Head of Legal

About the RoleWe are seeking an exceptional legal leader to serve as Head of Legal for CENORION — our first in-house and primary legal advisor to the executive team and Board. This is not a traditional SaaS lawyer role. You will be the sole internal legal counsel responsible for stewarding all aspects of our complex, multi-jurisdictional business operations.We operate across six interconnected business lines simultaneously across multiple markets in Africa, South Asia, and beyond:SaaS platform with dedicated licensing models for financial partnersDevice restriction and management technology (proprietary and third-party)Branded smartphone manufacturing and distributionMulti-brand distribution and logistics networkDevice service and support operationsBrand marketing and retail operationsYour role requires the judgment to navigate this complexity independently — not just to review contracts, but to advise leadership on what the company can and should do, across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory environments.Your ResponsibilitiesAs Head of Legal, you will:Own the entire legal contract base across platform, device, distribution, service, and financing — including master agreements, technology licensing, manufacturing partnerships, and the standard contracts that financial partners use with local distributorsEvaluate the legal permissibility of device restrictions financed through our partners in each jurisdiction — determining what is legally allowed, under what conditions, what goes into financing agreements, and required notification periodsDefine and maintain our regulatory perimeter — identifying where we are a technology provider versus where we inadvertently create regulated functions, across multiple markets and regulatory frameworksEstablish and enforce data boundaries between CENORION and financial partners — ensuring KYC, credit decisions, and customer data remain with licensed partners while managing cross-border data transfer complianceStructure multi-party ecosystem agreements between device brands, distribution, financial partners, and our platform — ensuring clear separation of entities and responsibilitiesManage manufacturing and ODM agreements, source code escrow arrangements, and intellectual property structure across the groupLead legal support for ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 audit preparation — institutional prerequisites for our growth trajectoryServe as the independent voice on conflicts of interest, material legal issues, and compliance matters with direct escalation to the BoardBuild judgment in your team and develop standardized legal approaches that scale as we enter new marketsWhat We're Looking ForEssential qualifications:7–10 years of progressive legal experience as in-house counsel or senior technology lawyer, OR a very strong candidate with 5–7 years with demonstrable in-house experience and independent deal-handling track recordDeep expertise in technology contracts — software licensing, SaaS, liability allocation, risk distribution, and commercial negotiation at scaleStrong intellectual property background — source code ownership, data protection, cross-border IP structuresTrack record of judgment, not just technical knowledge — the ability to say 'here's what's legally permissible, here's what makes business sense, here's how to structure it'Experience navigating emerging markets and multi-jurisdictional legal challengesComfort working independently with minimal oversight, with the ability to escalate appropriately to executive leadershipFluent English (written and spoken)Desired qualifications:Experience with device financing, payments, or fintech regulationBackground in compliance, data protection, or regulatory affairsPrior experience with certification (ISO 27001) or audit (SOC 2) processesM&A or capital markets experience (IPO experience is a plus but not a differentiator)What This Role Is Not:We are not looking for a traditional corporate counsel focused on HR, administrative matters, or M&A. We do not need a lawyer whose strength is solely in litigation, compliance checklists, or a single jurisdiction. The role is not a general counsel in a traditional corporate sense — it is a technology and commercial lawyer who guides a complex, multi-line business.Interested? Apply now. We review applications on a rolling basis.