Legal Counsel, South Africa needed at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa

Job Description

• This position reports directly to the General Counsel. It requires handling legal assignments independently. The proposed level is GSR 8, reflecting the decision-making responsibilities and legal advice needed to support business operations.

Responsibilities

• Be a core member of OGC South Africa, coordinating with regional and global OGC teams to align strategies and ensure consistent guidance across the business.
• Champion Ford’s compliance program in-market, with a strong focus on anti-bribery and anti–money laundering (AML); monitor adherence, surface risks early, and drive remediation.
• Implement and track regulatory compliance initiatives; maintain clear records and report progress to stakeholders.
• Provide timely, business-minded legal advice to all Ford South Africa legal entities, including Ford Credit, and partner closely with Sales, Manufacturing, and other functions.
• Advise on South African data privacy requirements (e.g., POPIA) and information governance, coordinating with global privacy where needed.
• Support the South Africa OGC General Counsel on complex transactions and novel issues—validating advice, coordinating inputs, and engaging external counsel when appropriate.
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements and legal correspondence, review letters and marketing materials for legal and regulatory compliance.
• Partner with the regional Purchasing team on procurement matters—Global Terms and Conditions, Purchase Orders, and supplier disputes—providing practical, risk-balanced guidance.
• Handle core legal operations: matter tracking, filing and document management, drafting and formatting agreements/letters, and preparing clear, concise reports. Liaise with Ford local representatives to handle government-related issues in the South African market.
• Litigation Experience by oversight and management of legal disputes not limited to commercial, civil, labour and criminal litigation.

Qualifications

• Education Qualification: Minimum B Iuris LLB, BPROC, LLB, BA LLB, B Com LLB (Undergraduate or Postgraduate) or equivalent legal qualification. (preference to those with corporate legal advisory experience as in-house legal counsel)
• No. of Years of Experience: 3 – 5-year post articles
• Professional Association: Admitted Attorney/Advocate (Non-Negotiable) (preference to those with corporate legal advisory experience as in-house legal counsel)
• Labour Law/Financial Services Knowledge is advantageous