Junior Legal Counsel & Company Secretary Job in Nairobi

A Nairobi-based opportunity is available for a legal professional who can combine legal knowledge with commercial awareness, corporate governance and company secretarial responsibilities. The position of Junior Legal Counsel & Company Secretary involves supporting the Group on a wide range of legal and regulatory matters while working closely with senior management and other parts of the organisation.

Based in Nairobi and reporting directly to the Group Chief Executive Officer, the successful candidate will be involved in the legal issues that arise from everyday business operations. The role covers commercial contracts, litigation, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, company secretarial duties and legal risk management.

What makes the opportunity particularly broad is the range of activities and entities that the legal function will support. The role will provide legal assistance across upstream oil and gas activities, specialised waste management operations, subsidiaries, special purpose vehicles and related entities. There is also exposure to areas including renewable energy and mining, making sector knowledge an important part of the required background.

Legal Advice That Connects With Business Decisions

The role is not limited to reviewing documents after business decisions have already been made. A major part of the position involves providing practical legal advice to management on matters that affect the way the Group operates.

The Junior Legal Counsel & Company Secretary will advise on corporate, commercial, regulatory, employment, contractual and operational issues. This requires the ability to understand the legal side of a matter while also considering the practical needs of the business.

Commercial contracts will form a significant part of the workload. The successful candidate will draft, review and negotiate agreements covering areas such as commercial activities, operations, procurement and services. While preparing or reviewing these agreements, the lawyer will need to identify provisions that could expose the organisation to unnecessary legal or commercial risks.

Contractual issues do not end when an agreement is signed. The position also involves advising on claims, liabilities, variations, renewals, terminations and dispute-resolution matters. This means the person taking up the role will need to remain involved when contractual relationships change or when disagreements arise.

Strong legal drafting and negotiation skills will therefore be important. The ideal candidate needs to be able to translate legal considerations into advice that management can understand and act upon.

Handling Disputes and External Legal Support

Another part of the position concerns litigation, claims, disputes and arbitration. The Junior Legal Counsel & Company Secretary will support the management of these matters and coordinate with external advocates when specialist legal representation is required.

This responsibility calls for organisation as well as legal knowledge. Different disputes may involve different documents, deadlines, legal advisers and internal stakeholders, so the role requires someone who can keep matters properly coordinated.

The position will also involve managing relationships with external legal advisers and monitoring external legal costs. This means the successful candidate will have a role in ensuring that external legal support is appropriately managed and that the organisation maintains visibility over its ongoing legal matters.

The ability to communicate clearly with external counsel will consequently be important. The lawyer will need to understand the matter being handled, coordinate relevant information and keep management appropriately informed.

Company Secretarial Work Sits at the Centre of Governance

The position has a second major dimension that goes beyond conventional legal counsel responsibilities: company secretarial support.

As Company Secretary, the successful candidate will support Board and shareholder meetings, including the preparation and maintenance of resolutions, minutes, statutory registers, filings and corporate records. These responsibilities require a careful and organised approach because corporate records need to be properly maintained.

The role will also involve advising the Board and management on corporate governance, directors' duties, company law and statutory obligations.

This makes corporate governance an important part of the position. The person taking up the role will need to understand how legal requirements connect with the responsibilities of directors, the Board and the wider organisation.

Being able to maintain accurate corporate records while also providing sound advice will be particularly important. The company secretarial element therefore complements the wider legal responsibilities rather than operating as a completely separate function.

Compliance Requires Continuous Attention

Legal and regulatory compliance is another area covered by the vacancy. The Junior Legal Counsel & Company Secretary will monitor matters such as licences, permits, statutory obligations and other regulatory requirements.

This responsibility becomes particularly significant because the Group operates across sectors where legal and regulatory considerations can form an important part of business activities. The successful candidate will provide legal support to renewable energy, upstream oil and gas, mining and waste management operations.

The role will also extend to subsidiaries, SPVs, joint ventures and related entities. These different structures can require legal, corporate and contractual support, meaning the successful applicant must be comfortable working across more than one type of business arrangement.

Experience supporting subsidiaries, SPVs, JVs or corporate transactions is specifically required as part of the desired background. The organisation is therefore looking for someone who understands that corporate legal work can involve several connected entities rather than one business structure alone.

Sector Experience Is a Key Requirement

This is not an opportunity intended for a lawyer whose experience is entirely outside the sectors named in the vacancy.

Applicants need a minimum of four years' experience working as a Legal Counsel specifically within renewable energy, oil and gas, mining or waste management. This sector-specific experience is one of the most important requirements for the position.

The role also calls for a strong understanding of the legal and regulatory environment applicable to these areas. Experience with upstream oil and gas operations is listed as an added advantage.

That requirement gives the position a distinctly specialised character. The successful candidate will be expected to bring existing sector knowledge to the role rather than learning the relevant business environment entirely from the beginning.

At the same time, the position requires broad legal capability. Experience needs to cover commercial contracts, litigation, corporate governance, company secretarial work and regulatory compliance.

The Professional Qualifications Behind the Position

The academic and professional requirements are clearly defined. Candidates must hold an LLB degree and be Advocates of the High Court of Kenya.

Current membership of the Law Society of Kenya is also required. In addition, the preferred candidate should be a qualified Company Secretary and/or a member of the Institute of Certified Secretaries.

The combination of these requirements reflects the dual nature of the job. It is a legal position, but it also carries company secretarial and corporate governance responsibilities.

Professional credibility will therefore need to be supported by both legal qualification and the relevant company secretarial background.

Beyond formal qualifications, the organisation is looking for someone with strong commercial judgement. Legal advice in this environment needs to be practical and business-focused, particularly when management is making operational or commercial decisions.

A Lawyer Expected to Work Independently

The position also calls for a particular working style. The ideal candidate should be capable of working independently while remaining connected to management and other stakeholders.

Communication and stakeholder management skills will matter because the lawyer will interact with management, the Board, external legal advisers and people working across different business areas.

Negotiation is equally important, particularly given the role's involvement in commercial contracts, claims, liabilities and disputes. Legal drafting will also be a regular requirement.

The successful candidate should be able to identify legal, contractual, regulatory and compliance risks and communicate those risks clearly to management. Rather than simply pointing out potential problems, the role requires someone capable of providing practical solutions that support business objectives while managing legal exposure.

This is particularly important in a fast-paced environment where legal issues may need to be addressed alongside operational priorities.

An Opportunity Combining Legal Practice and Corporate Responsibility

The Junior Legal Counsel & Company Secretary position brings together several areas of professional legal work. It combines commercial contracting with litigation support, regulatory compliance with corporate governance, and legal advisory work with formal company secretarial responsibilities.

The successful applicant will therefore have an opportunity to work across different parts of the Group rather than being restricted to one narrow legal function. Supporting subsidiaries, SPVs, JVs and related entities adds another layer to the position, while exposure to renewable energy, upstream oil and gas, mining and specialised waste management gives the role a sector-focused character.

For an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with at least four years of relevant Legal Counsel experience, this could be a suitable opportunity to apply both legal expertise and commercial judgement in a senior-facing environment.

Candidates considering the position should pay particular attention to the sector experience requirement. The organisation is seeking someone who already understands the legal environment surrounding the relevant industries and who can provide useful guidance on contracts, governance, compliance, disputes and operational matters.

The opportunity is based in Nairobi and reports to the GCEO, placing the role close to senior management and the broader decision-making process of the Group. It is ultimately suited to a legal professional who can move comfortably between legal analysis, business discussions, governance responsibilities and regulatory matters while maintaining a practical approach to risk.

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