Head of Legal Unit

Qualifications and Experience

• Hold a master’s degree in Law (LLM)
• Must have a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) from a recognized university.
• An Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a valid practicing certificate.
• Has at least five (5) years’ post-admission experience, preferably with exposure to corporate, commercial, or institutional law.
• Demonstrates experience in governance, compliance, and legal advisory in a complex organization.
• A registered member of the Law Society of Kenya in good standing

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide legal and procedural advice on governance matters to the University Management Board and Senate, ensuring decisions comply with the UEAB Statutes, Seventh – day Adventist Church Policies, institutional policies, and Kenyan law.
• Assist the Vice Chancellor in preparing Council and committee papers that require legal vetting (resolutions, by-laws, memoranda, MoUs).
• Ensure maintenance, safekeeping and correct execution (affixing seal where applicable) of statutory instruments, Statutes, Charters, and official University documents.
• Support the University in implementing recommendations from governance audits and compliance reviews.
• Ensure that the university complies with insurance requirements including WIBA amongst others
• Draft, review, negotiate, and advise on a full range of agreements (MOUs, partnership agreements, consultancy contracts, research contracts, grant agreements, vendor and service contracts, leases, Intellectual Property licenses, student placement/clinical attachments, sponsorships).
• Develop standard contract templates and contract approval workflows to accelerate transactions and reduce risk.
• Provide legal due diligence for new ventures, collaborations, joint programmes, spin-offs, and commercial activities (including ODeL partnerships and industry engagements).
• Support accreditation processes by ensuring legal and regulatory requirements are satisfied and documentation is legally robust.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments affecting higher education and advise management on required policy or operational changes.
• Manage and coordinate legal disputes and litigation: engage external counsel, prepare pleadings and briefs, coordinate defense/representation, and report on case status to University Management and Council.
• Provide alternative dispute resolution support (mediation, arbitration), seeking timely, cost-effective settlements where appropriate.
• Maintain a litigation register and ensure timely responses to summonses, notices and regulatory inquiries.
• Identify legal risks and propose mitigation measures; develop legal risk registers and escalate material risks to senior management.
• Counsel HR on employment contracts, disciplinary processes, termination, contractual disputes, employment law compliance, and collective bargaining matters.
• Provide legal support for student discipline and appeals processes; ensure procedural fairness and compliance with the Statutes and Student Code of Conduct.
• Advise on immigration, work permits, and compliance for visiting scholars, international students and staff.
• Advise on intellectual property (IP) ownership, assignments, commercialization, and technology transfer for research, publications, and innovations arising from UEAB.
• Draft and review IP agreements, consultancy agreements, and research collaboration contracts.
• Ensure compliance with data protection laws (Data Protection Act, Kenya) and institutional privacy policies; advise on data processing agreements, cross-border transfers, and incident response for data breaches.
• Lead creation and periodic review of University policies and procedures to ensure legal soundness (procurement, procurement disputes, gifts & donations, conflict of interest, whistleblowing, procurement, academic integrity, research ethics, procurement).
• Deliver legal briefings, training and induction sessions for Council members, senior management, HR, procurement, finance, academic units and student leaders on obligations, compliance, contract management and risk avoidance.
• Produce legal guidance notes, checklists and templates to enhance legal literacy across the University.
• Support integrity and anti-corruption measures, implement compliance programmes and reporting mechanisms, and advise on whistleblower protections.
• Coordinate responses to internal investigations and implement remedial measures to prevent recurrence.
• Liaise with external counsel, regulatory agencies, government departments, insurers and other stakeholders on legal and compliance matters.
• Represent the University in legal forums and inter-institutional working groups when required.

Other Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and work effectively in a dynamic environment.
• Problem-solving skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Conflict resolution skills
• Tech-savvy