counsel, Southern Africa and Rest of World

Who We Are

Onafriq is an omnichannel network of networks, making borders matter less by providing our partners with a single pathway to unlock the full power of cross-border and cross-platform payment solutions.

With a network spanning 40 African markets, Onafriq connects over 500 million mobile money wallets, 200 million bank accounts, and 300,000 agents in Nigeria, enabling domestic and cross-border disbursements and collections, card issuing and processing, agency banking, and treasury services.

By connecting global and regional enterprises, mobile money operators, money transfer operators, banks, fintechs, global development organisations, and online and offline merchants, supported by world-class regulatory and compliance capabilities and a strong regional presence in 10 offices in Africa, and others in the UK, US, and China, Onafriq is ushering in a new era of access for people across the African continent and beyond.

The Role

The Legal Counsel, Southern Africa and Rest of World will be responsible for the management of all legal and regulatory matters relating to the company’s business in our Southern Africa and Rest of World regions (South Africa, Mauritius, China, United States and any other countries in these regions). Such responsibilities would include providing legal advisory, drafting and review of contracts (including but not limited to the company’s standard form contracts), providing support in respect of the company’s regulatory affairs as well as the company’s engagement with law enforcement agencies in these regions. At times, you will also provide required support in the company’s other countries of operation as and when necessary. This role requires strong legal knowledge, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across various departments.

The role will be located in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Contract Management:

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiation of agreements.
• Oversight and supervision in respect of the company’s standard form contracts and the company’s contract management system.
• Maintain an organized system of physical and digital records for all contracts and legal documents.
• Provide advice on contractual matters to minimize risks and ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

2. Regulatory Compliance:

• Monitor and notify the company of new and existing regulations from relevant regulatory bodies, such as SARB, FSC (Mauritius) and other central banks and regulators within the applicable regions.
• Engage with regulators to ensure the company complies with all regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement internal policies to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

3. Law Enforcement Agencies Management:

• Provide the required support in all interactions with law enforcement agencies.
• Ensure the company’s interests are represented and protected in all dealings with law enforcement.

4. Legal Support:

• Serving as legal advisory and support to all internal stakeholders such as IT, risk, commercial, treasury, compliance and other departments as required.
• Assist in the resolution of legal disputes and issues.
• Ensure all company activities comply with relevant legal standards including but not limited to general legal advisory, product reviews and company secretarial matters.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications and experience:

• 5 – 7 years of experience as a qualified lawyer, preferably with experience in payments or financial services.
• Extensive legal knowledge on a variety of legal issues (e.g., contract, regulatory, IP, data privacy, employment, consumer protection).
• Familiarity with financial services regulations and policies.
• Experience in engaging with regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies.
• Experience working at a PSP or financial services firm and on matters relating to fintech in general is desirable.

Desired skills:

• Superior communication skills, both written and oral.
• Project management capability, with specific aptitude in being able to prioritise and advance a large number of matters, often on tight deadlines.
• Ability to distill complexity and to identify and clearly communicate practical solutions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

You will be a good fit if you are:

• A trusted confidant with strong emotional intelligence who can build relationships quickly and understand the perspective of others.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and can operate effectively in a fast-paced and changing environment.
• Proactive and able to work independently with minimal supervision.

Why work for us:

• We work at the very cutting edge of fintech in Africa.
• We solve relevant problems for Africa and the world in hope of continuing to make an impact on the millions, if not billions, of users who also believe in what we do.
• We have a very diverse work environment with over 28 nationalities represented and continually strive to build a culture of caring and execution.
• We operate a flexible working and unlimited leave policy.
• We offer a competitive salary package and bonuses.
• We prioritize the overall well-being of our staff through various initiatives aimed at ensuring they reach their full potential in a supportive environment.