Associate, Legal at FSD Africa
Job Summary
- The
Associate, Legal supports FSDAi’s investment and operational activities by
delivering high-quality legal analysis and advisory.
- The
role ensures transactions, partnerships, and institutional arrangements
are robust, compliant, and effectively structured.
- Working
closely with the Principal, Legal, the role contributes to safeguarding
the organisation’s legal and regulatory position while enabling investment
decisions and portfolio activities to align with applicable laws,
financial regulations, and internal policies.
- Operating
across FSDAi and, where required, FSD Africa, the role ensures legal
considerations are effectively integrated throughout the investment
lifecycle, including due diligence, transaction structuring, and
documentation.
- By
supporting the management of legal risks, strengthening governance
arrangements, and enabling clear coordination with internal teams and
external counsel, the Associate contributes to consistent, efficient, and
well-governed execution of both investment and grant-related activities.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLE REQUIREMENTS
Legal Advisory Support
- Provide
legal analysis and advice to ensure FSDAi’s activities and investment
decisions are aligned with applicable laws, regulations, and internal
policies.
- Analyse
legal and regulatory frameworks relevant to FSDAi’s activities and
interpret their implications for investment decisions and operations
- Apply
legal analysis to transaction-related and operational matters to ensure
alignment with applicable laws and internal policies
- Identify
legal issues arising from investment activities and develop practical,
risk-informed solutions
- Monitor
legal and regulatory developments across relevant jurisdictions and assess
their impact on FSDAi’s activities and investment approach
Strategy & Governance Support
- Deliver
legal research and advisory inputs across FSDAi and FSD Africa, including
ad-hoc legal matters
- Provide
legal input into governance structures and strategic initiatives to ensure
compliance, sound legal structuring, and effective institutional
arrangements.
- Prepare
and review governance-related legal documentation, ensuring accuracy,
completeness, and alignment with regulatory requirements
- Provide
legal input into partnership structures, strategic initiatives, and
institutional arrangements
- Analyse
legal aspects of shareholder structures and governance frameworks,
identifying risks and implications
Investment Portfolio Legal Support
- Draft
and review agreements and legal instruments that support partnerships and
organisational arrangements
- Deliver
legal input across the investment lifecycle to ensure transactions are
appropriately structured, risks are identified, and processes are
effectively coordinated.
- Conduct
legal due diligence on prospective investees, identifying legal and
regulatory risks and assessing compliance
- Analyse
investment proposals and contribute legal input to transaction
structuring, including appropriate instruments and key terms
- Draft
and review legal inputs into investment agreements and funding
arrangements to ensure accuracy and alignment with agreed terms
Contracts & Transaction Documentation
- Coordinate
legal inputs across the transaction process, ensuring effective
coordination across due diligence, documentation, approvals, and execution
stages
- Ensure
all contracts and transaction documentation are accurate, complete, and
consistently applied through structured systems, templates, and legal
frameworks.
- Draft
and review investment agreements, commercial contracts, and grant-related
documentation to ensure legal accuracy and alignment with agreed terms
- Review
and incorporate counterparty comments into transaction documentation,
proposing revisions that reflect FSDAi’s legal and commercial positions
- Ensure
transaction documentation is complete, internally consistent, and reflects
agreed terms with a high standard of accuracy and attention to detail
- Coordinate
document review, approval, and execution processes to ensure timely and
accurate completion of transactions
Legal Risk and Compliance Oversight
- Maintain
legal documentation systems, frameworks, templates, standard clauses, and
precedent documents to improve consistency and efficiency
- Identify,
monitor, and manage legal and regulatory risks to ensure compliance and
appropriate escalation of material issues.
- Identify
and assess legal and regulatory risks arising from FSDAi’s investment
activities and operational processes
- Track
legal risks across transactions and portfolio activities, ensuring issues
are documented and escalated appropriately
- Monitor
legal and regulatory requirements and changes across jurisdictions
assessing their implications for FSDAi’s activities and compliance
obligations
Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
- Contribute
to the development and implementation of legal compliance tools,
templates, and internal guidance materials to support consistent
application of legal and regulatory requirements.
- Work
collaboratively with internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure
legal inputs are effectively integrated into FSDAi’s activities and
decision-making processes.
