Head of Legal & Company Secretary

About Us

Karandaaz believes that every Pakistani deserves to be Financially Included and Economically Empowered. Our Mission at Karandaaz is to Foster economic growth and create jobs through financial inclusion of unbanked individuals and unserved enterprises.

Karandaaz Pakistan is a not-for-profit organization, based out of Islamabad, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan under Section 42 of the Companies Act 2017. We are supported by Department for International Development (DFID) and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). Karandaaz is governed by an eminent board who set the strategy of the organization and steer it towards achievement of its objectives

Position Summary:

Karandaaz is seeking a seasoned Head of Legal & Company Secretary who will be primarily responsible for supporting the Board and ensuring compliance with the Companies Act. The incumbent will also be responsible for providing legal advice on compliance and organization wide legal matters. The incumbent will report to the Board and will be accountable to the Board for successful discharge of the company secretarial duties. For administrative purposes, the incumbent will report to Karandaaz CEO. The incumbent will be the point person for interacting with SECP for all legal and regulatory filing matters including obtaining any approvals related to investment in Associated companies.

Job Responsibilities:

The job responsibilities of the Head of Legal & Company Secretary are as follows:

• Ensure compliance with the relevant provisions of Companies Law and rules made there-under and other statutes and bye-laws of the company
• Ensure compliance with best Corporate Governance Practices
• Provide efficient and effective legal support services
• Ensure the Company is legally protected in all its transactions, with customers and other third parties
• Ensure that business of the company is conducted in accordance with its objects as contained in its memorandum of association, articles of association and Board Charter and advise the CEO and other executives in respect of legal matter
• Convening and management of all General Body, Board and Board Committee meetings including scheduling of meetings, drafting and obtaining approval for agendas, collating and distributing working papers and presentations, preparing minutes of the meeting and Follow-up action trackers and monitoring compliance of the action items
• Maintaining key corporate documents and records including all statutory registers, general body and board approvals, meeting trackers, attendance sheets and Board members information;
• Manage board annual self-evaluation process through a third party
• Assist the Nominations committee in board members’ skill gap analysis and identification of possible candidates for filling casual vacancies
• Responsible for all statutory filings of forms with regulators including SECP (Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan) and EAD (Economic Affairs Division) along with filling for approvals for associated companies, addition or deletion of a Board Member etc;
• Support the board in the provision of appropriate briefing material to the donors and other stakeholders.
• Prepare Monthly, Quarterly and Annual reporting on all governance related matters for CEO and donors consumption
• Ensure achievement of log frame targets related to corporate governance and board related matters
• Develop the annual board work plan with the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the board
• Provide legal input on employment contracts, policies, vendor contracts, grant agreements and debt/equity transaction documents, with the help of external counsels if required
• 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 all Agreements/ Contracts to analyze and identify recurring disputed matters on defaults/ disputes and strengthen relevant contract clauses to preempt future liabilities
• Any other task as may be required by the board or CEO to effectively provide governance support to the organization

Candidate Profile

Education:

• LLB/LLM from a reputable international or Pakistani institution
• Certification related to Company Secretary, Corporate Governance or Board certification training would be a plus
• Experience of company secretary work and legal matters

Work experience:

• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience required with at least 3 years working experience as a Company Secretary preferably with a section 42 company
• Comprehensive understanding of Companies Ordinance and Non-Profit Regulations required
• Excellent writing and analytical skills required
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including board members, staff, external partners and donors
• Self-driven with the ability to work independently and as part of an integrated, diverse team
• Ability to manage multiple and competing demands, and establish priorities
• Very strong sense of responsibility and integrity is a must
• Passion for Karandaaz mission and alignment with core values of the organization 

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 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

Culture and Values at Karandaaz

Karandaaz Culture is guided by our values of Innovation, Collaboration, Accountability, Respect and Equity (ICARE). These values shape our choices on what we do and how we do it, both with colleagues internally and partners externally. We also believe that we are all responsible for creating a great place to work and are constantly looking to hire individuals who bring the same level of passion and commitment to the purpose of the organization.

If you believe in Karandaaz vision and values and feel excited about the work we are offering, please send us your application for this position to careers@karandaaz.com.pk clearly mentioning the position title in the subject line. We will be accepting submissions till 9th December, 2020

Karandaaz is an equal opportunity employer.  Women and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.