Governance & Legal Officer

Purpose of Position

• Under the leadership of the Senior Manager- Governance & Legal, the position will support governance services to the World Vision Kenya Intermediate Board for compliance with regulatory as well as Partnership governance regulations; & Legal functions to ensure risk is minimized and that the organization complies with policies, procedures and standards; and ensure legal support services to the organization in consultation with the external counsel on a needs basis.

Major Responsibilities

Support Board Governance (55%)

• Provide support to the Senior Manager to ensure the Board meets its legal mandates in accordance with Kenyan laws; and the governance processes are carried out in accordance with the requirements and policies of WV for an Intermediate Board 

SupportBoard Governance Processes:

• Support in the preparation of the ND’s Quarterly Updates to the Board; 
• Organization of Board Meetings and ensure that proper records are taken and safe keeping of the minutes of WVK Board meetings including supporting management of the National Office Global Governance database.
• Follow up of Board meeting action plans.
• Assist in organizing Board Committee meetings and follow up on management action points arising from these meetings
• In consultation with Senior Manager, support in the recruitment and orientation of Board and organizational members
• Support capacity building initiatives on governance for the Board and senior leadership
• Support organization of Board field trips to the WVK project sites to help deepen Board members understanding of WV’s ministry

SupportBoard Legal Processes: 

• Update and maintain the organizational membership register and ensure that all regulatory compliance issues of members are up to date;
• Support calling and holding of Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings as provided by the WV Kenya Constitution
• Support statutory compliance issues with the NGO Coordination Board and completion of relevant annual returns for WVK

Coordination of organizational legal and policy matters (40%)

• Support regular review of governance policies and procedures for alignment with partnership policies and national law 
• Implement organizational contract management procedures and ensure that they are regularly reviewed for effectiveness. Where appropriate, this may include maintaining the contract under the organizational contract records
• Assist in the establishment of a mechanism that encourages the coaching and development of all WVK employees in contracting practices and procedures and compliance thereof.
• Provide expert legal advice to management of significant issues that cut across legal and related areas such as external and internal partnering processes, grant-contracting processes, operations, (which includes evaluating and weighing multiple inputs and impacts of any decision and course of action.) 
• Establish systems that identify areas of criticality or high risk from a legal perspective and design contingency plans around each identified element.
• Legal drafting and documentary review of agreements, contract and other legal agreements such as organizational leases, allotment letters, key title documents etc to ensure WVK’s full rights. 
• Serves as the primary liaison to the external counsel for coordination and following through on ongoing litigation for a fast, effective and cost efficient closure with the minimum risk to the organization. 
• Establish an audit process that regularly evaluates the legal position of the organization in regards to legal compliance
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation and the regulatory environment, to ensure that internal management policies and procedures for WVK are reviewed for relevance and effectiveness.

Others (5%)

• Attend and participate in devotional life of the organization such as chapel, transteam meetings etc.
• Participate and contribute in committees and task forces as may be signed from time to time 
• Perform any other duty as assigned by the supervisor or Designee

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor degree in Law, from a recognized university.
• A Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the Kenya School of Law.
• Must be a member of the Law Society of Kenya with a current practicing certificate.
• An advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
• At least 3-5years hands-on experience in corporate governance or legal support role. 
• Good understanding of governance, compliance or legal affairs
• Some experience working in an international NGO with a strong understanding of the humanitarian operating models and development programs / approaches in both regular and relief situations.
• Ability to demonstrate high degree of professionalism in a rapidly changing environment.
• Strong collaboration skills with ability to positively influence others to support strategic initiatives. 
• Commitment to continuous learning and willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the field of development.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, interpersonal skills and information management skills
• Analytical and critical thinker with ability to work with tight deadlines and handle multiple concurrent projects.
• Team player, with respect for diversity in multicultural environment. 
• The position requires proactivity, self-management, tact, diplomacy, discretion, and confidentiality on a wide variety of complex and sensitive issues
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20% of the time.