Company Secretary/Head of Legal – Parwaaz Financial Services

Report to: NBFC Board and CEO
Location: Lahore
Application deadline for the position is November 22, 2020

Organizational Overview:

Parwaaz Financial Services (PFS) will a wholly owned subsidiary of Karandaaz Pakistan – A not-for-profit company funded by FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) and BMGF (The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) with the vision of having a Financially Included, Empowered Pakistan. Karandaaz works for Financial Inclusion of the MSME through a commercially directed platform. As part of the commitment to increasing access of capital for SME sector, Parwaaz Financial Services will be incorporated as a Non-Bank Financial Company (NBFC) registered with SECP which will be solely focused on providing Credit and Financial Services to the SME Sector which is underserved when compared to other countries in the region.

Karandaaz’s vision is to create a best in class NBFC that can innovate, use cutting edge technology and think of out of the box solution for providing customized solutions for financing needs of the SMEs. The entity will be headquartered in Lahore but is expected to gradually expand its operations across Pakistan.

Position Overview:

Company Secretary & Head of Legal will provide support to the Board and ensure compliance with the Companies Act. Functionally, the Company Secretary will report to the Board of the NBFC. For executive and administrative duties, the Company secretary reports to CEO. The incumbent will also be responsible for legal and regulatory compliances related to the Security & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). The incumbent will also be the point of contact with the shareholders with respect to reporting and compliances related to Governance matters. The incumbent shall also look after all legal matters.

Job Tasks:

  • Ensure compliance with best Corporate Governance Practices
  • Provide efficient, effective legal support services and ensuring compliance;
  • Ensure the Company is legally protected in all its transactions, with customers and other third parties;
  • Arrange meetings of Board of Directors and guide respective secretaries of BOD Committee in conducting respective meetings.
  • Manage activities of annual general and extraordinary general meetings (AGM & EGM).
  • Ensure adherence to SECP filing requirements with respect to governance aspects and maintain key corporate documents and records like statutory registers & books.
  • Act as first portal of information for contracts and resolutions decided upon by the Board and understand and relate to the differing perspectives of independent directors, non-executive directors (sponsor) and executive directors.
  • Assist Chairman Board to manage and overcome complex Board processes; provide meaningful support to Board of Directors.
  • Assess legal documents of the Company and ensure legal protection.
  • Review and assign litigation matter to external counsel based on similarity of issues in question, i.e., Point of law, dispute, provincial law, relevant courts, etc.
  • Review of employee agreements to reflect current Employment Laws and Regulations, reducing open-endedness and employee lawsuits.
  • Review all Agreements/ Contracts to analyze and identify recurring disputed matters on defaults/ disputes and strengthen relevant contract clauses to preempt future liabilities.
  • Responsible for maintenance of minutes of meetings and circulation to all members, maintenance of statutory books, registers and other records.

 Functional Skills / Knowledge Areas:

  • Strong knowledge of Legal services;
  • Policy Development, Regulatory Compliance, Contract Negotiations Skills;
  • Prior experience of being a Corporate Secretary would be required
  • Thorough knowledge of corporate governance
  • Sufficient seniority, skills and stature to fulfil the strategic as well as traditional roles of the company secretary.
  • Prepared to undertake significant and ongoing professional development in order to stay current with a rapidly changing field.
  • Presentation, analytical and drafting skills

Eligibility Criteria:

Education:
  • LLB from a reputable international or Pakistani institution.
  • Certification related to Company Secretary or Corporate Governance
  • Experience of legal matters and specially Corporate Governance.
Work experience:
  • Minimum 10 years of work experience of legal/corporate governance with at least 2 years as a Company Secretary in the financial services industry.

Candidates can email their resume and cover letter to careers.parwaaz@karandaaz.com.pk clearly mentioning the position title in the subject line. The deadline for applications is 22nd November 2020.

Parwaaz Financial Services will be an equal opportunity employer. Women and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Market competitive remuneration and benefits will be offered.

Please note that the recruitment for PFS is managed by Career Pakistan.

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Non-profit company registered under Section 42 of the Companies Act, 2017