Vacancy title:
Head of Legal & Company Secretary

[Type: FULL_TIME, Industry: Engineering Services, Category: Legal]

Jobs at:
Vivo Energy

Deadline of this Job:
Wednesday, May 21 2025

Duty Station:
kampala | Kampala | Uganda

Summary
Date Posted: Tuesday, May 13 2025, Base Salary: Not Disclosed

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JOB DETAILS:

Job Purpose:

 To proactively manage legal risk, ensure full compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and support strategic initiatives across the business. The role serves as a trusted legal advisor, corporate governance steward, and strategic business partner, contributing to value protection, ethical leadership, and institutional integrity across Vivo Energy Uganda’s operations. 

Dimensions:

• Responsible for the overall leadership of the Legal and Company Secretarial functions within Vivo Energy Uganda.
• Directly supervises all legal personnel and outsourced legal support in the operating unit.
• Primary reporting line to the OU Managing Director, with dotted-line relationships to Central Legal.
• Maintains regular engagement with the EVP on strategic legal and governance matters.
• Responsible for the planning and management of Legal Department Capex and Opex budgets.

Key Responsibilities

Legal Advisory Services

• Provide timely, practical, and business-focused legal advice to leadership and business units across all areas of operation.
• Ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory, and contractual obligations, particularly in oil & gas, HSE, environmental law, and corporate law.
• Interpret laws, regulations, and contractual obligations to ensure the company’s activities are legally compliant and commercially sound.
• Conduct legal risk assessments and support enterprise-wide initiatives such as acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions.
• Oversee legal research and the delivery of well-founded legal opinions across a range of corporate, commercial, and operational matters.
• Engage constructively with regulatory authorities and government agencies to safeguard the company’s legal position.

Company Secretarial & Governance Duties

• Organize and attend Board, Committee, and Shareholder meetings, including AGMs, ensuring proper governance protocols are followed.
• Maintain statutory records and company registers in accordance with the Companies Act and internal policies.
• Prepare and file all statutory returns and legal disclosures, including annual returns, financial statements, and director changes.
• Draft and manage Powers of Attorney and other corporate legal instruments.
• Advise the Board on corporate governance, fiduciary duties, and evolving governance standards.
• Deliver governance training for new and existing directors.
• Support corporate transactions from a governance and compliance perspective.

Contract Management

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts and addenda in line with the VE’s operational objectives, negotiated terms, and applicable legal frameworks.
• Provide legal support during contract negotiations, safeguarding the company’s interests and ensuring roles, obligations, and liabilities are clearly defined and enforceable.
• Approve contracts for execution, confirming that legal risks have been assessed, mitigation measures are in place, and all contractual terms comply with internal policies and legal standards.
• Maintain a centralized, up-to-date contract register and ensure effective contract lifecycle management.
• Review and advise on tender and procurement documents, identifying potential legal exposures and recommending amendments to ensure fairness, compliance, and risk mitigation.
• Evaluate securities and credit instruments provided by counterparties, such as bank guarantees or performance bonds, to safeguard the company’s interests.

 Dispute Resolution and Case Management

• Receive, review, and respond to all legal notices, including court summons, pleadings, and demand letters served on the company.
• Instruct, brief, and oversee external legal counsel, ensuring alignment with the company’s legal strategy and commercial interests.
• Manage the litigation process end-to-end, including preservation of evidence, maintenance of case files, coordination with internal teams, and identification and preparation of witnesses.
• Prepare and submit semi-annual litigation reports to the Group Legal Advisor and provide status updates highlighting key risks or developments.
• Coordinate and participate in legal strategy meetings, working collaboratively with external counsel to resolve disputes efficiently and in the company’s best interest.

External Counsel Management

• Select, engage, and manage external counsel for specialized legal matters, ensuring efficient service delivery and cost-effectiveness.
• Review and approve legal fee structures and billing arrangements to align with budgetary controls.
• Monitor performance of external counsel to ensure high-quality, timely, and commercially sound advice.
• Maintain a panel of pre-approved law firms, updated in line with business needs and governance protocols.