- Work
closely with investment, risk, finance, and portfolio teams to integrate
legal considerations into transaction and portfolio processes
- Coordinate
engagement with external legal counsel, including preparing instructions,
reviewing outputs, and ensuring alignment with FSDAi requirements
- Facilitate
communication between legal, deal teams, and external stakeholders by
clearly articulating legal issues, risks, and requirements to support
informed decision-making.
- Capture
and share legal insights and lessons learned to support consistency and
continuous improvement across the organisation
- Carry
out any other duties or special assignments as assigned by the Management.
COMPETENCIES
- Competencies
describe the key behaviours that drive success in all of FSD Africa’s
roles, regardless of technical specialism. They have been derived from
systematic research correlating performance with personal
attributes.
- Competency
Levels
- Level
1: Basic
- Level
2: Foundation
- Level
3: Specialist
- Level
4: Senior Specialist
- Level
5: Leading
Expert
- Level
6: Executive
ESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONS
Commitment & Alignment
- Demonstrates
commitment to serving our partners and alignment with the values and
vision of FSD Africa
Change & Challenge
- Has
a strong sense of ownership that leads to learning, self-starting, taking
initiative, driving change and leading development
ACHIEVEMENT COMPETENCIES
Situational Awareness & Thinking
- Thinks
clearly and intentionally, analysing information objectively,
understanding issues, solving problems, and making decisions
Drive for results
- Is
keenly motivated to achieve goals & act with accountability to deliver
quality results
PEOPLE COMPETENCIES
Relationships & Collaboration
- Discerns
and appreciates the values, viewpoints, or abilities of others;
effectively reconciles different interests and displays emotional
intelligence
Communication & Influencing
- Deliberately
adjusts behaviour to accommodate others; communicates clearly,
confidently, and appropriately to influence others
Qualifications and Education
- Master’s
degree (LLM) with 3 years’ of experience or bachelor’s degree (LLB) and 4
years’ of experience.
- Relevant
post-graduate qualification in Law with a practising certificate.
- Excellent
skills in written and spoken English.
Essential Experience, Knowledge and Skills
- Experience
in corporate, finance, investment, or commercial law, preferably within a
law firm, financial institution, development finance institution, or
investment organisation.
- Working
knowledge of investment transactions, including exposure to legal due
diligence and contract drafting.
- Experience
supporting the drafting and review of investment agreements, commercial
contracts, or financing arrangements, including contribution to
negotiation processes
- Ability
to collaborate effectively with investment teams, external legal counsel,
and internal stakeholders during transaction processes.
- Strong
analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
- Ability
to manage multiple workstreams and deliver work within agreed timelines.
- Strong
interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work in a
collaborative and multidisciplinary environment.
Desirable
- Experience
working in an international or multicultural environment.
- Exposure
to development finance institutions, impact investment platforms, or
donor-funded programmes.
- Knowledge
of ESG or sustainable finance considerations in investment transactions.
- Familiarity
with corporate and commercial legal frameworks relevant to cross-border
transactions in Africa
- Understanding
of development finance principles and the role of legal frameworks in
enabling responsible investment
- Languages:
French, local African languages
Assistant, Programmes at FSD Africa
The role works closely with internal teams and external
partners to ensure communications operations are well organised, timely, and
aligned with organisational standards. This role is central to building the
administrative systems, processes, and coordination practices that enable the
Communications team to work efficiently, transparently, and collaboratively. It
requires the ability to juggle multiple priorities, with work varying in
intensity depending on events, campaigns, and reporting cycles.
Requirements
Qualifications and Education
- An
undergraduate degree from a recognised university in Project Management,
Business Administration, Development Studies with minimum of 1 year of
experience or Higher Diploma with at least 2 years’ experience.
- Excellent
written and spoken English
Essential Experience, Knowledge, and Skills
- At
least 1 year experience in administrative or project administration
roles, with demonstrated responsibility for setting up, maintaining, or
improving administrative systems or workflows.
- Proven
experience working in multi-cultural, international, or regionally
oriented organisations, supporting teams, partners, or stakeholders across
different contexts.
- Strong
organisational skills, with the ability to bring structure, order, and
clarity to complex, fast-moving work.
- Proven
ability to manage multiple workstreams using trackers, timelines, and
clear documentation.
