Regional Legal Counsel

Job Posting Organization:
CIMMYT is a cutting-edge, non-profit, international organization dedicated to solving tomorrow's problems today. Established with a mission to improve the quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and associated crops, CIMMYT employs applied agricultural science to enhance the livelihoods of millions of resource-poor farmers. The organization operates primarily in the Global South and focuses on building strong partnerships to create a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agrifood system within planetary boundaries. For more information, visit cimmyt.org.

Job Overview:
The Regional Legal Counsel serves as an in-house lawyer providing comprehensive legal support for all CIMMYT operations in the region. This role involves advising on contracts, legal transactions, risk assessment, regulatory compliance, and other relevant matters to ensure effective legal coverage across the region. The position is crucial for delivering legal services throughout CIMMYT’s regional operations, ensuring that all legal aspects are managed efficiently and effectively. The Regional Legal Counsel will execute and coordinate end-to-end contract lifecycle management, which includes drafting, reviewing, negotiating, amending, and archiving legal agreements such as grants, contracts, NDAs, and leases. The role also requires providing practical, business-oriented legal advice across multiple jurisdictions, covering various legal matters including corporate, regulatory, labor, tax, administrative, criminal, and litigation issues. Additionally, the counsel will support compliance and case management activities, ensuring that all legal requests are tracked, documented, and reported in a timely manner.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Execute 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.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice across multiple jurisdictions, covering corporate, regulatory, labor, tax, administrative, criminal, and litigation matters.
• Support compliance and case management activities, including tracking, documentation, reporting, and timely closure of cases using dashboards and KPI tools.
• Advise internal departments (Research, Finance, HR, Procurement, and Operations) on day-to-day legal matters to ensure compliance, risk mitigation, and operational efficiency.
• Participate in the implementation and monitoring of compliance programs, including policy alignment, training activities, and internal communications.
• Act as a legal focal point between regional teams and Headquarters, ensuring consistency in policy interpretation and visibility of legal risks.
• Research and analyze applicable laws, treaties, and regulations; draft legal opinions, memoranda, and other legal documents to ensure compliance across jurisdictions.
• Ensure monitoring and follow-up of legal requests and service tickets, providing timely updates and ensuring on-time completion.
• Support corporate governance activities, including powers of attorney, minutes, and statutory compliance obligations. 1
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and implement policies and procedures that ensure regulatory compliance and ethical practices. 1
• Provide strategic legal support to business operations and assist senior counsel on complex matters when required. 1
• Represent the Legal Department in internal and external forums and support stakeholder engagement. 1
• Develop and deliver training and educational materials to support institutional policies, procedures, and compliance awareness.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or LL.M. is required.
• Minimum 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.
• Experience in international non-profit, development, research, or agricultural research organizations is an advantage.
• Strong knowledge of regional legal frameworks and ability to work across complex multi-jurisdictional environments.
• Proven ability to provide practical and timely legal advice across all levels of the organization, balancing legal risk with operational needs.
• Strong experience managing high volumes of legal matters under pressure, prioritizing effectively and meeting tight deadlines.
• Excellent organizational, writing, and communication skills, with the ability to translate legal concepts into clear language for non-legal audiences.
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat) and willingness to learn new systems. 1
• High ethical standards with strong confidentiality and discretion. 1
• Strong attention to detail, sense of urgency, and ability to deliver accurate results with consistent follow-up. 1
• Excellent communication skills for effective interaction with internal and external stakeholders.

Educational Background:
A Master’s degree or LL.M. is required for this position, indicating a high level of education and expertise in legal matters. This educational background is essential for understanding complex legal frameworks and providing sound legal advice.

Experience:
The position requires a minimum of eight (8) years of experience as in-house legal counsel in similar roles. This experience should preferably be in multijurisdictional or regional environments, indicating a need for familiarity with various legal systems and practices. Experience in regulatory and compliance matters is highly desirable, as well as experience in international non-profit, development, research, or agricultural research organizations, which would provide valuable context for the legal challenges faced by CIMMYT.

Languages:
Proficiency in English at a C2 level is required and will be assessed. This level of proficiency is necessary for effective communication and legal documentation. Additional language skills may be beneficial but are not specified as mandatory.

Additional Notes:
The position is for an initial fixed-term contract of 12 months, after which further employment is subject to performance and the continued availability of funds. CIMMYT offers an attractive remuneration package, including health insurance. This position is recruited locally, and applicants must have the legal right to work in Kenya at the time of application. CIMMYT does not provide visa sponsorship or work permit support for locally recruited staff roles. It is important to note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted. CIMMYT is an equal opportunity employer that fosters a multicultural work environment valuing gender equality, teamwork, and respect for diversity. Women are encouraged to apply.