Role Purpose

The Senior Legal Counsel will safeguard AIMS’s legal and regulatory framework, ensuring continuity, clarity, and protection where services rely on internal platforms, external platforms, or legacy arrangements.

You will become the subject matter expert on the complex legal frameworks underpinning agreements with Sanlam, Glacier, and other third parties—interpreting, negotiating, and drafting a wide range of agreements in support of AIMS’s investment distribution and portfolio management activities.

Key Accountabilities:

Technical Legal Expertise

• Providing authoritative interpretations of contracts linked to the sale of Absa’s investment management businesses to Sanlam and the transfer of AIMS’s LISP to Glacier

• Managing the legal framework supporting AIMS’s Category II discretionary businesses

• Drafting, negotiating, and maintaining:

  • Portfolio/Investment Management Agreements

  • Bespoke product structures (notes, fund‑linked solutions, cross‑entity arrangements)

  • Technology and platform contracts

  • Advisor and distribution agreements

  • SLAs (internal and external)

• Ensuring operational documents (mandates, investment instructions, model portfolio governance, advice records) are legally enforceable

• Embedding FAIS, discretionary FSP and mandate‑based requirements into client and operational documentation

• Ensuring alignment between contracts, forms, operational processes and regulatory disclosures

• Managing ongoing change control through the Forms Management process

• Providing clear legal guidance on complex, multi‑party issues

Legal Risk Management

• Deliver proactive, commercially grounded legal advice

• Strengthen the legal risk control framework and embed best practice

• Translate legal concepts into practical guidance for the business

• Monitor legal compliance and escalate breaches

• Identify opportunities to optimise risk processes and documentation

Commercial Advisory

• Offer clear, concise and commercially relevant legal advice

• Ensure agreements reflect latest legal developments, templates and precedents

• Negotiate and review contracts to ensure all legal and commercial risks are addressed

• Conduct legal due diligence

• Incorporate financial, regulatory and operational requirements into all documents

• Take principal responsibility for standard terms and templates

Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership

• Act as the primary legal advisor to senior stakeholders within AIMS

• Build strong relationships across Legal, Risk, Compliance, Product, Operations and Secretariat

• Represent Absa in industry forums and engagements with external counsel

• Provide training to business partners on legal and regulatory concepts

• Communicate complex issues simply and with influence

Teamwork & Legal Leadership

• Mentor junior legal team members

• Support the creation of best‑practice frameworks and structures

• Champion Absa values and promote Legal’s role across the business

• Participate actively in Legal initiatives and workstreams

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

• B Juris / B Proc / LLB (or equivalent)

• Admitted Attorney or Advocate (RSA or equivalent jurisdiction)

• 8–10 years PQE with strong commercial and financial services expertise

Preferred

• In‑house financial services experience

• Strong understanding of banking, investment and insurance products

Personal Attributes

We are looking for someone who is:

• Highly organised, detail‑oriented and commercially astute

• An exceptional communicator and negotiator

• Able to work under pressure, manage a fluid workload and deliver at pace

• A collaborative team player with strong interpersonal skills

• Known for integrity, reliability and sound judgement

• Able to provide pragmatic commercial advice within legal boundaries

Why Join Absa?

At Absa, we empower our people to bring possibilities to life. In this role, you will shape the legal foundation of a key investment pillar within the Group—making a meaningful impact across our business, partners and clients.