Job Description

PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONS

Legal Management

• Provide best-in-class legal advisory services to assigned zones, Business Units, departments and subsidiaries in line with existing policies, laws and regulations.
• Draft, vet, review and negotiate all non-standard contracts and agreements relating to assigned zones, Business Units, departments and subsidiaries; identify material legal and commercial risks; propose workable alternatives and mitigants; and drive each matter to timely execution and closure while protecting the Bank's interests.
• Take ownership of assigned transactions from initial instruction to completion, including scoping the mandate, reviewing term sheets and approvals, preparing and negotiating transaction documents, coordinating conditions precedent, managing internal and external stakeholders, maintaining closing checklists, escalating impediments and ensuring timely execution, perfection and post-completion follow-up.
• Draft and/or ensure the use of standardised legal documentation by assigned zones, Business Units and departments in the Bank and the Bank’s subsidiaries to ensure that the institution has the best protection at law.
• Conduct focused and timely legal and regulatory research; identify the practical implications for the Bank; and prepare clear, well-reasoned and actionable analyses to support legal opinions, transactions and business decisions.
• Review the legal validity, enforceability and adequacy of security documentation for credit facilities; confirm that approved security requirements are properly documented and capable of being perfected; monitor satisfaction of applicable legal conditions precedent; and escalate deficiencies before disbursement.
• Review staff loan documentation.
• Assist the Unit Head and Senior Legal Officer in the management of the litigation portfolio of the Bank.

Company Secretarial

• Assist the Company Secretary of the Bank’s subsidiaries in convening meetings of Directors; collating relevant papers for Board meetings; recording minutes; ensuring compliance with statutory regulations; and keeping the statutory books of the Company, including but not limited to minute books, share registers, registers of directors and debenture holders.
• Ensure that all work submitted is accurate, complete, internally consistent and professionally presented; verify names, dates, amounts, authorities, defined terms, cross-references and execution requirements; and obtain appropriate review or approval before advice or documents are issued.
• Assist the Company Secretaries of the Bank’s subsidiaries to convene Annual General Meetings and other meetings of shareholders.
• Assist the Company Secretaries of the Bank’s subsidiaries to ensure compliance with all statutory obligations of the Company as detailed under company law.

Relationship Management

• Maintain excellent communication to support productive external and internal relationships and the resolution of problematic issues.
• Establish productive relationships with key stakeholders and business influencers across the Bank.
• Act as a dependable member of the Legal Department, collaborate effectively across units, support colleagues when priorities require it and contribute constructively to shared departmental outcomes.
• Comply with applicable Service Level Agreements, agree realistic timelines with stakeholders, communicate progress and dependencies promptly, and take all reasonable steps to deliver complete and accurate legal support within the agreed timelines.
• Coordinate effectively with counterparties, external counsel and other advisers; lead or support legal negotiations as appropriate; communicate the Bank's position clearly; manage outstanding issues actively; and escalate material impasses promptly to support timely resolution and completion.
• Maintain accurate matter records, transaction trackers, closing checklists and action logs; prioritise work according to legal risk and business urgency; meet agreed turnaround times; follow up proactively on dependencies; and escalate delays or unresolved issues before they affect delivery.

Risk, Governance & Control

• Comply with and support the implementation of all applicable Group policies, procedures, delegated authorities and legal risk controls for assigned zones, Business Units, departments and subsidiaries; maintain appropriate evidence of compliance; promptly report breaches or control weaknesses; and follow remedial actions through to closure.

Financial Management

• Support the Company Secretary & Head, Legal Department in managing legal costs by using approved precedents and internal capability where appropriate, providing clear and proportionate instructions to external counsel, monitoring assigned fees and disbursements, and identifying opportunities to deliver quality outcomes more efficiently.
• Perform all other duties as reasonably assigned by the Company Secretary & Head, Legal Department and/or the Line Manager.

INTERNAL USE ONLY

JOB SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Education

A lawyer qualified and in good standing to practice law in Ghana, with a professional law qualification and a recognized bachelor's degree in law or an equivalent qualification.

Experience

At least two years' post-qualification experience in legal practice, preferably including banking, finance, commercial transactions, corporate law, litigation management, regulatory advisory or company secretarial work.

Preferred Skills

• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Appreciable negotiation and dispute resolution skills
• Strong legal drafting and research skills
• Excellent analytical skills
• Sound advocacy skills
• Commercial awareness and the ability to understand transaction structures, credit and security concepts, operational constraints and the Bank's risk appetite
• Strong ownership, planning and execution skills
• Disciplined attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, document and matter-management tools and approved legal technology
• Ability to manage multiple matters under pressure without compromising quality

COMPETENCIES

Ownership and accountability

Commercial judgement

Execution and delivery

Legal risk awareness

Solution orientation

Integrity and professional courage

Communication and stakeholder management

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Adaptability, innovation and continuous learning

Performance and Behavioral Expectations

Demonstrate a strong ownership and execution mindset by acting with urgency, exercising sound judgement within delegated authority, seeking solutions rather than merely identifying problems, anticipating next steps, following matters through to completion and providing additional support where reasonably required to achieve the Department's and the Bank's objectives.

Performance will be assessed by reference to the quality and timeliness of legal work; ownership and closure of assigned matters; achievement of agreed service levels; effectiveness of risk identification and mitigation; stakeholder feedback; accuracy of matter records and trackers; contribution to cost management, knowledge sharing and process improvement; and demonstrated collaboration, initiative and professional growth.

Contribute actively to legal knowledge management by maintaining precedents, documenting lessons learned, sharing relevant legal and regulatory developments, participating in training and identifying opportunities to simplify processes, improve turnaround times, strengthen controls and reduce appropriate reliance on external counsel.