The Head of Legal for NBA Africa and BAL is the senior leader responsible for overseeing all legal and business affairs matters within NBA Africa and BAL. This role is critical in ensuring staff across the offices across the continent operate within appropriate legal frameworks and the broader NBA organizational structure, while supporting the company’s strategic objectives.The role can be based in either Johannesburg or Nairobi.
Given NBA Africa’s focus on expanding basketball’s reach and commercial growth across the continent and the BAL’s focus of growing the brand globally, the Head of Legal plays a pivotal role in managing legal risks, facilitating and structuring commercial agreements, and advising on compliance-related issues. By safeguarding NBA Africa and BAL's legal interests, this role directly supports the broader goal of enhancing basketball fandom across Africa and achieving revenue growth for our Africa business.
This role will coordinate with colleagues in the NBA Legal Department in New York and other regions and oversee a team of lawyers based in markets across Africa, including Dakar, Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa. Additionally, this role will serve as an integral member of the NBA Africa Senior Leadership Team.
Major Responsibilties
- Legal Advisory: Serve as the senior legal and business affairs advisor to NBA Africa’s senior leadership team, providing strategic guidance on all legal issues - including contracts, the prospective partner due diligence vetting process, regulatory matters, corporate governance, risk management, and BAL competition matters.
- Commercial Agreements: Lead the negotiation and drafting of key commercial agreements, including sponsorship, content production and distribution, events, and intellectual property licensing deals, ensuring alignment with NBA Africa's business objectives and legal standards and the global NBA standards, policies and best practices.
- Regulatory Matters: Oversee staff compliance with local laws and regulations across multiple African jurisdictions, including in areas such as the NBA’s Compliance policies, corporate governance, employment law, and data protection.
- Risk Management: Develop, implement, and oversee risk management framework and processes to protect NBA Africa from legal and regulatory exposure. Ensure effective dispute resolution processes and manage litigation, arbitration, and other legal disputes.
- Intellectual Property Protection: Coordinate with NBA Legal Department IP Group to safeguard NBA Africa’s intellectual property rights, including trademarks, copyrights, and licensing, across all relevant markets.
- Collaboration & Partnerships: Work closely with external legal partners and government agencies to ensure NBA Africa’s business interests are protected, while also maintaining strong relationships with the international NBA legal team.
- Legal Reporting: Report regularly to the NBA Africa CEO and other senior stakeholders on key legal matters, risks, and mitigation strategies.
- Problem Solving: Work with business teams to identify creative solutions in order to enable the business team to negotiate and finalize deals in a timely manner, while ensuring compliance with local laws and risk management framework.
- Continuous Improvement: Drive enhancement in service delivery to NBA Africa and BAL by proposing and implementing efficient practices and processes within Legal function and across the organization.
Required Skills/Knowledge
- Commercial Law Expertise: Expertise in commercial and corporate law, with a strong focus on structuring deals, driving deal making and strategy, and contract negotiation.
- Regulatory Matters: Experience in risk management, legal and regulatory matters across the continent, and corporate governance.
- Negotiation & Communication: Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Partnership Management: Ability to manage external legal partners and advisors effectively.
Experience Needed
- 15+ years of private practice and in-house experience at a US or EU-based multinational company.
- Extensive experience working across African legal jurisdictions, with a focus on commercial law, intellectual property, and regulatory matters.
- Experience in managing high-stakes commercial negotiations and complex contracts.
Educational Background Required
- Graduate law degree from a top tier university required (e.g., JD, LLM).
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- Admission to practice law in one or more African jurisdictions.
