Legal Officer (Lands Department)

Legal Officer (Lands Department)

Brief Description

Bridge International Academies is looking for an energetic, dynamic individual with extensive experience in conveyancing to support the Lands Department / Unit at BIA. Because of the projected growth, the company is continuously looking for land where the schools will be build. ALL over the Country in due course. It is the role of the Legal Officer to ensure that we are compliant in as far as Land transactions are concerned.

Description

Legal Officer (Lands Department)

Location: Nairobi with occasional travel

About Bridge International Academies

Bridge International Academies is a for-profit startup company revolutionizing education across Africa with a unique business model. The company runs a large-scale network of low-cost primary schools in Kenya that significantly outperforms other primary schools in the same areas because of our “school in a box” systems.

Our schools profitably deliver this high-quality education for less than $4 per child per month, which enable the schools to cover all their costs and create a profitable central organization at scale. We have launched 37 schools in Kenya, we will double in size in the next 6 months, and plan to rapidly scale the company to serve more than 1 million students across the continent.

About this position

Bridge International Academies is looking for an energetic, dynamic individual with extensive experience in conveyancing to support the Lands Department / Unit at BIA. Because of the projected growth, the company is continuously looking for land where the schools will be build. ALL over the Country in due course. It is the role of the Legal Officer to ensure that we are compliant in as far as Land transactions are concerned.

A central part of our operations includes the identification, verification, negotiation and purchase of plots of land for our schools – this might be inside a slum or in a low-income community on the edge of a town.

These plots sometimes have clouded title histories, but through our land identification and procurement process we must establish a certain amount of security -- understanding the previous ownership, other potential competing claims, titling possibility, issues with city / municipal council, lands office, etc.

To make these determinations and the actual purchase, the process may involve negotiations with local village elders, local government administration, and local landlords, and ultimately a sales or lease contract written with some or all of these participants. It is incumbent on the Legal Officer will ensure that all documentation in as far as the Land transactions are concerned are valid.

The Legal Officer will focus on the following elements which will include but not limited to:

Legal risk

Provide legal protection and risk management advice especially on legal information Reviewing and drafting contracts, agreements and internal policies and ensure they are in compliance with all statutory and legal requirements Reviewing all contracts and other documentation where BIA has committed itself and assessing legal implications that need to be brought to the attention of the Management Preparing, reviewing and modifying contractual instruments to support and assist and support various business activities Negotiating, reviewing and drafting documentation for business transactions and preparing and advising on necessary check lists to be adopted to ensure timely information is available for decision making Investigating the causes of litigation Reviewing any outstanding litigation and liaising with any external lawyers Develop a risk matrix on the implications of new projects Formulate compliance check lists to be used for the purpose of ensuring that all information is provided accordingly Continuously monitor compliance with statutory obligations e .g stamp duty and related issues that arise Ensuring that all licenses, agreements and agreements of BIA are valid and the legal contracts are renewed before expiry Ensuring safe custody of all legal documentation in order to maintain confidentiality Prepare monthly / quarterly / bi annual reports as required Possession of an LLB undergraduate degree and Diploma in Law Must be registered with a Professional body Possession of a minimum of 5 years experience in conveyancing Proven track record of developing comprehensive contract documents as a risk mitigation measure Excellent relationship management and communication skills necessary for interaction with negotiating parties Demonstrate knowledge of and experience with laws dealing with commercial contracts administration particularly contract negotiation , preparation and administration Ability to provide independent advice (orally and in writing) to management on highly technical matters Good planning and organizational skills Ability to delicately solve sensitive matters Ability to work for long hours Previous field experience desirable