Title: Legal Administrative Intern

Organisation: Greenpeace Africa (GPAf)

Reporting to: Governance Coordinator and Legal Counsel

Location: Anywhere in Africa (South Africa preferable)

Duration: 1 year

Contract Type: Internship

1. Background 

Greenpeace Africa’s vision is an Africa, where people live in harmony with nature in a peaceful, environmentally and socially just state. Greenpeace has always been more than an organization. We have been, and are today, a movement. A diverse, multinational, multicultural movement of ordinary individuals determined to bring about extraordinary changes necessary to realize a greener, more peaceful future. We are a continental organisation with offices in 5 countries in Africa currently (South Africa, Kenya, DRC, Senegal, Cameroon) with plans to broaden our footprint to  achieve our objective of “Grounding African Consciousness” locally and to showcase Africa’s profile globally. In our operational landscape we have diverse legal issues that we proactively and reactively encounter and thus need a fortified approach to contend with these multi-faceted occurrences.

To accomplish this mandate and to bolster our current team, we are in need of a vibrant Legal Administrative Intern who can seamlessly parachute into our operations and hit the ground running. In return the Intern will be exposed to a demanding legal environment and gain invaluable practical and theoretical knowledge and experience as well as work and team dynamics as well as possible travel within the iNGO context.

2. Candidate Requirements 

It is anticipated that the prospective candidates will possess the following expertise, temperament and work ethic:

2.1 Technical

  1. An undergraduate legal qualification from a recognised tertiary institution
  2. Knowledge of the laws pertaining to the environment and / or indigenous people and local communities on the African continent is a bonus.
  3. Knowledge and expertise in Labour Law, Contract Law, Statutory Compliance, Risk Management and Litigation
  4. Excellent communication, organisational, time management, and interpersonal skills.
  5. Demonstrable research skills.
  6. Able to define tasks and meet set deadlines.
  7. Proficiency in legal research tools and Microsoft Office.
  8. Ability to communicate effectively 
  9. Exceptional writing and reporting skills
  10. Good administrative and IT skills. Good project management skills
  11. Fluency in spoken and written English and/or French

2.2 Temperament and Work Ethic

a) Goal oriented and able to meet targets and objectives.

b) A passion for and commitment to Greenpeace values.

c) Ability to take instructions and understand urgency and quick turnaround with quality

e) Professionalism and ethical conduct in all engagements

f) Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion and diplomacy

g) Ability to engage staff at all levels, including board level.

3. Scope of Work

The successful incumbent will be involved in the following workstreams:

 3.1 Corporate Governance

  1. Assistance in management of affairs the board and Voting Members
  2. Assistance in drafting board agenda’s, minutes, resolutions, and reports
  3. Assistance in recruitment drives for board and Voting Members
  4. Facilitate travel and logistics arrangements for Board and Voting Members and Trustees to GPI AGM
  5. Follow up on requests to board and voting members

3.2 Statutory Compliance and Contract Compliance

  1. Assistance in ensuring compliance with statutory regulations for all GPAf offices
  2. Assistance in obtaining board resolutions for FICA requirements and for bank accounts
  3. Participating in providing assurance for contract management (reviewing contracts, SLA’s, MoU’s, employment contracts etc)

d) Facilitate travel and logistics arrangements for Board and Voting Members and Trustees to GPI AGM

e) Follow up on requests to board nd voting members

3.3 Legal Support for Programmes and Actions

  1. Participate in providing legal support for Programmes and Actions
  2. Participate in the review risk reports for Porgrammes and Actions and providing assurance to management
  3. Participate in the drafting of legal documents, including contracts, memoranda, pleadings, and correspondence. Collaborating with Pan-African and GPI team members to ensure accuracy and clarity.
  4. Engage in legal analysis by examining complex issues and providing concise summaries and recommendations based on applicable laws, at both the national and international levels.Conduct legal research as and when necessary

3.4 Risk Management

  1. Participate in the collation of information for quarterly risk reviews.
  2. Provide monthly reports to M&E
  3. Provide support with the budget of the unit

4. Lifespan and Reporting Line

4.1 The duration of the contract is 12 months from the date of inception. This will be subject to performance, conduct and organisational requirements.

4.2 The incumbent will report directly to the Governance Coordinator and Legal Counsel, but will have dotted lines to SMT and ED if and when required.

5. Instructions to candidates

5.1 Please submit concise CV’s clearly showing competencies that match our requirements 

5.2 We will contact the shortlisted candidates within 14 days of the closing date. If no response is received after a month kindly accept that you have been unsuccessful at this instance.

5.3 Shortlisted candidates will be subject to interviews as well as reference and due diligence checks. 

5.4 GPAf reserves the right NOT to make an appointment for reasons

Interested qualified candidates should email a cover letter & CV to [email protected] with – Legal Administration  Intern as the subject line by 21st  May 2025.