Senior Legal Counsel

POSITION:            Senior Legal Counsel

LOCATION:           South Africa

JOB GRADING:    D Upper

Role Details

Gold Fields is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to join the Group Legal and Governance function. Reporting to the Managing Counsel South Africa, the successful candidate will be responsible for delivering a full range of legal services to support Gold Fields’ activities in South Africa, which includes our South Deep Gold Mine and corporate office in Johannesburg.  The Senior Legal Counsel support the broader legal function, through timeous commercial contract drafting and negotiation, ad hoc legal advice, management of disputes, incident management, safety compliance, corporate governance, and all related areas including projects

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide commercially focused legal advice across all areas of legal and regulatory risk affecting the South African business, including commercial contracts, procurement, and supply chain matters.


• Proactively identify legal risks, provide appropriate advice, and develop practical management strategies in collaboration with stakeholders.


• Support the broader legal function, including: contract drafting and negotiation, ad hoc legal advisory services, Dispute and incident management, safety compliance and corporate governance


• Review and advise on contracts across operational activities, including land access, mining rights, community agreements, and third-party engagements.


• Provide legal advice on mining rights, regulatory approvals, and permits, and support engagements with regulators in collaboration with the sustainable development function.


• Ensure compliance and appropriate record keeping relating to mining rights, including advising on challenges, claims, and regulatory issues.


• Work with external legal counsel, where required, to support high-value negotiations, projects, or disputes.


• Build strong relationships with internal stakeholders across operations, finance, contracts, sustainable development, people, and corporate affairs to align legal strategies with business objectives.


• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legal and regulatory developments impacting South African operations and provide proactive guidance on compliance.


• Support the implementation of Group Legal & Governance initiatives, including compliance programmes, ethics, and Code of Conduct requirements.


• Provide legal support and lead investigations where required, including matters arising from the Gold Fields Hotline, safety incidents, or regulatory complaints.


• Assist in the review and updating of legal and governance policies and procedures.


• Support and mentor junior team members, contributing to capability development within the legal function and broader business.

Key factors to your success include:

• Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or equivalent is required with an admission to practice law in South Africa.


• Minimum of 8 - 10 years of legal experience in a senior position, preferably within a large and complex organization, including time spent in the mining or resource extraction industry.


• Proven track record leading legal teams and managing complex legal projects and manage legal risk in a complex operational environment.


• Experience engaging with regulators and external legal counsel.


• Knowledge of applicable legislation and legal requirements for a mining company operating in South Africa.  Familiarity with legal requirements for JSE and NYSE listed entities will be beneficial. 


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build rapport and credibility with diverse stakeholders at all levels of the business.


• Strong leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and develop high-performing teams and excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen ability to attention to detail


• Ability to think strategically and align performance management practices with organizational goals.

Closing Date for Applications: 10 July 2026

Applications to be submitted via SuccessFactors by following this link:

Internal: https://performancemanager5.successfactors.eu/sf/jobreq?jobId=71184company=C0008741144P