Overview
Legal Director Jobs in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire at GSM – Green SM
Title: Legal Director
Company: GSM – Green SM
Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
Role: Legal Director – Côte d’Ivoire
GSM (Green SM) – Vingroup-backed EV Mobility Platform
- Reports to: General Manager – Côte d’Ivoire (functional line to the Vingroup Legal Centre)
- Team: Builds and leads the in-market legal and compliance team
- Location: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Travel: Mostly within the market; periodic travel to HQ and regional gatherings
Build the legal and regulatory foundation for Côte d’Ivoire’s first all-electric ride-hailing launch.
About GSM
GSM (Green SM) is building the world’s first fully electric ride-hailing platform – reinventing how people move through cities, one clean ride at a time. Our scope is global and our model is unusually broad: we operate at the intersection of electric vehicle solutions, vehicle financing, EV charging and depot infrastructure, technology development, and ride-hailing. In under three years we have become one of the fastest-scaling players in our markets, and we are now bringing our all-electric service to Africa, beginning with Côte d’Ivoire.
The role
You will lead all legal, regulatory, and governance matters for GSM in Côte d’Ivoire, and you will be the strategic legal partner to the General Manager and the in-market leadership team. Ours is a heavily regulated business in a complex environment – dual-entity structuring, transport and platform licensing, local-shareholding rules, financing arrangements, charging permits, and data protection all have to be built correctly from the start.
You will set up the legal foundations of the market, not inherit them, and then keep the business compliant and protected as it grows. You will work in close partnership with the Vingroup Legal Centre and our global legal teams, and manage the external counsel relationships on the ground.
What you’ll own
Legal strategy and advisory – Be the primary legal partner to the General Manager and leadership on all legal, regulatory, and compliance matters – Anticipate legal risks and propose practical solutions that keep the launch and the growth plan moving
Entity setup and corporate structure – Lead the legal design and incorporation of the operating structure, including the separate transport and platform entities and the local-shareholding arrangements – Draft and negotiate the shareholders’ agreement and the governance that preserves GSM’s control within the rules
Licensing and regulatory approvals – Drive the transport (VTC) and ride-hailing platform licensing, charging authorisations, and any investment-incentive approvals – Interpret and apply Ivorian and OHADA law to the business, and design the compliance checklists the market runs on
Contracts and legal documentation – Oversee the drafting, negotiation, and review of leases, partner agreements, driver engagement terms, vendor and commercial contracts – Ensure every contract fits company strategy, risk appetite, and local regulatory requirements
Compliance, governance and risk – Build and monitor the compliance framework, including data protection, labour and driver-classification rules, and corporate governance – Continuously monitor regulatory change that affects the business and provide mitigation strategies
Team and external counsel – Build and lead the in-market legal team from a standing start – Act as the central point of contact with external law firms, regulators, and authorities, and run legal awareness across the local organisation
Who you are
You’re a senior legal operator who builds. You’ve set up or scaled the legal function of a business before, and you’re comfortable creating structures and playbooks from scratch rather than maintaining ones someone else built.
You know Ivorian and OHADA law deeply. You understand the local regulatory environment and how things actually get approved here, and you bring relationships with the right firms and authorities.
You’re commercial, not just technical. You give advice that lets the business move, framing risk in terms leaders can act on, and you know when to push and when to protect.
You’re calm in ambiguity. Regulated, fast-moving market entry comes with unclear rules and real pressure. You make defensible calls without perfect information and stand behind them.
You lead and influence well. You can sit across from a regulator or a group board member and represent GSM credibly, and you build a capable team and external network around you.
What you bring
- Fluent French and working English
- Qualified to practice law in Côte d’Ivoire (or the OHADA region), with a strong grounding in Ivorian and OHADA frameworks
- 10+ years of legal experience, including a senior leadership role (Legal Director, Head of Legal, or equivalent)
- Deep expertise across corporate, regulatory, commercial contracts, compliance, and governance
- Experience in regulated sectors – mobility, transport, ride-hailing, logistics, energy, fintech, telecom, or tech-enabled services
- An established local network of authorities, regulators, and external counsel
- Based in or ready to relocate to Abidjan
Things that would make us excited
- Direct experience with transport or platform licensing, financial-services regulation, or data-protection regimes in the region
- Experience standing up legal entities or leading market entry in Côte d’Ivoire or West Africa
- In-house experience at a high-growth technology, marketplace, or mobility company
- A background in a top law firm, a startup, or both
What we offer
- Build the legal foundation of a category-defining launch – the country’s first all-electric ride-hailing service
- Real ownership of the legal function from day one, on genuinely novel regulatory questions
- EV mobility frontier – work at the intersection of vehicles, financing, infrastructure, and platform services
- Direct visibility to senior leadership – your work is seen and supported at the highest level
- Competitive compensation with relocation and local allowance support
How to apply
Submit your CV to: [email protected]
