General Manager Employee Relations

The General Manager: Group Legal (Employee Relations) is responsible to manage all aspects of commercial legal requirements, transactions and initiatives within the MTN Group, with a primary focus on Employee Relation matters.

This role will manage and provide guidance, support and advice to operating units on employee relations aspects of transactions, employee relations risks and other employee relations matters.

MTN is entering a new phase in its lifecycle where operational and commercial excellence has become critical for success. The urgency for change has become more heightened amidst increased competitive intensity across all markets in which MTN operates. The Group’s Commercial Legal function must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of:

- Rapidly changing ICT environment

- The geographic complexity of MTN’s foot print across Africa and the Middle East

- Management of executive and local shareholder expectations across all OpCos and Platform Businesses

- Achievement of top quartile operating efficiency and effectiveness through scale and common processes

- Driving growth through business intelligence and standardization to maximize business impact

- Management of customer and supplier expectations

- Enhance MTN position as a leading network and system provider

- Constant dynamics and local challenges in the economic, regulatory and legal environments

We at MTN are a purpose and value-led organization. At MTN, we believe that understanding our people’s needs and aspirations is key to creating experiences that delight you at work, everyday. We are committed to fostering an environment where every member of our Y’ello Family is heard, understood and empowered to live an inspired life.

Our values keep us grounded and moving in the right direction. Most importantly, they keep us honest. It is not something we claim to be. It is in our DNA.

As an organisation, we consider it our mission to create an exciting and rewarding place to work, where our people can be themselves, thrive in positivity and ignite their full potential. A workplace that boosts creativity and innovation, improves productivity, and ultimately drives meaningful results. A workplace that is built on relationships and achieving a purpose that is bigger than us.

Our commitments go beyond an organisational promise. It is in our leadership and managerial ethos to meaningfully partner with our employees, customers and stakeholders with a vision to realise our shared goals.

Live Y’ello

• Lead with Care

• Can-do with Integrity

• Collaborate with Agility

• Serve with Respect

• Act with Inclusion

The General Manager: Group Legal (Employee Relations) will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:

- Draft, negotiate and formalise employee relations aspects concluded by the MTN Group in implementing its strategy, including the acquisition of new services or partners, investing in new technologies, or establishing joint ventures.

- Provide legal opinions and legal advice and support to the Group on Labour law, including revising employee standard contracts and providing advice on employee relations legal process and retrenchment

- Support Group acquisitions and divestments and restructuring;

- Negotiate, draft and implement legal agreements;

- Lead negotiation meetings;

- Provide legal support to the commercial legal teams in operating units;

- Provide guidance in respect of compliance with applicable legislation;

- Manage legal risk across the Group;

- Formulate contractual framework for strategic projects;

- Facilitate dispute resolution;

- Formulate and support Employee Relations strategy

- Advise management and stakeholders on new legislation and the impact thereof on the business.

- Co-ordinate and supervise external counsel advice.

Key Deliverables

- Draft, negotiate and formalise legal aspects of commercial arrangements concluded by the MTN Group in implementing its strategy relating to Employee Relations Services

- Liaise with, and collate and incorporate feedback from, various internal stakeholders and departments for purposes of transactions, initiatives and projects

- Provide support, guidance and advice to MTN Operating Companies, where requested or required, regarding employee relations aspects of transactions, risks and other matters.

- Generally managing all matters and issues relevant to the legal aspects of the MTN group’s employee relations activities.

Role Dependencies

- Active support from the Executive: Commercial Legal and Senior Leadership

- Deep understanding of the MTN business strategy

- Understanding of the OpCo, business and Regulatory context

- Timely decision making and reporting

- Alignment of OpCo and Group strategy initiatives

The General Manager: Group Legal (Employee Relations) is responsible to manage all aspects of commercial legal requirements, transactions and initiatives within the MTN Group, with a primary focus on Employee Relation matters.

This role will manage and provide guidance, support and advice to operating units on employee relations aspects of transactions, employee relations risks and other employee relations matters.

2. Context (Global influences, environmental / industry demands, organisational mission etc.)

MTN is entering a new phase in its lifecycle where operational and commercial excellence has become critical for success. The urgency for change has become more heightened amidst increased competitive intensity across all markets in which MTN operates. The Group’s Commercial Legal function must therefore ensure the successful delivery in context of:

- Rapidly changing ICT environment

- The geographic complexity of MTN’s foot print across Africa and the Middle East

- Management of executive and local shareholder expectations across all OpCos and Platform Businesses

- Achievement of top quartile operating efficiency and effectiveness through scale and common processes

- Driving growth through business intelligence and standardization to maximize business impact

- Management of customer and supplier expectations

- Enhance MTN position as a leading network and system provider

- Constant dynamics and local challenges in the economic, regulatory and legal environments

4. Key Performance Areas: Core, essential responsibilities / outputs of the position (KPA's)

The General Manager: Group Legal (Employee Relations) will be accountable to achieve the following objectives:

- Draft, negotiate and formalise employee relations aspects concluded by the MTN Group in implementing its strategy, including the acquisition of new services or partners, investing in new technologies, or establishing joint ventures.

- Provide legal opinions and legal advice and support to the Group on Labour law, including revising employee standard contracts and providing advice on employee relations legal process and retrenchment

- Support Group acquisitions and divestments and restructuring;

- Negotiate, draft and implement legal agreements;

- Lead negotiation meetings;

- Provide legal support to the commercial legal teams in operating units;

- Provide guidance in respect of compliance with applicable legislation;

- Manage legal risk across the Group;

- Formulate contractual framework for strategic projects;

- Facilitate dispute resolution;

- Formulate and support Employee Relations strategy

- Advise management and stakeholders on new legislation and the impact thereof on the business.

- Co-ordinate and supervise external counsel advice.

Key Deliverables

- Draft, negotiate and formalise legal aspects of commercial arrangements concluded by the MTN Group in implementing its strategy relating to Employee Relations Services

- Liaise with, and collate and incorporate feedback from, various internal stakeholders and departments for purposes of transactions, initiatives and projects

- Provide support, guidance and advice to MTN Operating Companies, where requested or required, regarding employee relations aspects of transactions, risks and other matters.

- Generally managing all matters and issues relevant to the legal aspects of the MTN group’s employee relations activities.

Role Dependencies

- Active support from the Executive: Commercial Legal and Senior Leadership

- Deep understanding of the MTN business strategy

- Understanding of the OpCo, business and Regulatory context

- Timely decision making and reporting

- Alignment of OpCo and Group strategy initiatives

4. Job Requirements (Education, Experience and Competencies)

Education:

- Minimum 4-year Academic Degree with Honours (LLB or equivalent preferred)

- Admission as an attorney

- MBA / Masters advantageous

- Member of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property (or international equivalent) and having passed its examinations (an advantage)

- Fluent in English

- Fluent in French (an advantage)

Experience:

- Minimum 7 - 10 years’ of Legal Experience at a reputable law firm (local or International).

- Considerable exposure and participation in Negotiations and drafting of highly complex transactions documents (locally and internationally)

- Multi-lingual transactions

- Work across diverse cultures and geographies

Competencies:

- Strategy Formulator, Decisive Problem Solver, Innovative Value Creator

- Culture and Change Champion, Inspiring People Leader, Relationship Builder

- Results Achiever, Operationally Astute

- Excellent drafting skills

- Strong analytical skills

- Strong Negotiating skills

- Management skills

- Leadership skills

- Consulting skills

- Effective communication and writing skills

- Good general commercial awareness

- Good interpretation skills

- Articulate

- Computer literate