Legal Management of Property and Assets

• Oversee the regularization of property ownership, including acquisition of titles, registration of transfers, and resolution of ownership discrepancies.
• Support the lease acquisition process by drafting or reviewing letters of offer and related preliminary documents.
• Instruct and liaise with external legal counsel on the preparation of agreements, leases, charges, discharges, and other property-related instruments.
• Conduct legal due diligence by initiating and reviewing official property searches before acquisition or leasing.
• Review and verify conveyancing documents prepared by third-party lawyers to ensure protection of the company’s legal and commercial interests.
• Monitor and coordinate payment of statutory property obligations, including land rates and related levies.
• Safeguard the company’s financial interests by ensuring proper registration of mortgages, charges, and other securities particularly in cases involving advance payments (e.g., prepaid rent).
• Advise the company on legal processes and documentation required for the disposal or divestment of property assets.
• Lead periodic asset-to-title verification exercises to ensure consistency between physical assets and registered ownership records.

Employment and Labour Law Advisory

• Provide expert legal advice on employment matters, including employment contracts, disciplinary actions, terminations, and the development of workplace policies.
• Advise management on employee relations and disciplinary procedures, ensuring fairness, legal compliance, and consistency with internal protocols and statutory requirements.
• Support the Human Resources function by ensuring compliance with all applicable labor and employment legislation, including the Employment Act, Work Injury Benefits Act, Retirement Benefits Act, and related regulatory frameworks.
• Interpret and guide the implementation of the company’s HR Manual and policies, ensuring they are legally sound, up-to-date, and aligned with best practices in employee relations and workplace governance.

Secretarial Services to the Pensions Board

• Coordinate statutory meetings of the Pensions Board, including scheduling, preparation of agendas and board packs, and tracking of follow-up actions to ensure timely and effective governance.
• Record, finalize, and circulate accurate minutes of Board proceedings, maintaining comprehensive documentation in compliance with regulatory and fiduciary standards.
• Provide legal guidance on the interpretation and application of the Trust Deed, the Retirement Benefits Act, and other applicable pension-related legislation.
• Support the periodic review and amendment of the Trust Deed, ensuring alignment with evolving legal and regulatory requirements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate contracts with pension scheme service providers, ensuring legal sufficiency, clarity of obligations, and protection of the scheme’s assets and interests.

Legal Training & Compliance Awareness

• Design and deliver tailored legal and compliance training programs to enhance awareness of legal obligations and ethical standards across all functions.
• Lead periodic training sessions on Anti-Bribery and Corruption (ABC), Business Principles, Code of Conduct, and other key compliance areas.
• Provide timely legal updates and briefings to staff on changes in laws, regulations, and internal policies relevant to company operations.
• Support employee onboarding by conducting legal induction sessions, ensuring new staff understand their legal responsibilities and the company’s compliance expectations from the outset.

People leadership

• Set and align individual performance goals within the Legal team to support broader business objectives.
• Drive continuous performance management through regular feedback, coaching, and performance reviews.
• Ensure team members receive the necessary training, mentorship, and development opportunities to meet current and future role demands.
• Monitor and manage team leave schedules to ensure adequate coverage, business continuity, and compliance with company policies.
• Build a high-performing, collaborative team culture that emphasizes accountability, knowledge sharing, and mutual support.

Requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
• Master’s degree in a relevant legal field (e.g., Commercial Law, Energy Law, Corporate Law, or International Business Law) is an added advantage.
• Enrolled Advocate of the High Court of Uganda with a valid practicing certificate is an added advantage.
• Extensive post-qualification legal experience (typically 10–15+ years), including significant exposure to corporate, commercial, and contract law in a multinational industry.
• Proven experience in a senior legal leadership role with demonstrated responsibility for legal strategy, risk management, and governance.
• Deep understanding of contract law, corporate law, regulatory compliance, litigation, and corporate governance principles, especially in the context of oil & gas, energy, or extractive sectors.
• Practical experience with joint ventures, distribution agreements, supply contracts, and cross-border transactions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to anticipate legal risks and develop pragmatic solutions.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to provide clear, business-oriented legal advice to senior executives and non-legal stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership and team management capability, with a proven ability to build, develop, and motivate a high-performing legal team.
• High ethical standards, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to integrity, confidentiality, and regulatory compliance.

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120

Level of Education: bachelor degree

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