General Manager: Legal and Governance

Overview

General Manager: Legal and Governance Jobs in Johannesburg Metropolitan Area at ZEDA Limited

Title: General Manager: Legal and Governance

Company: ZEDA Limited

Location: Johannesburg Metropolitan Area

Core purpose of the role

The General Manager: Legal and Governance serves as a strategic legal partner to the business, providing leadership and expert legal guidance to support ZEDA’s operations across Sub-Saharan Africa. The role is responsible for safeguarding the organisation’s legal and regulatory position by ensuring robust governance, proactive risk management, and compliance with applicable laws and corporate governance standards.

Working closely with the General Counsel and executive leadership, the incumbent enables sustainable business growth by delivering commercially astute legal advice on complex corporate, regulatory, transactional and operational matters. The role balances legal risk with business priorities while protecting the organisation’s reputation and ensuring that governance practices align with leading standards and regulatory requirements.

The General Manager: Legal and Governance leads the delivery of high-quality legal services to the business, oversees key legal risk areas including corporate law, competition law, mergers and acquisitions, finance and banking law, technology and digital law, intellectual property, and consumer protection, and contributes to the development of a strong governance and compliance culture across the organisation.

Key deliverables and outputs

Legal Strategy and Leadership

• Develop and implement the group’s legal strategy, aligning it with overall business objectives
• Lead, mentor, and manage the legal team, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous professional development
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior management and the board on complex legal matters.

Risk Management and Compliance

• Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate legal and regulatory risks across all business functions
• Develop and implement a robust corporate compliance program, ensuring adherence to local and international laws, standards, and corporate governance principles (including King IV)
• Manage and oversee all litigation and dispute resolution matters, working closely with external counsel to achieve favorable outcomes.

Contract and Commercial Management

• Oversee the drafting, review, and negotiation of all major contracts, agreements, and other legal documents to safeguard the company’s interests
• Develop and maintain a central repository for all legal documentation
• Advise on legal aspects of new products, services, and business initiatives.

Corporate Governance and Secretariat

• Ensure the group’s corporate governance structures and practices are compliant and effective
• Provide support to the General Counsel and, where necessary, the Company Secretariat on board and committee matters.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal stakeholders across all departments, providing practical, commercially minded legal advice
• Manage relationships with and performance of external legal firms and other professional advisors to ensure cost-effective and high-quality services.

Internal and External Stakeholders

The role requires close engagement and collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders.

Internal Stakeholders

All business units, MANCO, EXCO.

External Stakeholders

Customers, Product vendors, software providers, and strategic suppliers, Industry bodies, regulatory entities, and innovation networks.

Academic Qualifications

Essential:

• LLB degree (Admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa)
• Valid driver’s license
• Valid passport.

Advantageous:

• A postgraduate qualification in business administration (MBA) or a related field would be an advantage.

Note: This role may be required to travel from time to time. This role may be required to work overtime/after hours from time to time.

Work Experience

Essential:

• 10 – 15 Years’ Admitted Attorney or Advocate of the High Court of South Africa with a minimum
• of 10–15 years post-admission experience in corporate and commercial law gained within a large corporate environment, multinational organisation, or a reputable commercial law firm
• At least 5 years in a senior management or leadership role within an in-house legal department or professional services environment, with demonstrated responsibility for managing legal teams and overseeing complex legal portfolios
• Extensive experience providing strategic legal advice to executive leadership, enabling commercially sound decision-making while ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory, and governance requirements
• Demonstrated experience advising on corporate and commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, complex commercial agreements, financing arrangements, and cross-border transactions
• Proven experience in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and risk management, including practical application of the Companies Act, King IV, and relevant regulatory frameworks
• Significant experience overseeing litigation, dispute resolution, and regulatory matters, including management of external counsel and legal budgets
• Strong experience in contract governance and commercial negotiation, including high-value or strategically important agreements
• Demonstrated ability to identify and mitigate legal and regulatory risks across diverse business operations, including advising on compliance frameworks and governance structures
• Experience working in a multi-jurisdictional environment or across African markets, with the ability to navigate complex regulatory landscapes and support regional operations
• Proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional stakeholders, including executive leadership, operational teams, and external advisors, while balancing legal risk with commercial imperatives
• Strong track record of building high-performing legal teams, improving legal processes, and driving operational efficiency within the legal function.

Advantageous:

• 0-5 Years’ Experience within the automotive, mobility, fleet management, leasing, financial services, or asset-heavy industries
• Exposure to listed company environments, including governance structures involving board and committee reporting
• Experience supporting Sub-Saharan African or other multi-jurisdictional operations.
• Exposure to competition law, consumer protection, digital/technology law, and intellectual property matters relevant to modern commercial operations.

This job requires that the employee maintains the highest level of Honesty and Integrity as he /she will have access to company assets, cash handling and confidential record storage areas. This requires that a formal personal background check is undertaken.

If you have not heard anything from us after 2 weeks of applying, please consider your application unsuccessful. Applications closing date 19/08/2026