In-House Legal Counsel Officer

Job Description

• The In-House Legal Counsel Officer will serve as the company's primary in-house legal resource, providingcorporate, commercial, contractual, regulatory, compliance, and legal risk supportacross its retail, production, warehouse, logistics, and support service operations in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
• The role requires a hands-on, commercially minded legal professional capable of providingline-by-line contract review, legal risk advisory, regulatory guidance, corporate governance support, and effective coordination of external counsel.

Responsibilities
Legal Advisory & Risk Management:

• Provide practical legal advice on corporate, commercial, regulatory, labour, tax, and operational matters across the company's business pillars.
• Advise the CEO and senior management on the legal implications and risk profile of key business decisions, transactions, partnerships, and new initiatives.
• Interpret and apply relevant Nigerian laws and regulations, includingCAMA, FCCPA, tax, labour, and sector-specific regulations.
• Prepare legal opinions and risk assessments for proposed transactions, business lines, and market entries.
• Monitor changes in legislation and regulatory requirements and advise management on their impact and required actions.
• Conduct periodic legal risk reviews across business units and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.

Contract & Document Management:

• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts, MOUs, SLAs, NDAs, vendor agreements, employment contracts, and other legal documents.
• Review SLAs and commercial agreements to identify onerous clauses, liability exposure, unfavourable terms, and other contractual risks.
• Support negotiations with vendors, clients, partners, and other counterparties to secure commercially favourable and legally sound terms.
• Maintain a central contract register covering key obligations, renewal/expiry dates, and contractual commitments.
• Standardize and maintain commonly used legal and contract templates.
• Monitor contractual obligations and ensure potential breaches, disputes, and other exposures are promptly escalated and addressed.

External Counsel & Litigation Management:

• Serve as the primary liaison with external lawyers and law firms on litigation, regulatory matters, filings, and specialized legal assignments.
• Manage external counsel instructions, performance, costs, legal fees, and invoices to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery.
• Coordinate court processes, filings, and litigation matters with external counsel while keeping management informed of developments and potential exposure.
• Evaluate and recommend external legal counsel based on expertise, track record, service quality, and cost.
• Ensure timely responses to legal notices, regulatory correspondence, and letters before action.
• Maintain an up-to-date register of litigation and other legal matters, including status, next steps, and financial exposure.

Compliance & Regulatory Management:

• Monitor compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory obligations, including CAC, FIRS, NSITF, ITF, PenCom, and other relevant regulators.
• Develop, implement, and periodically review the organization’s legal and regulatory compliance framework and policies.
• Ensure timely renewal of business permits, licences, registrations, and other regulatory requirements across all locations.
• Support legal/compliance audits and ensure identified issues are appropriately addressed and closed.
• Develop and deliver legal and compliance awareness training on areas such ascontracts, data protection, anti-bribery, and regulatory compliance.
• Support implementation of data protection and privacy practices in line with theNigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).

Corporate Governance & Company Secretarial Support:

• Support statutory filings, board resolutions, corporate governance documentation, and regulatory submissions.
• Maintain statutory registers and corporate records, including registers of members, directors, and charges.
• Support preparation and coordination of Board, Management, and other governance meeting documentation, including minutes and resolutions where required.
• Ensure the company’s corporate structure and documentation remain compliant with applicable requirements.
• Safeguard the company’s legal documents, corporate records, and seals.

Cross-Functional Legal Support:

• Partner with Internal Control on risk assessments, investigations, compliance reviews, and matters requiring legal input.
• Advise HR on employment contracts, disciplinary matters, employee relations issues, and labour-law compliance.
• Support Finance and Procurement on vendor contracts, negotiations, debt recovery, payment defaults, and dispute resolution.
• Advise Business Unit Heads on the legal implications of new initiatives, partnerships, transactions, and operational decisions.
• Collaborate with the Executive Office on Board matters, shareholder communications, and governance-related issues.
• Serve as a trusted legal partner to the business, ensuring decisions are made with clear understanding of associated legal risks.

Requirements

• LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) and Call to the Nigerian Bar (B.L) are required.
• Minimum of 5 years post-call experience in corporate/commercial law, gained in a reputable law firm or in-house legal environment.
• Demonstrable experience incontract drafting/review, SLA management, legal advisory, regulatory compliance, litigation coordination, and corporate governance.
• LL.M or relevant professional certification in corporate/commercial law is an added advantage.
• Strong knowledge of Nigerian corporate and commercial law, contract law, labour law, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance.
• Excellent legal drafting, contract negotiation, legal research, and analytical skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to provide practical, business-oriented legal advice.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong organizational, project management, attention-to-detail, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage external counsel effectively and handle confidential and sensitive matters with a high level of integrity and discretion.

Benefits

• Housing Allowance.
• Annual Leave Allowance.
• HMO.
• Pension.
• Communication Allowance.

Application Closing Date
2nd October, 2026.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to:  using "In-house Legal Counsel Officer'' as the subject of the email.

Note: Only qualified candidates would be contacted.

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