Head of Legal Company Secretary

Key Responsibilities

A. Company Secretariat & Corporate Governance

1. Provide operational support to the Company Secretary: prepare Board and Committee packs coordinate meetings draft and circulate agendas and minutes and follow up on action items.
2. Maintain statutory registers minute books share registers and ensure timely statutory filings under CAMA 2020 and other relevant laws.
3. Manage shareholder communications dividend records and convening of general meetings where required.
4. Support governance reviews board evaluations director induction and training programs.
5. Ensure compliance with corporate governance codes and internal governance policies.

B. Regulatory & Compliance

1. Monitor and interpret fintech-relevant regulatory frameworks (e.g. CBN circulars payment service regulations AML/CFT obligations NDPR NIBSS rules) and advise Management on compliance implications.
2. Prepare and submit regulatory filings notifications and returns; coordinate regulatory examinations and follow up on actions.

C. Commercial Legal Support

1. Draft review negotiate and finalize commercial contracts (vendor agreements partner/issuer/acquirer agreements SLAs NDAs licensing agreements etc).
2. Provide legal input to product development particularly for card payments and lending products flag legal & regulatory risks and propose mitigants.
3. Manage external counsel engagements drafting instructions and relevant processes monitoring general progress of matters handed by external solicitors etc.

D. Risk Management & Dispute Resolution

1. Identify legal and regulatory risks across business lines and collaborate with Risk & Compliance to develop mitigation plans.
2. Manage litigation and dispute resolution matters: coordinate investigations instruct external counsel and maintain case logs and documentation.

E. Policy Training & Stakeholder Management

1. Draft and maintain internal policies (e.g. DPA/Privacy Records Retention Conflicts of Interest Escalation Protocols).
2. Deliver training to staff and management on legal/regulatory topics corporate governance and best practices.

REQUIREMENT

Person Specification Skills & Competencies

Technical / Professional

• Proven knowledge of Nigerian corporate and fintech regulatory regimes (CAMA 2020 Nigerian Company Law & Practice Commercial Law CBN regulations AML/CFT law NDPR relevant sectoral circulars).
• Strong commercial contracting skills with experience negotiating complex commercial and technology agreements.
• Experience managing corporate secretariat duties and statutory filings.
• Practical experience with litigation management regulatory investigations or enforcement matters.
• Skilled in using document management systems board portals and standard office productivity tools.

Professional Qualifications

• Required:LLB BL (called to the Nigerian Bar) and qualification in company secretaryship (e.g. Member of ICSAN) with proven legal/commercial experience.
• Desirable:Masters degree (LLM MBA) or relevant professional certification.
• Membership of relevant professional bodies (Nigerian Bar Association ICSAN) is a strong plus.

Experience

• Minimum 10 yearspost-qualification experience; at least 3 yearsin a role combining legal and company secretariat duties preferably in financial services payments or fintech.
• Proven track record of working with regulators and running statutory/compliance processes end-to-end.

Behavioural / Leadership

• Strong integrity discretion and ability to handle confidential/sensitive matters.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and a credible presence when interacting with senior executives and regulators.
• Good commercial judgement risk awareness and ability to provide pragmatic legal solutions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; clear concise legal drafting.
• Proactive detail-oriented and able to manage multiple priorities under tight timelines.

4. Role Interactions

• Internal:Legal team Company Secretary Compliance Business teams Product Finance HR Operations.
• External:External counsel regulators (for filing follow-ups) vendors CAC partners.