Job Description
Job Description • The role is responsible for establishing and leading the Bank’s Legal and Compliance function from inception within a licensed fintech-driven digital microfinance bank.
• The Head, Legal & Compliance will build the legal, regulatory, and corporate governance framework required to support a fast-growing digital financial institution operating within the regulatory expectations of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), NDIC, and other applicable laws and industry standards.
• This role requires a highly strategic, commercially aware, and execution-driven professional who can provide legal direction, regulatory guidance, compliance oversight, and governance leadership while building structures, policies, controls, and reporting frameworks from the ground up.
• The Head, Legal & Compliance will serve as a key advisor to Executive Management and the Board on legal, regulatory, compliance, governance, and institutional risk matters.
Responsibilities
Legal Advisory & Corporate Governance:
• Provide strategic legal advisory support to Executive Management and the Board.
• Develop and implement the Bank’s legal governance framework from inception.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage contracts, SLAs, partnership agreements, vendor agreements, and commercial documentation.
• Ensure the Bank operates within applicable laws, regulations, and corporate governance standards.
• Support Board governance processes, resolutions, statutory filings, and regulatory documentation.
• Maintain proper legal records, corporate documentation, and governance registers.
Regulatory Compliance Management:
• Build and implement the Bank’s enterprise-wide compliance framework.
• Ensure compliance with CBN regulations, NDIC guidelines, AML/CFT requirements, and other statutory obligations.
• Develop compliance policies, monitoring programs, and regulatory reporting frameworks.
• Coordinate regulatory examinations, compliance reviews, and regulatory correspondence.
• Monitor regulatory developments and ensure timely implementation of new requirements.
• Serve as the primary liaison with regulators and external legal stakeholders.
AML/CFT & Financial Crime Compliance:
• Develop and oversee AML/CFT compliance programs and controls.
• Ensure compliance with KYC, customer due diligence (CDD), enhanced due diligence (EDD), and transaction monitoring requirements.
• Oversee suspicious transaction reporting and regulatory reporting obligations.
• Strengthen anti-fraud and financial crime prevention frameworks.
• Collaborate with Risk, Internal Control, and Operations teams on fraud prevention initiatives.
Policy Development & Compliance Frameworks:
• Develop and maintain legal, compliance, governance, and regulatory policies.
• Establish SOPs, compliance checklists, and monitoring frameworks.
• Design compliance control systems for digital banking operations and fintech activities.
• Ensure proper documentation and version control of all regulatory and governance policies.
Litigation & Dispute Management:
• Manage legal disputes, recovery matters, and external legal counsel relationships.
• Oversee litigation strategy and legal risk mitigation processes.
• Ensure prompt resolution of legal exposures and operational disputes.
• Provide legal guidance on recovery, collections, partnerships, and customer-related issues.
Digital Banking & Technology Compliance:
• Provide legal oversight on digital banking products, fintech partnerships, APIs, wallets, cards, and lending operations.
• Ensure compliance with data privacy, cybersecurity, consumer protection, and digital finance regulations.
• Advise Management on emerging legal and regulatory risks within digital financial services.
Compliance Monitoring & Reporting:
• Conduct periodic compliance reviews and risk assessments.
• Develop compliance dashboards, reporting structures, and escalation frameworks.
• Provide periodic reports to Management and the Board on compliance status, legal exposures, and regulatory risks.
• Monitor compliance breaches and ensure timely remediation.
Department Setup & Leadership:
• Build and structure the Legal & Compliance Department from the ground up.
• Establish departmental workflows, reporting structures, controls, and governance frameworks.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing legal and compliance team.
• Drive a culture of ethics, regulatory discipline, accountability, and governance across the Bank.
Requirements
Education
• Bachelor’s degree in Law