Senior Legal Counsel (New Markets)
Wave is a mobile money company reinventing financial services across Africa. It lets users deposit, withdraw, and pay bills for free, send money for a 1% fee, and buy airtime instantly, serving everyday consumers who need affordable, accessible banking.
Projects
About Wave
Wave offers mobile money services designed to make banking modern and affordable, primarily for underserved populations across Africa. Its core product allows users to deposit and withdraw money for free, pay bills for free, send money to anyone for only 1%, and buy airtime instantly, backed by toll-free customer support and strong security. Wave operates across numerous African markets including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC, Gambia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, with a global team building what it describes as 'the future of money, Africa-first.' The company emphasizes a distinct hiring philosophy and culture rooted in transparency, mission-driven work, honesty, and rapid iteration, serving individual consumers and agents who rely on Wave for everyday financial transactions.
Skills
About the Role
You will serve as the primary legal advisor supporting Wave's growth in DRC and new markets, facilitating expansion in alignment with business requirements following regulatory approvals in other regions. You'll partner closely with the business to achieve its objectives through robust contracting, effective legal risk management, and the delivery of clear, practical strategies and solutions. You'll draft and negotiate contracts for core products and services, manage legal operations and policies, oversee litigation and dispute processes, provide legal support for people matters, handle company secretarial duties, manage legal risk with the Risk and Controls teams, develop data privacy strategy, support regulatory and licensing matters, and build relationships with external law firms.
Requirements
- A law degree from an accredited and leading law school and be a qualified lawyer in a Francophone African jurisdiction (OHADA, Cameroon, DRC regulation)
- 8+ years of experience as an in-house lawyer in technology, finance, fintech, or mobile money in a leading regional or global organization
- Fluent in French and English
- Strong communication skills (both written and oral) and ability to communicate knowledge of the law clearly
- Excellent legal drafting
- Strong planning, organizational, and management skills, and ability to meet deadlines
Responsibilities
- Draft and negotiate contracts for all Wave core products and services to protect commercial and legal interests
- Engage in complex and high-value contract negotiations
- Manage and improve the contracting process across countries
- Implement group legal team policies and propose modifications based on practical experience and legal developments
- Provide cross-functional legal administrative support for legal documentation in new markets
- Implement procedures to manage claims and disputes including mediation, arbitration, and litigation
- Provide legal support for employment contracts, disciplinary matters, and terminations
- Manage company secretarial matters across legal entities
- Work with Risk and Controls teams to implement mitigations for legal risks
- Develop data privacy compliance strategy in collaboration with other functions
- Build relations with data privacy regulators across the region
- Provide legal support on licensing and regulatory matters including mobile money license applications
- Build and manage relationships with external law firms
- Engage in other legal function activities and special projects
Benefits
- Health insurance premium paid for you and your dependents
- Generous parental leave policies (26 weeks for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers)
- Subsidized child care when you return to work
- Subsidized gym memberships and fitness classes
- Airtime reimbursement