Company Profile and Brands

• UBL is the leading drinks company in Uganda with an outstanding collection of brands that range from the flagship Bell Lager™ to several other beer and adult non-alcoholic drinks reaffirming our standing as a total adult beverage (TAB) company.
• The UBL brewery in Port Bell, is also home to International Distillers Uganda Limited (IDU) which operates a spirit’s distillery that manufactures, exports and imports a range of high-quality spirits like the world-renowned Uganda Waragi™.
• UBL and IDU are both affiliates of East African Breweries Limited which is part of Diageo Plc.

• Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s & Windsor Whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc & Ketel One Vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness™.

Corporate Structure

• UBL is a public limited liability company, with 98.1% of its shareholding held by EABL and a minority held by over 100 individual shareholders, both of a local and foreign origin. EABL, which is cross listed in Uganda and Kenya, is majority owned by Diageo Plc, which is listed on both the London and New York Stock Exchanges.
• UBL also provides oversight and accountability for East African Breweries Rwanda Limited (EABRL) and the great lakes region. All UBL products are either manufactured or distributed under license or sub-license from various brand owners.

The Role

This role is a senior management role within the Uganda market.  The role is generalist in nature charged with facilitating general counselling and legal support to the total UBL, IDU, EABRL and EABL businesses in Uganda and the Great lakes region.

The role holder will be expected to shape and implement strategy in the following areas: –

• Take leadership and management accountability for the total legal function in Uganda which includes the following departments – Legal, Corporate Security, Brand Protection, Corporate Governance (Company Secretarial) and Information Management & Data.
• A principal member of the Uganda Executive Team – which is the senior most leadership team in Uganda.
• A principal member of the EABL Legal Leadership team and take accountability for functional results in all areas of operation.
• A principal member of the UBL Board of Directors holding the key role as Company Secretary and Head of Corporate Governance across the organisation
• Act as the principal Legal Business Partner to the business.
• A member of the Diageo Legal team.
• Ensure that the Legal Function is effective in all its operations and engagements with key stakeholders and drive productivity across the function and its service providers.
• Partner with the Legal Directors in Tanzania and Kenya to implement EABL and Diageo Legal projects.
• Lead the EABL Legal Function compliance, controls and the corporate governance agenda across the EABL Group.
• Spearhead innovations, continuous improvement and creativity for the entire legal business in the function by implementing an efficient legal operations model across UBL.

Scope of the Role:

The job holder shall provide in-house legal support primarily to UBL, IDU, EABRL and all affiliates and subsidiaries of EABL and Diageo as and when directed, in the areas below:-

• Counselling on Alcohol Science and the role of alcohol in society
• Litigation, Disputes & Risk Management – including product liability litigation issues.
• Management of Tax issues within the general business ranging from excise tax and other tax drivers in order to ensure that the business is tax efficient and compliant.
• Management of Trade and Distribution issues
• Counselling on all matters relating to Marketing and Innovations
• Regulatory Management and counselling – including innovation
• Advocacy and engagement internally and externally.  This includes management of external affairs and engagement with key business stakeholders in conjunction with Corporate Relations.
• Understand and manage Competition law issues across the business Intellectual Property Management & Brand Protection – a critical awareness and understanding of how to manage anti-illicit trade matters across the business.
• Records Management and Information Management best practice should be embedded across the organization.
• Industrial relations, employment and labour laws and HR counselling – including conflict management.
• Management of Corporate Governance, Statutory Compliance, total business Licensing and permits and Internal Control issues.
• Management of the UBL Board strategy, calendar and all Board events in the role of Company Secretary.
• Maintain and enforce ethical and business integrity standards and policies including conducting complex investigations and anti-fraud management.
• Total Business partner support to the UBL Business Management of External Counsel and other Service Providers to execute the business strategy.
• A working knowledge of Company law, listing rules and public company management principles.
• Advice and support to the Total Legal function which includes Brand Protection, Corporate Security, Records Management and Legal Counsel.
• Delivery of the UBL Business strategy and supporting the EABL Group and Diageo legal and business strategies.
• Any other roles and responsibilities to be performed as determined by the Managing Director and/or EABL Legal Director.

Working in a highly regulated, celebrated and sometimes polarizing industry, the role holder needs to be proactive as well as reactive to various internal and external challenges in order to detect new threats and ensure efficient and proactive control of the legal environment.

Operational/Business Accountabilities

• Provide effective management of legal risk to drive sustainable growth.
• Provide professional service-delivery and assistance to management across business functions.
• Monitor and advise the business on statutory compliance, regulatory and legislative issues across the entire business and more specifically in Uganda and the Great lakes.
• Maintain visibility and awareness on all litigation and disputes affecting the business in Uganda and the Great Lakes region.

Management Accountabilities

• Participate and contribute to cross functional projects and initiatives to minimize legal risks and ensure achievement of the business objectives.
• Ensure an improved control environment in UBL, IDU, EABRL.
• Ensure the optimization of monetary and support resource use in Uganda.

Leadership Responsibilities:

• The role holder will be a key member of the UBL Executive Team, represent Legal in cross functional meetings and will closely interface with the EABL and Diageo legal teams.
• Drive, embed, support, implement and achieve the strategic plans and objectives of the business unit and of the Legal Function in line with the Diageo business strategy as determined by the Managing Director.
• Identify new initiatives and proposals, aligned with the Legal function’s strategic plan and the Company’s strategy and values to ensure legal operates at the heart of the business, as both effective risk managers and business partners.
• Continuously develop technical and managerial skills and acting as a leader and role model in the business.

Relationships

• Communicate effectively in order to solve problems and offer solutions across the Business.
• Regular communication, sharing of knowledge and learnings are expected between the team members to ensure cohesion and collaboration within the Diageo Legal team.
• Build and maintain good relationships with experts in the legal field, and the private sector.
• Build strategic relationships with key stakeholders and partners to drive key business and legal results including relevant Regulators, Government & County agencies, Business Organisations, external lawyers, service providers.

Innovation

• Enable the business to achieve its business objectives in a legally compliant way while unlocking commercial opportunity through good practice.
• Preserve value (financial and reputational) by minimizing the risk of value leakage and litigation and maintaining compliance with laws and policies.
• Continually seek ways to optimize and improve systems and work processes to drive efficiency and reduce costs including use of technology
• Ensure that the business receives high quality support to achieve set objectives.

Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Formal legal qualifications and training.
• Strong commercial law and litigation background.
• A good working knowledge of the following legal areas – contracts, product liability, IP, employment, antitrust, litigation, marketing.
• A track record of effectively and proactively managing external lawyers generally and in relation to a large outsourced litigation caseload.
• Good experience in negotiating and drafting commercial contracts (e.g. procurement and marketing).
• Proactive, open and outward looking attitude.
• Strong inter-personal/communication skills.
• Ability to work confidently and stand ground with more senior managers.
• Strong commercial and pragmatic approach.
• Ability to work with line manager and others as a team.
• At least 8 years post qualification experience as a lawyer, at least 5 years of which must have been at Senior Management level in an FMCG company.

Barriers to Success in Role

• Inability to constantly reprioritise and manage expectations from a large and demanding business.
• Inability to contribute towards and work within a team.
• Inability proactively to manage a large litigation caseload.
• Unwillingness to take and maintain strong positions with senior commercial management.
• Poor and negative attitude.

Submit your CV and Application on Company Website : Click Here

Closing Date : 9 August, 2020