Johannesburg: Legal Operations Manager posted by Aspire Recruiting

We are looking for a highly organized and compliant-focused Legal Operations Manager to oversee statutory governance, cross-border financial facilitation, and local facility management. This is a critical, multi-faceted role bridging legal compliance, financial liaison, and operational administration. The successful candidate will safeguard our South African entities (ZA01 and ZA11) by ensuring strict adherence to FICA, CIPC, and labour regulations, while acting as the primary operational conduit to our international finance team (LU01).

Key Responsibilities1. Statutory Governance & FICA Compliance (ZA01 & ZA11)

• FICA Officer Duties: Act as the designated FICA Officer for ZA11 clients. Execute rigorous Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols and liaise directly with the central compliance department to mitigate operational and legal risks.
• CIPC Management: Take full ownership of beneficial ownership declarations and ensure the timeous, accurate submission of annual returns for ZA01.
• Statutory Tax & Labour Submissions: Independently prepare and submit statutory tax returns for ZA01. Manage and ensure accurate, on-time submissions for UIF (Unemployment Insurance Fund) and SDL (Skills Development Levy).

2. Cross-Border Financial Facilitation

• International Financial Liaison (LU01): Serve as the primary operational link with our international office (LU01) to facilitate the payment of all ZA01 salaries and local supplier invoices.
• Payment Tracking & Administration: Facilitate the transmission of local invoices to LU01. Proactively track these to ensure on-time payment, and distribute Proof of Payment (POP) documentation to the relevant local service providers to maintain strong vendor relations.

3. Local Facility & Vendor Management

• Vendor Liaison: Independently manage relationships, service level agreements, and operational requirements with all local service providers across both ZA01 and ZA11.
• Facility Operations: Ensure seamless daily office operations by acting as the primary point of contact for the landlord, printing companies, internet service providers (ISPs), local IT support, and any other local support services as required.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelors Degree in Law, Corporate Governance, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
• 35+ years of experience in legal operations, corporate compliance, office management, or a similar hybrid role.
• Proven experience acting as a FICA Officer or managing KYC/AML protocols in South Africa.
• Strong working knowledge of CIPC regulations, South African tax submissions, and local labour levies (UIF, SDL).
• Experience liaising with international or centralized finance teams (cross-border payment facilitation is highly advantageous).

Disclaimer:

Thank you for taking the time to apply! We are currently reviewing applications. If you havent heard from us within two weeks, it means we have moved forward with other candidates for this specific role. However, we are always on the lookout for great talentwe will keep your profile on our database and will certainly reach out if a position opens up that aligns with your background.