Chief Governance and Legal Officer Jobs – True North Consult

Job Title: Chief Governance and Legal Officer

Organisation: True North Consult

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About Organisation:

True North Consult Ltd is a boutique HR Consultancy Firm that offers bespoke HR solutions to selected clients in various sectors and industries across East Africa, with operational offices in Kampala, Nairobi and Kigali.

Job Summary: The Chief Governance and Legal Officer is responsible for ensuring that company’s governance and legal judgement are sources of organizational strength, confidence and strategic discipline. The role enables company to make sound decisions, manage institutional and legal risk, and uphold the standards of integrity required to operate credibly in a complex development and investment environment.

As a Board-facing member of EXCO, the role provides the independent governance and legal leadership required to strengthen trust between the Board, Management, funders, partners, and stakeholders. By ensuring that oversight is effective, decisions are properly grounded and ethical standards are consistently upheld, the role helps protect company’s reputation and creates the conditions for sustainable development impact.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Enterprise Governance Leadership
• Translate company’s strategic direction into a clear governance and legal framework that supports effective oversight, accountability, and institutional credibility.
• Advise the Board, Board Committees and EXCO on governance and legal arrangements that strengthen independence, transparency and organizational effectiveness.
• Maintain governance policies, charters, decision protocols and legal safeguards that reflect company’s mandate, legal, regulatory and donor-governance obligations and operating model.
• Provide governance and legal input into major organizational decisions where accountability, independence or institutional reputation may be affected.
• Success Criteria/Measures:
• Board evaluation confirms that company’s governance framework supports credible, independent, and effective oversight.
• EXCO and Board feedback confirms that material legal implications are identified early and reflected in major organizational decisions.
• Board Effectiveness & Decision Quality
• Shape Board and Committee governance calendars and workplans to ensure appropriate attention to strategy, performance, risk, governance obligations and institutional priorities.
• Ensure Board and Committee meetings are properly constituted, well governed and focused on matters requiring strategic oversight.
• Set standards and timelines for Board papers and management information so that decisions are supported by clear, relevant and timely evidence.
• Advise the Board Chair, Committee Chairs, Directors and Management on governance requirements, legal implications, decision quality and fiduciary responsibilities.
• Oversee Board induction, evaluation and development processes that strengthen the Board’s contribution to company’s effectiveness.
• Success Criteria/Measures:
• Board evaluation confirms that GLBAO support enables Board and Committee oversight to remain strategic, effective and value-adding.
• Board and Committee feedback confirms that governance and legal advice supports informed, accountable and well-grounded decision-making.
• Legal Advisory & Institutional Protection
• Lead the provision of legal advice to the Board, Board Committees, CEO and EXCO on matters with strategic, contractual, governance or reputational implications.
• Ensure major decisions, agreements and institutional commitments are informed by clear legal analysis and a practical understanding of risk.
• Oversee the management of significant legal matters, including complex contracts, disputes, litigation, recoveries and external legal counsel.
• Establish legal standards and advisory processes that promote consistency, defensibility and integrity in organizational decision-making.
• Oversee statutory filings, coordinate regulatory compliance and monitor adherence to applicable legal obligations, ensuring material gaps are identified and addressed.
• Success Criteria/Measures:
• Board and EXCO records confirm that material legal risks are identified and addressed before major decisions or commitments are approved.
• Programme & Investment Governance
• Develop governance protocols that clarify oversight expectations for major programmes, investments and strategic delivery arrangements.
• Work with Risk & Compliance, Finance and programme teams to ensure governance and legal risks are considered in due diligence and approval processes.
• Advise on governance risks associated with partners, investees, and delivery arrangements, ensuring appropriate escalation where required.
• Support partner governance standards that reinforce integrity, accountability, ESG, safeguarding, donor-governance requirements and responsible development practice.
• Success Criteria/Measures:
• Internal and external audits confirm that governance expectations are reflected in major programme, investment and partner approval processes.
• Institutional Integrity & Accountability
• Act as an independent governance and legal voice within EXCO, ensuring that decisions reflect company’s values, obligations and standards of integrity.
• Maintain robust systems for recording, preserving and following up Board decisions, resolutions, precedents and governance commitments.
• Ensure governance concerns, conflicts, ethical risks and accountability gaps are identified, escalated and addressed appropriately.
• Promote consistent adherence to approved governance policies, delegations, decision rights and institutional procedures.
• Establish and uphold standards for confidentiality, information governance and the secure handling of Board, legal and other sensitive institutional records.
• Success Criteria/Measures:
• Board Action Log confirms that Board decisions, resolutions and governance commitments are tracked and implemented within approved timelines.
• Board and EXCO feedback confirm that material governance concerns, conflicts and ethical risks are identified and escalated appropriately.
• Governance, Legal & Board Affairs Function Capability
• Define the mandate, standards and service expectations of GLBAO in line with its Board-facing, legal advisory and organization-wide governance responsibilities.
• Lead and develop GLBAO staff to provide professional, timely and credible governance, legal and board affairs support.
• Ensure specialist legal, company secretarial and external advisory resources are used effectively to support governance outcomes (GLBAO) that provides high- quality governance and legal advice, challenge and institutional stewardship.
• Develop digital governance tools, knowledge systems and performance measures that improve governance efficiency, quality and institutional learning, while supporting proportionate governance of AI, cyber and related institutional risks.
• Success Criteria/Measures:
• EXCO and Board Chair feedback confirms that GLBAO provides independent, credible and timely governance and legal support.
• And other duties consistent with the purpose and level of the role, as requested by the Board Chair.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Law degree and eligibility to practice law in Uganda.
• Professional qualification or recognized training in company secretarial practice, corporate governance or board advisory work.
• Postgraduate qualification in law, governance, business, or development finance is desirable.
• Experience
• Significant senior-level legal experience, including corporate, commercial, governance or institutional advisory work.
• Experience advising Boards, Board Committees and senior management on governance, legal risk, accountability and fiduciary duties.
• Experience developing governance frameworks, charters, policies, decision protocols and legal safeguards.
• Experience supporting legal and governance oversight of investments,
• development finance, complex programmes or partnerships; impact
• investment strongly preferred.
• Experience providing independent advice and constructive challenge on ethical, reputational, legal or accountability matters.
• Technical Skills & Knowledge
• Strong knowledge of corporate governance, company law, statutory
• obligations, board effectiveness and legal practice relevant to Uganda and comparable standards.
• Strong ability to interpret complex governance, legal, risk and organizational issues and provide clear, practical advice to Boards and senior leaders.

How to Apply:

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to Apply by Email with subject line Chief Governance and Legal Officer by 27th July 2026 .

All applications shall be acknowledged as received but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

All applicants should share their CV’s and Cover Letters in PDF or MS Word STRICTLY

For any inquiries on this career opportunity and the application process please e-mail f.amumpaire@truenorthafrica.com .

Close

Chief Governance and Legal Officer – Chief Governance and Legal Officer

You need to signed in to apply the job. Click Here to sign in.

Deadline: 27th July 2026

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline

Level of Education: bachelor degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 120