Legal Officer at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)

The Legal Officer at International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will manage institutional research and operational contracts, take charge of and manage the unit’s repositories and databases for efficient provision of legal services to ILRI’s research and operational teams and provide general support to the legal unit in compliance related matters.

Key Responsibilities

Contracts management and research support

Review and approve institutional contracts in line with ILRI and CGIAR policies and applicable legal requirements
Oversee the sign-off and dispatch process for institutional contracts ensuring that complete and fully signed contracts are in place and properly filed as required
Review due diligence checklists required by donors and/or partners for completeness and provide research teams with required information and documents to facilitate this process

Legal and corporate compliance

Oversee and ensure timely and accurate completion, updates and renewals of all hosting services agreements
Manage certification, notarization and authentication of documents
Co-ordinate the process of adjudication and settlement of legal claims and cases with external and internal stakeholders
Conduct research on emerging legal issues and advise management on any related legal risks and/or required measures to ensure full compliance
Prepare training materials for ILRI staff and management on emerging legal issues and conduct training where required
Maintain and update databases and repositories of contracts and key ILRI and Kapiti institutional/legal documents especially in relation to assets records, policies, procedures, legal disputes, lab notebooks and other institutional records ensuring the databases are updated as required and properly organized for ease of retrieval of documents
Manage day to day requests for templates and documents ensuring that the unit’s SharePoint materials are updated as required. Attend to clarifications and other queries raised through the legal service desk
Perform any other related duties as may be assigned from time to time to assist the Legal Unit achieve its mandate

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in law
Relevant professional certification
An advocate of the High Court of Kenya
Seven years’ relevant experience
Post-admission experience in an in-house legal team in a large corporate, an international organization or a busy law firm handling contracts, litigation and human resources related matters.
Demonstrate good grasp of relevant laws including but not limited to laws governing International non-profit organizations; Kenyan Law and the Constitution of Kenya 2010; Intellectual Property Law and related International Laws and Treaties, Labour Laws and Corporate governance.

Post location: Nairobi, Kenya

Terms of Appointment

This position is at job level HG 15 and it is only open to Kenyan nationals. The position is a 3-year contract, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and availability of funding. ILRI offers a competitive salary and benefits package which includes pension, medical and other insurances.

How to apply: Applicants should send a cover letter and CV expressing their interest in the position, what they can bring to the job and the names and addresses (including telephone and email) of three referees who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience to the Director, People and Organizational Development by clicking on the “Apply Now” tab above on or before 20 September 2024