Senior Manager – Legal and Regulatory. Group Technology needed at MTN

Job Description

• Anticipate, assess, and manage legal risks across commercial, regulatory, IP, and contractual matters to protect the organization’s interests.
• Draft, review, and negotiate high-quality legal agreements that support business objectives while ensuring legal and regulatory compliance.
• Offer timely, pragmatic legal counsel to senior leaders to inform strategic decisions, operational activities, and new initiatives.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of policies, frameworks, and processes to meet governance and compliance standards.
• Manage relationships with external legal advisors and regulators to ensure cost-effective, expert representation and alignment with internal legal strategy.
• Provide legal insight into emerging areas such as software licensing, data privacy, IP protection, and technology partnerships.
• Conduct legal training, develop toolkits, and build legal literacy within business units to foster empowered, risk-aware decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, review, and negotiate a wide range of technology-related agreements, including software licensing, SaaS, managed services, build-operate-transfer models, service level agreements, and data processing agreements.
• Conduct data privacy impact assessments and ensure alignment with local and global standards (e.g., POPIA, GDPR). 
• Support the adoption of data governance policies and group-wide data privacy programs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws and protocols governing information security, cybersecurity, data localization, and industry-specific technology regulations.
• Oversee the protection, registration, and enforcement of the company’s IP rights, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights.
• Proactively identify and mitigate legal risks related to technology and business operations, including litigation exposure, contract disputes, and policy breaches.
• Provide legal oversight for technology-related intercompany agreements, licensing arrangements, transfer pricing recharges, and exchange control matters.
• Drive and provide legal support for procurement processes, including vendor contract negotiations, risk assessments, and compliance with procurement policies.
• Perform company secretarial duties such as maintaining statutory records, coordinating board and committee meetings, and ensuring regulatory filings are completed accurately and on time.
• Liaise with internal business units, external counsel, and regulators to ensure legal alignment, regulatory compliance, and informed decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements across jurisdictions and maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant laws and regulations.
• Support the development and implementation of legal, data, and compliance policies. 
• Drive internal legal awareness and training to improve compliance and reduce risk.
• Implement process improvements, manage external legal spend, and track legal KPIs to ensure timely and cost-effective legal service delivery.

Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB) or similar qualification.
• Admission as an attorney or advocate in South Africa or another African jurisdiction (under a recognized professional body)
• Master’s degree (LL.M, MBA, or M.Sc. in technology law, commercial law or similar) advantageous.
• Certifications (at least one preferred):
• CIPP/E, CIPP/A, CIPM (IAPP)
• Commercial law or technology law or similar

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years in legal, data protection, or information security roles.
• At least 5 years in a senior leadership position in a telecom, fintech, or regulated tech environment.
• Proven experience with legal frameworks and regulatory engagement

Skills:

• Strong knowledge of African corporate, commercial, and technology law.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to think strategically and provide practical legal solutions.
• High ethical standards and integrity.
• Proficiency in legal research and contract management tools.
• Experience in handling cross-border transactions and international legal frameworks.
• Familiarity with emerging technologies and their legal implications.