Position: General Counsel – Village Enterprise
Location: Remote/Flexible (Global), with periodic international travel required (approximately 15–20%)
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer, with regular interaction and reporting to the Board of Directors and its Audit/Governance Committee
Department: Legal (Newly Established)
Position Type: Full-time, Executive Leadership
Compensation: USD 188K, commensurate with experience, plus benefits
Organization Overview:
Village Enterprise's mission is to end extreme poverty in rural Africa through entrepreneurship and innovation. Village Enterprise targets the poor, provides business training, seed capital/startup funds and on-going mentoring to over 10,000 new entrepreneurs to start 3,000 enterprises each year. Since its inception in 1987, Village Enterprise has started over 40,000 micro-enterprises.
Summary of the Role:
Village Enterprise seeks an experienced, strategic General Counsel to establish and lead the organization's first formal Legal Department. As the department's founding member, the General Counsel will operate as a hands-on practitioner as much as a strategist - personally handling day-to-day legal work in addition to setting the long-term legal strategy. This executive-level role will serve as Village Enterprise's lead legal advisor, responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive legal framework that supports Village Enterprise's global operations across Africa and the United States.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Establish and Lead the Legal Department - Lead legal strategy, policies, and operating procedures; build and manage a legal team; develop contract management and compliance monitoring systems.
2. Legal Advisory and Governance - Serve as primary legal advisor to CEO, Executive Team, and Board; draft, review, negotiate agreements including donor contracts, partnership agreements, sub-awards, technology agreements, data-sharing agreements.
3. Regulatory and Compliance Oversight - Advise on compliance across jurisdictions (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, UK, US); lead U.S. nonprofit obligations including IRS 501(c)(3) compliance; oversee safeguarding, anti-corruption, sanctions compliance, privacy and data protection.
4. Risk Management - Partner with CFO on risk management framework; manage litigation, disputes, investigations, and outside counsel relationships.
5. Employment and Labour Law - Provide guidance on employment matters across multiple jurisdictions; advise on executive employment agreements, employee relations, investigations.
6. Donor, Programmatic, and Field Operations Support - Advise on legal compliance for program implementation, research activities, and field operations; support due diligence for partners, vendors, and subcontractors.
Required Qualifications:
- Law degree (JD, LLB, or equivalent) from an ABA-accredited law school or equivalent recognized institution, and active bar membership
- Minimum 10–15 years of legal experience, including at least 5 years in a senior in-house counsel or general counsel role
- Significant experience advising multi-jurisdictional, mission-driven organizations
- Proven ability to build and lead a legal function
- Demonstrated proficiency in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contracts, grants, and other agreements
Preferred:
- Experience as General Counsel or Deputy General Counsel of a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization with international operations
- Familiarity with IRS nonprofit regulations and international grant compliance
- Experience with FCDO, World Bank, or other major donor frameworks
- Experience with innovative financing structures (e.g., DIBs, RBF)
HOW TO APPLY:
Interested and qualified candidates who meet the set criteria are invited to send their Cover Letter and CV (Maximum 3 pages) including 3 referees, on the online platform.
https://villageenterprise.careers.flair.hr/positions/a78Jw00000E5KE9IAN