- Ability
to work effectively in high-demand environments, prioritising competing
tasks, responding to shifting deadlines, and proactively anticipating
needs.
- Strong
interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working
relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong
written English, with the ability to draft clear, concise routine
communications and administrative documentation.
- Experience
working with digital tools for coordination, tracking, and documentation
(i.e. Excel, Microsoft Forms, CRM or stakeholder databases such as
Salesforce, and project management tools).
- Basic
experience working with content management systems (i.e. WordPress,
Drupal, or similar) and supporting the production of newsletters or
mailing campaigns
Analyst, Early-Stage Finance (ESF) at FSD Africa
Job Details
Market Research & Analysis
Support pillar strategy by conducting market research,
managing pillar knowledge and ensuring the availability of high-quality data
and information to inform decision-making:
- Collaborate
with the pillar team to align pillar research and partnership agenda with
FSD Africa’s broader objectives and research priorities.
- Develop
a research plan with clear methodologies and timelines, leveraging sources
such as industry reports, expert interviews, and databases.
- Conduct
regular market research on all aspects of Africa’s early-stage financing
ecosystem, including trends, gaps and opportunities, as well as bespoke
research priorities as required.
- Contribute
to the development and maintenance of a robust digital knowledge and
partnership management system to ensure relevant data is easily accessible
and actionable.
Programme Development Support
Produce analyses to support the identification and design
of pillar programming:
- Collaborate
with the ESF team, other pillars/Centre of Excellence and cross-functional
teams to understand ESF analysis needs.
- Conduct
research and analysis to identify and assess the viability of project
opportunities, drawing from a range of sources and adhering to best
practices in research methodology.
- Produce
insightful research outputs (e.g. databases, reports, position papers,
slide decks) tailored to team needs, enabling informed project decisions.
- Collaborate
with cross-functional teams to support project proposal development
through to project approval, leveraging research and analysis to
contribute to new initiatives.
Programme Management Support
Provide support to the ESF team in monitoring,
evaluating, and managing ESF projects to ensure successful outcomes:
- Review
and analyse implementing partner narrative and financial reports, ensuring
alignment with project objectives and tracking development impact and EDI
performance metrics.
- Support
risk assessment and monitoring processes for all projects, identifying
challenges and proposing mitigation strategies.
- Participate
in project progress meetings, taking minutes and following up on agreed
actions and research as required.
- Support
ESF team in management of relationships with implementing partners,
external consultants and other stakeholders.
- Assist
in enhancing reporting templates, processes and dashboards to improve data
collection and decision-making across the pillar.
Communications & Content Development
Develop content to communicate insights, research
findings, and project outcomes both internally and externally:
- Support
the pillar team in the creation of blogs, reports, slide decks and other
materials to share key insights on the early-stage financing ecosystem and
highlight the pillar’s work.
- Contribute
to the creation of knowledge-sharing materials for dissemination to
internal and external stakeholders.
Qualifications and Education
- Bachelor’s
Degree in relevant subject and 2 years of experience or Higher Diploma in
relevant subject with 3 years of experience
- Excellent
skills in written and spoken English
Essential Experience, Knowledge, and Skills
- At
least 1 year of experience as an Analyst conducting market research and
analysis.
- Demonstrated
knowledge in Africa’s early-stage financing, including supply, demand and
trends.
- Track
record of effective project management with experience of using relevant
tools or trackers
- Solid
understanding of good research practice with a track record of undertaking
quality research, analysing and processing data effectively, evaluation
and report production
Officer, Procurement at FSD Africa
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ROLE REQUIREMENTS
Planning & Program Support
Work with the procurement team and
heads of the departments to collect, review and
incorporate user needs in the procurement plan
ensuring they are in line with FSD Africa’s work plan and
budget resulting in the implementation of a proactive and responsive
procurement plan:
- Assist
with collection of procurement
needs for inclusion in the procurement
plan; review
earlier procurement plans and budgets of FSD Africa
to ensure that repeat procurements
are minimal as well as considering opportunities for enhancing
cost-effectiveness through bulk purchases.
- Assist with consolidation
of identified procurement needs and develop a draft
annual procurement plan that supports FSD Africa’s business
plan.
