The Regional Legal Counsel is an in-house lawyer who provides comprehensive legal support for all CIMMYT operations in the region. This position advises on contracts, legal transactions, risk assessment, regulatory compliance, and all other matters relevant to the department. The role ensures effective legal coverage across the region and contributes to the delivery of legal services throughout CIMMYT\u2019s regional operations.<\/p>\n
\tExecute and coordinate end-to-end contract lifecycle management, including drafting, review, negotiation, amendment, quality control, and archiving of legal agreements such as grants, contracts, NDAs, leases, and other instruments across the Region.
\n\tProvide practical, business-oriented legal advice across multiple jurisdictions, covering corporate, regulatory, labor, tax, administrative, criminal, and litigation matters.
\n\tSupport compliance and case management activities, including tracking, documentation, reporting, and timely closure of cases using dashboards and KPI tools.
\n\tAdvise internal departments (Research, Finance, HR, Procurement, and Operations) on day-to-day legal matters to ensure compliance, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency.
\n\tParticipate in the implementation and monitoring of compliance programs, including policy alignment, training activities, and internal communications.
\n\tAct as a legal focal point between regional teams and Headquarters, ensuring consistency in policy interpretation and visibility of legal risks.
\n\tResearch and analyze applicable laws, treaties, and regulations; draft legal opinions, memoranda, and other legal documents to ensure compliance across jurisdictions.
\n\tEnsure monitoring and follow-up of legal requests and service tickets, providing timely updates and ensuring on-time completion.
\n\tSupport corporate governance activities, including powers of attorney, minutes, and statutory compliance obligations.
\n\tCollaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement policies and procedures that ensure regulatory compliance and ethical practices.
\n\tProvide strategic legal support to business operations and assist senior counsel on complex matters when required.
\n\tRepresent the Legal Department in internal and external forums and support stakeholder engagement.
\n\tDevelop and deliver training and educational materials to support institutional policies, procedures, and compliance awareness.<\/p>\n
Requirements<\/p>\n
\tMaster\u2019s degree or LL.M. is required.
\n\tMinimum of eight (8) years of experience as in-house legal counsel in similar roles, preferably in multijurisdictional or regional environments. Experience in regulatory and compliance matters is highly desirable.
\n\tExperience in international non-profit, development, research, or agricultural research organizations is an advantage.
\n\tStrong knowledge of regional legal frameworks and ability to work across complex multi-jurisdictional environments.
\n\tProven ability to provide practical and timely legal advice across all levels of the organization, balancing legal risk with operational needs.
\n\tStrong experience managing high volumes of legal matters under pressure, prioritizing effectively and meeting tight deadlines.
\n\tExcellent organizational, writing, and communication skills, with ability to translate legal concepts into clear language for non-legal audiences.
\n\tStrong computer skills (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat) and willingness to learn new systems.
\n\tHigh ethical standards with strong confidentiality and discretion.
\n\tStrong attention to detail, sense of urgency, and ability to deliver accurate results with consistent follow-up.
\n\tExcellent communication skills for effective interaction with internal and external stakeholders.
\n\tProficiency in English (C2 level required and assessed).
\n\tAbility to maintain strict confidentiality and professional discretion.
\n\tDemonstrated competencies in time management, adaptability, teamwork, customer orientation, proactivity, problem-solving, and multicultural awareness.<\/p>\n
Apply Through:<\/p>\n
apply.workable.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_promoted":"","_job_location":"","_application":"http:\/\/apply.workable.com","_company_name":"International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)","_company_website":"http:\/\/www.cimmyt.org","_company_tagline":"The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish acronym, CIMMYT\u00c2\u00ae, is a not-for-profit research and training organization with partners in over 100 countries. Please refer to our website for more information: www.cimmyt.org","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_filled":0,"_featured":0,"_remote_position":0,"_job_salary":"","_job_salary_currency":"","_job_salary_unit":""},"job_listing_region":[692],"job-categories":[724,1376,702],"job-types":[689],"class_list":["post-97008","job_listing","type-job_listing","status-publish","hentry","job_listing_region-nairobi","job-type-contract"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings\/97008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-listings"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/job_listing"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"job_listing_region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job_listing_region?post=97008"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-categories?post=97008"},{"taxonomy":"job_listing_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jobs.dataaxisnode.com\/kenya\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/job-types?post=97008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}