About the Role
Appzone Limited, a pioneer in innovative banking and payment infrastructure in Africa, is seeking a dynamic and experienced Manager, Legal to join our legal, risk, regulatory, and compliance team. In this pivotal role, you will drive commercial contracting, manage regulatory-adjacent risks, and support our mission to transform financial services across emerging markets.
Key Responsibilities- Lead the review, drafting, negotiation, and management of commercial agreements across all business lines, including platform, technology, vendor, and partnership contracts.
- Provide expert legal advisory support to business teams on commercial decisions, product structures, and regulatory matters.
- Manage the complete contract lifecycle, ensuring compliance with agreed service level agreements and structured repository discipline.
- Identify, assess, and escalate legal risks associated with licensing processes, market expansion, and commercial transactions.
- Coordinate cross-functional efforts with regulatory affairs, compliance, risk, privacy, and corporate governance leads.
- Support leadership on board-facing legal matters, shareholder equity, corporate structure questions, and investor documentation.
- Maintain and improve legal infrastructure, including templates, standard terms, clause libraries, and legal playbooks.
- Supervise external counsel and manage associated legal costs within approved parameters.
- Review AI-assisted legal outputs before external communication or submission to regulators and counterparties.
- Nigerian-qualified lawyer holding an LLB and BL with 6 to 8 years of post-call experience.
- Demonstrated experience in a reputable commercial law firm alongside an in-house role within a regulated business, fintech, or technology company.
- Strong command of Nigerian and African commercial law, corporate governance, contract fundamentals, and technology contracting.
- Exceptional written communication skills, sound judgment under pressure, and the ability to explain complex legal risks clearly to non-lawyers.
- Comfort operating in a lean, high-accountability, AI-enabled legal environment.
- An LLM or additional qualifications in compliance, technology law, or data protection will be an added advantage.
- Competitive salary and compensation package aligned with industry standards.
- Opportunities for professional growth within a fast-paced and innovative fintech environment.
- Comprehensive health insurance and wellness benefits.
- Collaborative work culture driven by industry leaders and cutting-edge technology.