- Work continually to improve and enhance the level of customer service provided to staff
and partners
- Participate
in evaluation of bids and provide professional guidance.
Vendor Identification & Evaluation
Participate in the process of identifying suitable and
appropriate vendors that meet the needs and requirements of FSD Africa:
- Collaborate
with project leads to develop and apply objective criteria for supplier
selection & pre- qualification (during generation of ToRs and EoIs)
and issue tender documents to bidders
- Coordinate
receipt of proposals and evaluation pack for the panel, consolidate
proposal assessments and share outcome with panellists in accordance with
procurement policy provisions and best practice
- Perform
vendor creation and ensure proper maintenance of the vendor register
- Carry
out market research on potential suppliers and vendors to ensure that the
database of FSD Africa vendors includes new entrants in the market
- Manage
the pre-qualification process in a transparent manner to
attract the most appropriate suppliers for frequently procured item.
- Conduct
due diligence screening on selected pre-qualified vendors to mitigate
risk,
- Manage
vendors professionally, ensure contract closures are done and provide
feedback to improve their performance.
Procurement & Asset Disposal Management
Support the procurement and purchasing process in a
proactive and transparent manner to achieve best value for money and enable FSD
Africa to meet its objectives:
- Review
received procurement authorisation requests for completeness, accuracy and
relevance in line with FSD Africa’s procurement plan.
- Develop
a relevant and appropriate RFP/RFQ in line with scope of work/ TORs for
the sourcing of suppliers of goods/services; facilitate the evaluation
process according to and in line with the organisation’s policies and
procedures.
- Recommend
relevant and appropriate methodology of sourcing in line with approval
thresholds to identify the most suitable supplier/ vendor.
- Work
with the relevant departments to prepare assets for disposal and assist
with convening of asset disposal committee meetings.
- Assist
in educating suppliers so that they comply with FSD Africa’s procedures
and provide proper documentation to ensure timely payments are made.
Accountability & Compliance
Ensure that FSD Africa’s Procurement Policy and
procedures are adhered to and are in accordance with best practice:
- Assist
maintain the tracker for contracts, ensuring details are up to date.
- Strengthen
institutional capacity
- through
development of procurement tracking tool and weekly procurement dashboards
for status reporting of procurements.
- Support
audits, ensuring that any corrective actions relating to procurement are
closed out in a timely manner.
Contracts & System Development
In collaboration with procurement team, ensure
service contracts are clearly defined and legally binding to maintain a high
level of service delivery:
- In
liaison with project managers, engage vendors in contract negotiations to
ensure that FSD Africa gets best value for money and that terms and
conditions are clear and acceptable to both parties before contracting.
- Ensure
that all KPIs are captured and updated in Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP)
- Develop
service contracts in line with agreed recommendations as defined and
agreed at the end of the evaluation and selection process.
- Contact
and inform vendors of contract awards and project plans (start end date,
milestones, deliverables, contract KPI’s, focal point person)
- Monitor
validity of issued contracts ensuring that the relevant notifications are
communicated to the contract focal point person raising awareness for
completion
Carry out any other duties or special assignments as
assigned by the Management
COMPETENCIES
Competencies describe the key behaviours that drive success
in all of FSD Africa roles, regardless of technical specialism. They have
been derived from systematic research correlating performance with personal
attributes.
Competency Levels
- Level
1: Basic
- Level
2: Foundation
- Level
3: Specialist
- Level
4: Senior Specialist
- Level
5: Leading
Expert
- Level
6: Executive
PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
Qualifications and Education
- Bachelor’s
degree with 2 years or Higher Diploma with 3 years of experience in,
Procurement
and Supply chain management, logistics or business administration or any
other related field
- Full or
Partial qualification in Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply
(CIPS).
Essential Experience, Knowledge, and Skills
- Minimum
2 years’ post-graduation experience in procurement management
- Demonstrate
excellent understanding of procurement processes, sourcing, and tendering
- Knowledge
of vendor management, contract administration, and supplier evaluation.
- Have
an appreciation of local and international procurement laws and
regulations
- Good
interpersonal, organisational, planning and teamworking skills
- Knowledge
of ERP/procurement systems preferably Microsoft Dynamic
- Excellent
skills in written and spoken English
- Strong
analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Proficiency
in Microsoft Office