Company Secretary/Head of Legal and Compliance

Hiring – Company Secretary/Head of Legal and Compliance
Location: Lagos (with occasional travel as required)
Compensation: Highly Competitive
Our client is a well-established financial services group in Nigeria, offering a broad spectrum of services across investment banking, asset management, securities trading, research, consulting, and trust services, with a strong emphasis on local expertise and global standards.
The Company is seeking to hire a Company Secretary & Head of Legal and Compliance to provide strategic legal leadership and company secretarial oversight to the Group, ensuring full compliance with applicable laws and regulations while supporting business growth. The role serves as a trusted advisor to the Board and Executive Management on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, legal risk, and transactional matters within the financial services space.
Key Responsibilities:

Company Secretarial & Board Governance

• Pre-meeting organization; preparing a schedule of Board meetings, drafting agenda for meetings, timely issuing of notices of meetings and distributing relevant papers.
  
• Liaising with internal responsible persons to ensure that Board Papers are prepared and sent to Directors within the statutory timelines
  
• Assisting the Chairman and CEO/MD to determine the annual Board plan and with the administration of other strategic issues at the Board level
  
• Covering Board meetings, Committee Meetings and General Meetings; taking minutes, immediate legal counsel and opinion on matters arising at meetings and generally ensuring board and corporate actions compliance with Memorandum and Articles of Association, Code of Corporate Governance and relevant laws and regulations.
  
• Attending and taking Minutes of Investment Committee Meetings of the various Mutual Funds
  
• Drafting and producing of Minutes, Action Notes and Matters Arising from minutes of Board meetings and Committee meetings.
  
• Following up on Action items from Board and Committee meetings with the relevant parties
  
• Compiling Board papers and ensuring that the Board’s discussions and decisions are clearly and properly recorded and communicated to the relevant persons
  
• Arranging and ensuring annual evaluation of Director
  
• Ensuring regular training of Directors
  
• Timely preparation and filing of Board resolutions, annual returns and other statutory notifications to the CAC, SEC, NSE and other relevant regulatory bodies.
  
• Keeping and maintaining the statutory registers and records of the Company.
  
• Keeping and updating the Minute Books of the General meetings and Board meetings of the Company.
  

Regulatory Compliance/ Corporate Governance

• Incorporation and registration of Corporate Entities.
  
• Ensuring compliance with the Memorandum and Articles of Organization, Code of Corporate Governance, and statutory requirements of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and other relevant Regulatory Bodies.
  
• Ensuring the approval and notification of appointment of Directors to SEC, NSE, NASD and other regulatory bodies
  
• Preparing an annual schedule of returns to regulators and ensuring the timely filing of all statutory returns, notices, resolutions, and reports of the Company to appropriate regulatory bodies.
  
• Provide a central source of guidance and advice to the Board and the company, on matters of ethics, conflict of interest and good corporate governance;
  
• Interfacing with the CAC, NSE, SEC and appropriate regulatory bodies.
  
• Registration of Trademarks and other intellectual properties belonging to the Firm.
  
• Keeping abreast of and implementing best practice on good governance.
  

Legal Advisory and Legal Risk Management

• Drafting and review of Contracts, Joint Venture Agreements, Leases, Employee Contracts, Indemnities, Confidentiality Agreements, and Other Commercial Agreements.
  
• Drafting of Legal Opinions and other legal documentation.
  
• Contract negotiation.
  
• Monitoring of all court litigation involving the entire Group
  

Leadership & Strategic Contribution

• Lead and develop the Legal and Company Secretariat function.
  
• Contribute to corporate strategy by providing legal and regulatory insights.
  
• Drive a culture of compliance, ethics, and strong governance across the organization.
  
• Collaborate with Risk & Compliance to strengthen enterprise risk management frameworks.
  

Requirements

• LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) and BL (Barrister-at-Law) qualification.
  
• Membership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is mandatory.
  
• ICSAN (Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria) qualification or equivalent is an added advantage.
  
• Minimum of 8–12 years’ relevant experience, preferably within investment banking, asset management, or financial services.
  
• Proven experience in company secretarial practice and corporate governance.
  
• Demonstrated experience interfacing with regulators such as SEC, NGX, CAC, and NASD.
  
• Prior leadership and team management experience.
  
• Strong knowledge of Nigerian corporate, commercial, and financial services laws.
  
• Deep understanding of capital markets and asset management regulations.
  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant legal/board management tools.
  
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills.
  
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management capabilities.
  
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
  
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under pressure.
  
• Sound judgment and decision-making in complex situations.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion.
  

Benefits
Highly Competitive
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