Principal Counsel, Africa Legal

Overview

This role involves leading legal and compliance strategy and execution across multiple countries of operation in Africa. The position sits at the intersection of compliance execution and regulatory strategy and is critical to enabling continued growth in complex and evolving regulatory environments.

You will independently lead Africa Legal & Compliance operations and strategy while serving as a key member of the Legal Team. You will also be a key member of the Africa Leadership Team, working with the Heads of People and Finance and Country Directors, with a dotted reporting line to the CEO for Africa. Cross-functional collaboration will include Africa leadership, Operations, Policy, Government Affairs, People, Finance, and Engineering. Reporting is to the Deputy General Counsel.

This is a hands-on leadership role with significant autonomy to build and shape the legal function, supported by collaboration with a larger global legal team.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, scale, and continuously improve legal and compliance programs across Africa, focused on sustainable, practical operations that support rapid growth
• Lead day-to-day compliance workstreams covering sanctions, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, privacy, healthcare, employment, and product-related regulations
• Support internal investigations, audits, and risk assessments in partnership with People, Finance, and senior leadership
• Manage litigation and disputes across African markets
• Translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for business and technical teams
• Own compliance with U.S. government award requirements, including FARs and 2 CFR 200, and serve as a primary point of contact for U.S. government contracting officers (including at the U.S. Department of State)
• Monitor and assess regulatory and policy developments across relevant African jurisdictions and advise leadership on emerging risks and opportunities

Requirements

• Willingness to dive deep into unfamiliar issues and operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-changing environments
• Strong judgment and confidence to make independent decisions, with discernment to escalate when appropriate
• Experience advising on legal and compliance matters, preferably in international or emerging-market environments
• Ability to break down complex legal and regulatory problems into clear priorities and practical solutions
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to advise senior stakeholders
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset and strong organizational skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience acting as a senior legal advisor to business leaders with pragmatic, risk-calibrated guidance
• Experience building durable compliance programs and enabling teams to raise issues early

Compensation & Benefits

• Equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to protected characteristics as defined by federal, state, or local laws

Location

• Travel up to 25% to Africa and to San Francisco headquarters