Position: Head Legal & Company Secretary
Department: Legal & Recovery
Duty Station: Exim Bank Uganda Head Office
Reporting To: Chief Executive Officer/Board Of Directors

Job Purpose
Develops, establishes, leads, guides, and monitors a legal strategy for the Bank to mitigate legal risks and enable the business to achieve its revenue and growth objectives. The Head Legal/ Company Secretary is the principal legal advisor of the bank. The Head Legal/ Company Secretary is responsible for planning, directing, managing, and controlling all legal matters of the bank.

Key Responsibilities include:
• Provide legal services such as advice, representation or drafting services to bank’s management. This also includes liaising with external legal advisors in the provision of these services.
• Ensure compliance with internal as well as external corporate governance and legal requirements.
• Provide effective leadership to the Legal Unit and providing effective supervision and training of Unit’s staff.
• Guide the Board on discharging its responsibilities & keep it abreast of the relevant changes in legislation and governance best practices.
• Ensure that all members of the Board have full and timely access to information that may be relevant to the proper discharge of their duties.
• Convene and servicing meetings of the Board of Directors, annual general meetings (AGM)/meetings (producing agendas, taking minutes), and all board correspondence.
• Undertake research (materials, statutes) and review ongoing cases and advice management accordingly.
• Liaise with relevant departments to ensure that where legal risks have been identified, appropriate courses of action have been taken.
• Carry out an annual review of the performance of external service providers (lawyers, auctioneers, and valuers) and advice Management on the recommended service providers for the following year.
• Prepare legal opinions on any new laws, cases, regulations and advise management accordingly.
• Draft service level agreements between all the departments of the Bank and ensure that these are adhered to.
• Carry out a quarterly review of the performance of external service providers (lawyers, auctioneers and valuers) and ensure that they are complying with their respective service level agreements.
• Provide leadership around the structuring, negotiating & drafting of legal agreements and documentation (e.g., relating to markets transactions, new products) and provide legal opinions where necessary.
• Review and advise management on legal implications of internal policies and procedures.
• Draft contracts, agreements, and internal policies in conjunction with managers from other departments and ensure that they are in compliance with all statutory or legal requirements.
• Review progress of outstanding litigation and attend regular meetings with the bank’s external lawyers.
• Manage external counsel in terms of ensuring the bank has the right panel of firms and that agreed fee structures and terms of engagement are in place and adhered to.
• Provide periodic (monthly) progress reports to the CEO, on litigation matters and chances of recovery of financed assets and outstanding loan facilities.
• Maintains close oversight of work carried out by receivers appointed by the bank to ensure that the cases are managed as efficiently as possible.
• Attend meetings with Account Relationship Managers to discuss the status of their securities and address any concerns arising.
• Review various types of security documentation and advice Management on the issues concerning the banks’ ability to recover and mode of recovery.
• Attend Board Meetings and AGMs to ensure that the formalities for shareholders and the board have been put in place.
• Coordinate and ensure that all dividend cheques and bonus certificates are received by all shareholders.
• Convening and servicing meetings of the Board of Directors, annual general meetings (AGM)/meetings (producing agendas, taking minutes)
• Review all contracts which the Bank enters into or any other documentation where that Bank has committed itself and assess legal implications that need to be brought to management attention.
• Review all documentation with correspondent banks and ensure that all documentation required to be put in place is provided.
• Negotiate, review and draft documentation for any lending the Bank is entering into and prepare and advise on the necessary checklist to be adopted to ensure information is submitted on time.
• Takes full responsibility for performance management of all direct reports, focusing on all aspects of sound people management: recruitment, development, performance management, career pathing, on the job training, coaching, and mentoring, and employee engagement within the precincts of the bank’s human resource plan, policies, and procedures.
• Define performance contracts for staff and monitor their performance against agreed standards and objectives, working with them to grow their skills were needed.

Requirements
• A Bachelor’s degree in law – LLB from a University in a country that practices English law; Post graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and advocate of the High Court of Uganda.
• Added Advantages: Master’s degree in law or Business Administration Professional secretarial qualifications such as ICSA.
• 10+ year’s post-qualification experience in corporate banking and commercial law 5+ of which should be at a senior level.
• Demonstrated experience in litigation, Conveyancing, and legal research.
• Good understanding of the financial services sector and commercial law.
• Good knowledge and experience in managing company legal matters.
• Familiarity with current regulatory environment.
• Strategic enablement skills.
• Solution-focused, flexible thinker with a strong “can do” attitude.
• Able to influence, negotiate and engage diversity.
• Strong networking and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Sound judgement and decision-making skills.
• Highly analytical and attentive to detail combined with an ability to think laterally and holistically.