Microsoft Corporate Attorney - Nairobi , Kenya

Microsoft has an immediate opportunity for an experienced attorney to join our Middle East Africa Legal and Corporate Affairs (LCA) team as the Legal Manager responsible for supporting our businesses in East and Southern Africa. The professional will act as a key partner to local business leadership and will oversee legal and compliance issues affecting Microsoft in countries in which it operates in the region. The position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
The attorney will work as part of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) LCA team that includes government affairs professionals, attorneys, investigators and administrators. MEA encompasses 75 nations. It is headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey.

Specific responsibilities of the position include:

Ensuring Microsoft is in compliance with all laws and regulations, in coordination with HR, Finance and the business leadership;
Supporting a wide array of commercial matters, including drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements, and providing advice across a broad range of subject matters including issues regarding intellectual property, competition law, marketing, and applicable regulatory matters;
Working effectively with the local business and broader regional and corporate teams to help analyze legal risks, resolve issues and improve overall business strategy;
Representing Microsoft in external forums on legal, regulatory, investigative and similar issues; and
Supporting local IP enforcement activities, litigation, and government investigations in close coordination with the regional LCA Director and other regional LCA personnel.

The successful candidate will have a law degree. He/she will have at least 8 years relevant experience as a commercial attorney. Experience in Africa and/or dealing with diverse cultures, is a plus. Fluency (written and spoken) in English is required.

Position Profile

Position: Legal Manager, East and Southern Africa
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Reporting to: LCA Director - West, East and Central Africa (WECA)

Key Areas of Responsibility:

The Legal Manager serves on the East and Southern Africa leadership team and acts as a general advisor to the leadership on all legal and compliance issues, in many instances addressing novel legal and regulatory questions as the technology business expands into new areas. This person coordinates with the LCA Director for WECA and other Microsoft regional LCA staff, LCA subsidiary leads, Microsoft subject-matter specialists and outside experts to ensure coverage of all legal and compliance matters.

The Legal Manager has primary responsibility for ensuring compliance of personnel in Microsoft businesses in the region with all relevant laws and regulations as well as with Microsoft policies.

The Legal Manager works with internal clients and colleagues on programmatic agreements which involve varying degrees of localization as part of Microsoft worldwide and local offerings and is also responsible for preparing and revising standard forms of agreement, including licensing and services contracts.

The Legal Manager assists internal clients to structure, prepare, negotiate and finalize agreements and letters of intent/memoranda of understanding and advises generally on the legal aspects of licensing, consulting and product support services, marketing, sales and distribution processes, outsourcing and vendor management issues.

The Legal Manager supports Microsoft’s local IP enforcement activities, working closely with the Regional Anti-Piracy lead and other local and regional personnel to ensure that Microsoft’s enforcement efforts are effective and in compliance with applicable laws and policies.

Candidate Profile

Key Experiences

Significant experience in the legal department of an international company (or similar experience in a law firm).

Experience managing and implementing corporate compliance initiatives.

Familiarity with intellectual property laws and concepts.

Experience handling or managing litigation. Experience handling intellectual property infringement cases and related criminal and civil litigation, and in working with law enforcement and customs officials is desirable.

A strong understanding of business issues and thinking, preferably in the IT sector.

Strong analytical, negotiation and drafting skills.

Experience dealing with diverse cultures and managing and building strong client relationships.

Excellent team player with the ability to work and communicate with a large number of diverse people, including senior management, in a high-pressured business environment, with a flexible, open, collaborative and results-oriented attitude.

A record of professional growth and success.

Qualifications

Eight years of relevant professional activity.

Law degree.

Excellent written and spoken English.

The Successful Candidate Will:

Work independently and proactively.

Work with and contribute to the broader regional team in a collegial manner.

Help grow business opportunities through application of public policy and legal support.

Manage a broad workload across legal and compliance functions to enable and support Microsoft’s priorities in the East and Southern African region.

Adapt to a changing environment with creative solutions in support of regional business priorities.
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