Legal Counsel Position at SAP

PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES

As the world’s leading provider of business software, SAP delivers products and services that help accelerate business innovation for our customers. We believe that by doing so, SAP will unleash growth and create significant new value – for our customers, SAP, and ultimately, entire industries and the economy at large. Today, customers in more than 120 countries run SAP applications – from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to software suite offerings for global organizations.

SAP is looking for a lawyer with 3-5 years post qualification commercial legal experience (software or other technology industry experience is a plus), who can fulfil the following role.

EXPECTATIONS AND TASKS

The successful candidate will provide legal advice to all aspects of the SAP business in Nigeria with key emphasis on the software licensing and consulting organisations. The successful candidate will:

• Report to and work closely with the Head of Legal situated in South Africa;
• Act as primary negotiator for complex commercial contracts with SAP’s customers and partners and be the trusted legal advisor to SAP’s local teams in West Africa and surrounds;
• Take responsibility for ensuring that company business strategies are applied in full recognition of all legal implications and risks and all contracts are in compliance with SAP’s legal, contractual and business processes and policies;
• Deal with disputes and manage the legal aspects of customer escalations, and engage outside counsel as necessary;
• Ensure compliance with laws and related obligations in the areas of anticorruption (e.g. U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, UK Bribery Act, German and relevant anticorruption laws), competition law, export control law, intellectual property, and also internal policies of SAP worldwide;
• Contribute to the overall success of the West Africa Region and other Africa Regions and be a recognised business partner through understanding business objectives and giving appropriate legal advice;
• Develop and implement a long-term view for embedding compliance into business operations according to the company’s strategy and business models and/ or readjustment of these;
• Provide periodic reports to local and regional leadership regarding the status of compliance in the region;
• Build strong relationships and partner with account executives and sales managers;
• Work closely with revenue recognition specialists to ensure revenues can be recognised appropriately;
• Participate in other projects as the local legal subject matter expert;
• Understand and work according to the commercial pressures of a sales business in a high pressure and fast-paced environment;
• Understand SAP’s pricing models, advise the sales team on how to structure deals, and collate advice from different areas of the business in order to draft and negotiate appropriate contracts;
• Ensure an appropriate level of internal governance is in place in relation to transactions and compliance;
• Monitor changes to legal and regulatory guidelines applicable to the company and proactively develop solutions;
• Provide legal advice on Compliance matters and ensure that compliance principles are adhered to in Management decision-making, so that SAP acts in accordance with best-in-class compliance standards.