Job Title: Principal Legal Counsel
Hiring Organization: United
States International University-Africa
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: Education
Job Type: Full
Time
Salary: KES
Date Posted: 05/09/2024
In line with our commitment to providing quality, affordable education through world-class service delivery platforms, USIU-Africa is seeking to recruit a suitable and qualified candidate for the following position:
Principal
Legal Counsel
Job summary:
The ideal
candidate should be a qualified lawyer with a minimum of 10 years’ legal
experience, the first 3-4 years should preferably have been gleaned in private
practice in a well – established law firm. A strong background in intellectual
property rights and research is desired to provide the necessary legal and
technical support required to steer the university in its quest to become a
teaching and research institution.
This
position will report to the Director-Legal Services, and the primary emphasis
will be on legal aspects of the university’s sponsored research programs,
including compliance with legal and regulatory requirements as well as
intellectual property and technology transfer matters.
Key
Responsibilities/Tasks/Duties:
The
selected candidate will have responsibility for providing support to the
Director-Legal Services, research administrators, and for recommending and
working with external counsel when needed. Key requirements for this position
include experience in the management of:-
- Sponsored
projects compliance, including administrative requirements, cost
principles, audit requirements, special terms and conditions, contracts,
and sponsor audits;
- Substantive
research compliance areas, including human subjects’ research, animal care
and use, research misconduct, and export controls;
- Conflicts
of interest in the research context;
- Research-related
agreements, such as sponsored research agreements, non-disclosure
agreements, teaming agreements, research collaboration agreements, data
use agreements, material transfer agreements, and sub-awards, including
negotiations with sponsoring agencies;
- Procurement
issues related to sponsored projects;
- Intellectual
property and technology transfer and licensing matters, including
familiarity with the negotiation and review of intellectual property terms
in sponsored research.
- The
selected candidate will also work with the Partnerships & External
Linkages Department, respective Schools and the Research office on the
following matters: –
Review of
legal templates for SLAs, MoUs and sub-awards.
Corporate sponsored research, joint ventures, and strategic alliances;
Start-ups, start-up equity, government commercialization funding; Conflicts of
interest.
The
ideal candidate will also have experience in the following areas: –
- Privacy,
including access to data and other legal requirements for research
purposes, and protection of data collected in the course of performing
research;
- Familiarity
with copyright law, including drafting and negotiating copyright licenses
and assignment agreements, advising on fair use and other copyright law
exceptions; understanding of copyright law issues with respect to the
online environment; &
- Familiarity
with trademark law, including trademark clearance and prior art searches
and the ability to assist with trademark applications and renewals.
- Familiarity
with Budgeting, including assisting with development of long-term
integrated and cross-functional operational plans.
- Familiarity
with Strategic Planning with ability to operationalize strategy into
action for the Legal Function.
- Familiarity
with company secretarial work, including advising Boards on Strategy,
Compliance and Governance issues.
- Academic
& Professional Qualifications
- A
Bachelor’s Degree in law (LLB) and a CPS (K).
- An
Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a valid Practising Certificate
and a member in good standing with the Law Society of Kenya;
- A
certified Public Secretary with a valid Practising certificate and a
member in good standing with the Institute of Certified Secretaries (ICS).
- Experience
working in-house and additional qualifications in Organisational
Development and/or Strategic Planning will be an added advantage.
Key
Competencies
- Have
proven interpersonal skills;
- Executive
disposition;
- Management
and leadership qualities;
- Possess
excellent oral and written communication skills;
- Computer
literate;
- Good
organizational skills;
- Discretion
for working with confidential information; &
- Ability
to work independently within established procedures and policies.
How To
Apply
If you
have the requisite qualifications and experience and desire to work as a team
member in a modern, progressive, international, and multicultural institution
where you can make a difference, please apply indicating in the subject line
“Principal Legal Counsel”. Interested applicants must provide a cover letter
and a current CV, certified copies of educational certificates and transcripts,
names and addresses of three referees (two of whom must be your current and
previous employer), current salary and benefits, telephone and e-mail contacts
by 5.00pm, Sunday, May 19, 2024 to:
Director,
Human Resource,
United States International University – Africa,
P. O. Box 14634-00800, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: jobs-legal@usiu.ac.ke