Legal and Compliance Officer

Old Mutual is seeking a seasoned Legal and Compliance Officer to join their team in Johannesburg. This role is pivotal in ensuring the organisation's adherence to the evolving legal and regulatory landscape across South Africa. The successful candidate will play a crucial part in upholding Old Mutual's commitment to integrity and robust governance, contributing to the company's ongoing narrative on the African continent.

About the Role

This position demands a proactive individual adept at navigating the complexities of corporate law and compliance. You will be the cornerstone for establishing and maintaining a strong culture of regulatory adherence throughout the organisation. A key aspect of this role involves proactive monitoring of legislative changes, assessing their implications for Old Mutual's operations, and ensuring that internal frameworks are updated and effectively implemented. This includes staying abreast of and ensuring compliance with critical South African legislation such as the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA), and the Companies Act.

Beyond monitoring, the role extends to the practical application of these regulations. You will be responsible for developing, drafting, and updating a suite of internal compliance policies, procedural manuals, and standard operating procedures. This ensures that all employees are guided by clear, up-to-date directives. Furthermore, the Legal and Compliance Officer will conduct vital due diligence processes on both prospective and existing clients, safeguarding the organisation against potential risks.

The scope of responsibilities also includes providing comprehensive legal support. This means drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide array of contractual documents. These can range from loan and equity term sheets, loan approval and decline letters, and loan agreements to intricate security and collateral documents like suretyship, cession, and guarantee agreements. You will also be involved with quasi-equity and equity documentation, including share subscription agreements and shareholders agreements, as well as service level agreements and various memoranda of understanding, cooperation, and partnership agreements. A crucial task is confirming all condition precedents and special conditions before the disbursement of loan funds.

The Legal and Compliance Officer will undertake a broad spectrum of duties to mitigate legal and operational risks. This includes managing litigation support, which involves coordinating with external attorneys, particularly in collection matters. A significant part of the role is dedicated to risk assessment and reporting. You will conduct regular audits to identify potential legal and operational vulnerabilities, and critically, you will report your findings directly to senior management and the Board, providing clear insights and actionable recommendations.

To embed a culture of compliance, a key responsibility will be to develop and deliver comprehensive training programmes for staff. These programmes will educate employees on their compliance obligations, ethical standards, and relevant legal procedures, ensuring a well-informed workforce. In the realm of Anti-Money Laundering (AML), you will be instrumental in establishing and reinforcing a strong culture of compliance throughout the organisation. This involves assisting in the development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of compliance risk management and monitoring plans, complete with detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs). You will also actively contribute to the development and implementation of effective mitigating actions for key AML risks that are identified.

The role requires a sharp mind for problem-solving. You must be able to identify legal and compliance risks accurately, propose practical and workable solutions to minimise or eliminate these risks, and suggest and implement improvements to existing work processes. Strong communication is paramount; you will need excellent verbal communication skills for active listening, building rapport, and de-escalating situations with potentially frustrated stakeholders. Exceptional written communication skills are essential for drafting error-free correspondence, internal memos, and executive briefing notes. Communicating complex technical legal concepts to non-technical stakeholders and cross-functional teams will be a regular requirement, demanding persuasive and confident articulation.

What They're Looking For

Old Mutual seeks candidates with a solid educational foundation, ideally holding a BCom Law, an LLB degree, or a relevant postgraduate qualification in risk and compliance management. Professional certifications are highly valued, such as being an Admitted Attorney or Advocate, or possessing a Compliance Institute of South Africa (CISA) designation.

Experience is key, with a minimum of three to five years in a corporate legal, risk, or compliance role being preferred. Experience within a similar financial services sector would be a distinct advantage. Essential skills include strong legal drafting capabilities, deep analytical acumen, and an unwavering sense of moral integrity. The ability to interpret complex legislation and translate it into practical, actionable business advice is also critical.

Competencies that align with Old Mutual's values are sought, including collaboration, a customer-centric approach, effective execution, innovation, leadership through influence, and personal mastery focused on continuous learning. Beyond these, strong analytical abilities are necessary, with comfort in working with metrics and driving data-driven decisions. IT literacy, particularly in MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, is a given. You should also demonstrate strong stakeholder management skills, capable of engaging effectively with both internal and external parties up to senior management levels, and forge tactical partnerships for successful project delivery. The ability to work effectively under pressure is also a key requirement.

In South Africa, roles like this, requiring specialized legal and compliance expertise within the financial sector, can command competitive salaries, often ranging from R450,000 to R700,000 per annum or more, depending on experience and the specific responsibilities. Employers often include major financial institutions, insurance companies, and banking groups, with potential for career progression into senior compliance, risk management, or legal counsel positions.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Education: BCom Law, LLB degree, and/or a relevant postgraduate qualification in risk and compliance management.
• Certifications: Certifications such as an Admitted Attorney/Advocate or a Compliance Institute of South Africa (CISA) designation.
• Experience: 3 to 5 years of experience in a corporate legal, risk, or compliance role, ideally within a similar sector.
• Skills: Excellent legal drafting capabilities, deep analytical skills, strong moral integrity, and the ability to interpret complex legislation into practical business advice.

Competencies:

• Collaboration (Relating)
• Customer First
• Execution
• Innovation (Perspective)
• Leading with Influence
• Personal Mastery (Learning)
• Strategic

Additional Role Requirements:

• Strong analytical ability: comfortable with metrics and able to drive others toward data driven decisions
• Strong IT literacy with good MS Excel, MS Word and MS PowerPoint skills
• Strong stakeholder management (internal and external) up to senior management level
• Form tactical partnerships for delivery and execution
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work under pressure

 

A This role is responsible for ensuring that the organization adheres to external laws, industry regulations, and internal policies. The incumbent will mitigate legal risks, draft and review contracts, oversee governance programs, and train staff to foster a compliant work culture.

Skills

Competencies

Communicates Effectively

Courage

Decision Quality

Ensures Accountability

Instills Trust

Manages Complexity

Optimizes Work Processes

Persuades

Education

Bachelor Of Laws (LLB): Law (Required)

Closing Date

29 July 2026 , 23:59

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

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