Senior Legal Counsel

An exciting opportunity for a Senior Legal Counsel to join a leading global entertainment and media company in their Johannesburg offices. This role provides strategic legal support across a diverse portfolio, ensuring compliance with local and international laws while working closely with regional and global teams on high-profile matters.

About:

An exciting opportunity for a Senior Legal Counsel to join a leading global entertainment and media company in their Johannesburg offices. This role offers you the chance to provide strategic legal guidance across a diverse portfolio of business operations. You will be at the forefront of ensuring compliance with both local and international laws, while working closely with regional and global teams to deliver expert legal support. The position is ideal for someone who thrives in a collaborative environment, values professional excellence, and is passionate about making a meaningful impact on high-profile projects. With flexible working opportunities, exposure to cross-border matters, and the chance to work alongside knowledgeable colleagues, this is an exceptional platform for your career growth.

What you'll do:

As Senior Legal Counsel based in Johannesburg, you will play an integral part in shaping the legal landscape for one of the world’s leading entertainment organisations operating across Africa. Your day-to-day responsibilities will see you advising on a broad spectrum of commercial activities—from theatrical releases to digital streaming—ensuring every aspect complies with relevant legislation. You will draft and negotiate key agreements that underpin major business initiatives while acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders. By collaborating with regional colleagues in Europe and engaging directly with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, you will help drive operational excellence. Your ability to manage complex regulatory requirements across multiple countries will be essential as you guide teams through evolving legal frameworks. Success in this role means being proactive in identifying risks, fostering strong interdepartmental relationships, maintaining meticulous records, and delivering clear communication that empowers non-legal audiences.

• Provide comprehensive legal support to various business units including theatrical distribution, marketing, ad sales, promotions, events, corporate operations, environmental matters, and health and safety.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with local South African laws as well as applicable international regulations and internal company policies across all business functions.
• Draft, negotiate, and review a wide range of commercial agreements such as programming acquisition contracts, advertising sales agreements, and marketing arrangements.
• Act as the first point of contact for the Country Head of Africa on all legal matters, offering timely advice and transactional support for daily operations.
• Work closely with regional EMEA lawyers to address specialised areas of law and support cross-border transactions involving media distribution and consumer products.
• Support local productions by collaborating with central production legal teams to ensure all contractual obligations are met efficiently.
• Advise on regulatory compliance issues related to competition law, consumer protection, data privacy, and digital streaming services across multiple jurisdictions.
• Manage relationships with external counsel when required, overseeing budgets and ensuring cost-effective delivery of legal services.
• Maintain accurate records of transactions in both local and regional databases to facilitate transparency and effective knowledge management.
• Participate actively in business meetings with senior executives to provide up-to-date legal insights and contribute to strategic decision-making.

What you bring:

To excel as Senior Legal Counsel in this prominent entertainment group’s African division, you will bring substantial experience gained from similar roles where you have provided nuanced legal advice within fast-evolving sectors such as television or digital media. Your background should reflect deep familiarity with contract law—especially drafting bespoke agreements—and navigating complex regulatory environments spanning multiple territories. You are adept at translating technical legal information into actionable guidance for business partners who may not have a legal background. Your interpersonal skills enable you to foster trust quickly among diverse stakeholders while resolving conflicts amicably. A methodical approach ensures your work remains meticulous even when managing competing priorities or tight timelines. Experience working collaboratively within cross-functional teams—often bridging cultural differences—is vital. If you possess additional language skills such as French or have worked extensively on pan-African projects before, these attributes will further enhance your contribution.

• Qualified attorney with 10-15 years' PQE.
• Extensive experience providing legal counsel at a senior level within media or digital industries, ideally encompassing television or streaming platforms.
• Proven expertise in drafting complex commercial contracts from scratch tailored to new business challenges or emerging market trends.
• Strong organisational skills enabling effective prioritisation of tasks while managing a dynamic portfolio of contracts under tight deadlines.
• In-depth understanding of different contractual types and structures relevant to entertainment businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate intricate legal concepts clearly to non-legal stakeholders at all levels within an organisation.
• Experience managing government stakeholders as well as external counsel relationships including budget oversight responsibilities.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks affecting media operations not only in South Africa but also other African countries is highly desirable.
• Track record of building positive relationships quickly with colleagues from varied backgrounds while facilitating win-win outcomes during negotiations or conflict resolution situations.
• French language proficiency would be advantageous though not essential for success in this role.

What sets this company apart:

The company fosters an inclusive workplace where knowledge sharing is encouraged through supportive leadership focused on personal growth. Employees benefit from flexible working opportunities designed around modern lifestyles along with exposure to international best practices via close collaboration with colleagues worldwide. Here you’ll find a culture that values integrity, respect for diversity, continuous learning opportunities—and above all—a shared passion for bringing joy to audiences everywhere through innovative content delivery.