COMPANY OVERVIEW

The mission of ZamGridCo is to modernise and expand Zambia's national electricity distribution grid under the Grid Resilience Program. Established after a first-of-its-kind debt-for-development transaction between the Government of Zambia and the African Development Bank, ZamGridCo is a Zambian private company limited by guarantee with not-for-profit objectives. Headquartered in Lusaka, it is an independent, legally separate entity whose remit is to channel the resulting debt-conversion savings into distribution network investment and upgrades, in line with Zambia's Integrated Resource Plan, Integrated Distribution Plan, and wider national energy reforms.

ROLE SUMMARY

This is a specialized hybrid role combining the legal oversight of procurement with the governance functions of a corporate secretary. On the legal side, the Legal and Company Secretary safeguards ZamGridCo across the project lifecycle against legal, contractual and regulatory risk, ensuring the Company contracts on sound terms, manages its liability exposure, meets its statutory and regulatory obligations, and maintains the compliance and integrity standards attached to development-financed programmes. On the governance side, the role acts as a strategic adviser to the Board and management, ensures the Board and its committees function effectively, and supports directors in meeting their governance and fiduciary duties.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Core Legal, Procurement, & Grant-Making

a. Contract Lifecycle: Oversee the drafting and negotiation of requests for proposals, grant agreements, partnership contracts, consultancy agreements, and MOUs. It is crucial to map "back-to-back" liability from ZamGridCo to project financing recipients.

b. Due Diligence & Risk: Conduct legal due diligence on potential grantees and advise on the appropriate legal structures for funding (e.g., program-related investments, procurement contract, RFPs, grants).

c. Compliance: Advise on regulatory restrictions specific to non-profits, data privacy, and anti-terrorism financing rules.

2. Governance & Company Secretarial

a. Corporate governance: Understanding of corporate governance frameworks and best practices, knowledge of Board and committee procedures; preparation of Board charters, governance policies, and annual governance reports, and advising directors on governance obligations and fiduciary duties.

b. Board Administration: Organize board and committee meetings, prepare agendas, collate board packs, draft minutes, and track action points and board resolutions. File annual returns with the Patent and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA).

c. Statutory and regulatory Compliance: Maintain statutory registers and compliance calendars, file annual returns and resolutions, and act as the point of contact for regulators. This includes managing the organization’s delegated authority framework.

3. Risk & Strategic Advisory

a. Risk Management: Establish internal compliance frameworks, oversee the risk register, and advise on insurance and procurement.

b. External Counsel: Manage relationships with external law firms to ensure cost-effective support for specialized legal issues.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) and qualified Advocate of the High Court of Zambia
• Experience: 5 to 8+ years PQE (Post-Qualification Experience at the Zambian Bar). Experience gained in legal practice, corporate and commercial law, or in-house roles in regulated, infrastructure, energy or public-sector organisations. Experience of development-finance or multilateral-funded transactions and their compliance requirements is desirable.
• Legal and analytical skills: Strong legal and policy analysis, with the ability to interpret legislation, regulation and contracts and translate them into clear, practical advice for the Board and management. Proven skills in legal drafting, contract negotiation, legal risk identification and mitigation, and instructing and managing external counsel.
• Legal and analytical skills: Strong legal and policy analysis, with the ability to interpret legislation, regulation and contracts and translate them into clear, practical advice for the Board and management. Proven skills in legal drafting, contract negotiation, legal risk identification and mitigation, and instructing and managing external counsel.

Skills & Competencies

1. Solution-Oriented: Ability to move beyond simply identifying problems to providing practical, risk-adjusted solutions.
2. Mission-Aligned: A genuine interest in the organization's cause (e.g., climate change, poverty alleviation).
3. Stakeholder Management: High emotional intelligence to manage relationships with Board members, stakeholders, donors, and program teams.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit CV and a short cover letter describing your experience managing conditional funding instruments (e.g., grants and service contracts) to:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ZamGridCo is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to expanding access to reliable, affordable electricity through innovative, commercially sustainable solutions