Job Description :

Job Title: Assistant Legal Counsel, GGBL

Level: Level 5

Reports To: Legal Counsel and Company Secretary

Location: Accra

Context/Scope:

• GGBL is one of the largest listed companies in Ghana. It produces, markets and sells alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in Ghana.    It is a subsidiary of Diageo Plc, the global alcoholic drinks company.
• This role reports into the Legal Counsel and Company Secretary.
• The role is in the legal department and will link into the Diageo legal department to ensure access to standard process including Diageo legal department activities/meetings and initiatives.

Purpose of Role:

• Enable GGBL to achieve its business objectives in a legally compliant way while unlocking commercial opportunity through good practice.
• Preserve value (financial and reputational) by minimising the risk of value leakage and litigation and maintaining compliance with laws and Diageo’s Codes.
• Support the Legal Counsel and Company Secretary in embedding standard process corporate governance.

Top 3-5 Accountabilities:

• Function as a highly effective legal and business partner and stay particularly close to the Legal Counsel and Company Secretary.
• Make significant contributions in ensuring that all the department’s internal and external stakeholders receive excellent service delivery thereby ensuring that the legal department effectively partners all the functions in GGBL.
• Ensure proper contracts are in place in and that the contract management system is maintained and is current.
• Ensure effective support is given to the business on all legal/commercial related issues.

Qualifications and Experience Required:

• Qualified to work as a legal practitioner in Ghana.
• Strong commercial law background especially in the negotiation and documentation of commercial contracts
• Strong, analytical, drafting and negotiating skills.
• Strong research skills coupled with an ability to deconstruct sophisticated legal issues in order to provide cogent legal advice.
• Open and outward looking attitude.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work confidently and stand ground with more senior managers.
• Strong commercial and pragmatic approach.

• At least 4 years post qualification experience as a lawyer.

Barriers to Success in Role

• Inability to draft and review contracts and to advise on contractual arrangements/transactions.
• Inability to constantly reprioritise and manage expectations from a large and demanding business in a role that interacts with a high proportion of senior level managers.
• Inability to understand and manage ambiguity and risk in an appropriate manner.
• Unwillingness to take and maintain strong positions with various departments in the business.

• Inability to manage and minimise adverse business impact of external bureaucracy/ process/documentation requirements.