Plan International is looking for an interim Legal Counsel to join our Legal team to support our West & Central Africa region.  The Legal team helps drive good governance and decision making by providing global insights, thought leadership and technical expertise for governors, leaders and staff as they strive for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

As Legal Counsel you will engage at all levels of the organisation, particularly in our West & Central Africa region, across a broad range of complex legal and governance. You will be part of the Global Hub Legal Team, reporting to Deputy General Counsel, and will also work directly with our regional and country offices, as well as senior stakeholders within the Regional Office and Global Hub’s globally located and multidisciplinary business units.  Legal Counsel will provide legal advice and, where necessary, coordinate specialist legal advice from various firms on domestic and international legal and governance issues, and use your technical and professional legal expertise as an entry point to problem-solve more broadly.

The Individual

We are looking to recruit a fluent French and English speaking lawyer who is both qualified (3+ years PQE) in, and has significant experience practicing as a lawyer in, a West or Central African jurisdiction. Ability to speak Portuguese and/or dual qualification in one of UK, US or a European jurisdiction are desirable but not essential.

You will have a demonstrable ability to use legal skills to solve problems and identify and implement pragmatic solutions. You will be able to give legal advice internationally on a diverse range of issues and you will also have strong experience in at least one of the West or Central African jurisdictions in a significant number of the following areas of law and inhouse practice: employment and labour law, commercial/contract, restructuring, corporate governance (including subsidiary management), charity/not-for-profit, data privacy, intellectual property, dispute resolution or management of legal claims, as well as advising and reporting on legal and other risks.

To be successful in this role you will be a highly professionally and creative problem solver who is constructive and positive in their approach, and who demonstrates high levels of integrity and alignment with Plan’s values. You will be self-motivated and highly organised and you will be a collaborative team player. You will be able to communicate effectively in French and English, with Portuguese language skills being additionally desirable.