National Council for Law Reporting Senior Assistant Editor/ Deputy CEO

The National Council for Law Reporting is looking for highly qualified, experienced, enthusiastic and hardworking individuals to fill the following vacancies:

1. Senior Assistant Editor/Deputy CEO at Job Grade KLR2.

2. Corporate Affairs Officer at Job Grade KLR4

About the Council

The National Council for Law Reporting is a semi-autonomous state corporation in the Judiciary. It is established under the National Council for Law Reporting Act, 1994.

Its mandate is:

• To monitor and report on the development of Kenyan jurisprudence through the publication of the Kenya Law Reports;
• To revise, consolidate and publish the Laws of Kenya; and
• To undertake such other related publications and perform such other functions as may be conferred by law.

The Council is Kenya's focal point institution in providing access to public legal information. 

It is led by a Council of Members chaired by The Hon. Chief Justice and managed through a secretariat headed by an Chief Executive/Editor. 

The Council's principal office is in Nairobi. The Council's principal office is in Nairobi.  More information about the Council is available on its website (www.kenyalaw.org).

The job description, duties, responsibilities, qualifications, the terms of service and the application procedure for this position are set out below.

Senior Assistant Editor/ Deputy CEO

Ref: NCLR/ HR/ 2013/55
Job Grade: KLR 2

Reporting to: The Chief Executive/Editor

Current basic salary (not including allowances and benefits): Ksh. 120,270 - 165,700 p.m.

This is an exclusive opportunity to serve in a unique, award-winning and leading national institution and it calls for a mix of skills in leadership, management, legal research and analysis and legal publishing.

Key responsibilities

The key responsibilities for this position include:

• To assist the Chief Executive/Editor in the development and implementation of the Council’s Corporate Strategy.
• To deputise the Chief Executive/Editor in exercising managerial oversight over three core functions of the Council, namely, Law Reporting, Law Revision and Research and Development.
• Subject to the directions of the Chief Executive/Editor, to assist in organizing the meetings of the members of the Council and the Committees of the Council, including preparing meeting briefs and reports, recording and keeping the minutes of the meetings, overseeing the implementation of decisions and resolutions and managing the corporate governance relationship between the members of staff and the members of the Council.
• To guide and work with the Departmental Managers in the implementation of the corporate strategy

Professional Qualifications and Attributes

This is a unique position in the only institution of its kind in Kenya. 

The position calls for a mix of skills in management, law, legal publishing and law reporting. 

The ideal candidate will be a citizen of Kenya who has the following qualifications:

• A Masters degree in Law or its equivalent;
• Admission to the roll of the Advocates of the High Court of Kenya;
• At least six (6) years of post-admission working experience
• At least one management course lasting not less than three (3) weeks;
• Contemporary computer and ICT skills;

Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will possess the following personal qualities:-

• Integrity - Excellent moral and professional standing;
• Excellent legal writing, legal editing, legal analysis and legal research skills;
• Excellent organizational, leadership, management, resource mobilization and decision making skills;
• The ability to conceptualize, develop and implement a corporate strategy;
• Creativity, innovation and a passion for continuous learning and development;
• Good interpersonal, team-building and communication skills;
• Highly motivated

Previous work experience in the execution of all or any of the above responsibilities and  the  application of all or any of these skills will be an added advantage.

The remuneration and terms of service

This position is a job in the public service within the meaning of that term in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. 

The successful candidate will be engaged to be based at the Council's head-office in Nairobi on permanent and pensionable terms of employment.

Corporate Affairs Officer

Ref: NCLR/HR/2013/56
Job Grade: KLR 4

Reporting to: The Manager, Strategy & Quality Assurance Department

Current Basic Salary (not including allowances and benefits): Kshs. 89,748 - 120,270 per month

This is an exclusive opportunity to serve in a unique, award-winning and leading national institution.

This exciting opportunity exists for a suitably skilled applicant who is seeking a challenging role in one of the most dynamic and creativity-oriented institutions in Kenya's public service. 

The successful candidate's key role will be to provide sound compliance advice to the senior management team as well as acting as a primary support to the Deputy CEO and the CEO in managing the affairs of the Members of the Council (Board of Directors).

Key Responsibilities

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Lead and manage the corporate affairs function of the Council and act as the Company Secretary and in-house legal counsel;
• Formulate, document and implement good corporate governance practices;
• Formulate and implement organizational risk management/business continuity management strategies;
• Guide and co-ordinate business and operational emergency management procedures and responses;
• Provide compliance and awareness advice regarding laws, policies and procedures pertinent to the affairs of the Council;
• Draft contracts and other legal documents for the Council;
• Represent the Council in legal proceedings and/or liaise with the Council's external legal representatives and advisors;
• Managing the communication risks and opportunities of the Council, both internally and externally, including managing and orchestrating all official communications, media relations and responses and public relations;
• Prepare the Council's Annual Report.

Professional Qualifications and Skills

This is a unique position in the only institution of its kind in Kenya. 

The position calls for a mix of skills in management and law. 

The ideal candidate will be a citizen of Kenya who has the following qualifications:

• A degree in Law from a reputable and recognized university;
• Admission to the roll of the Advocates of the High Court of Kenya;
• At least four (4) years previous experience as a Legal Officer/Company Secretary/In-house Legal Counsel in a busy and dynamic corporate environment.
• Sound experience providing legal and risk management advice.
• Proven planning skills with an ability to deliver specific outcomes within clearly defined time and resource constraints.
• Excellent organisational and analytical skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and a proven ability to engage with key stakeholders.
• An ability to sense and analyse situations and formulate strategies that create sustainable value for the organisation.
• The ability to present key information to gain agreement to proposals representing the interests of the Council.
• The ideal candidate will have experience working as a company secretary and significant exposure to corporate governance as well as the drafting, negotiation and management of contracts.

Personal Attributes

The ideal candidate will possess the following personal qualities:-

• Integrity - Excellent moral and professional standing;
• Excellent legal writing, legal editing, legal analysis and legal research skills;
• Excellent organizational, leadership, management, resource mobilization and decision making skills;
• The ability to develop and implement a corporate strategy;
• Creativity, innovation and a passion for continuous learning and development;
• Good interpersonal, team-building and communication skills;
• Highly motivated

Previous work experience corporate governance and providing legal advise on intellectual property law and drafting and supervising technology contracts will be an added advantage.

The remuneration and terms of service

This position is a job in the public service within the meaning of that term in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.  The successful candidate will be engaged to be based at the Council's head-office in Nairobi on permanent and pensionable terms of employment.

Application procedure:

All applications are to be sent by email with the subject “Deputy CEO Application” or “Corporate Affairs Officer Application” to recruit@kenyalaw.org.

The application email is to be sent in two parts/documents and it must comply with the following requirements:

a. The first document will contain the following information in one continuous document in portable document format (pdf), with information arranged in the following order:

- A cover letter
- A recent coloured passport-size photograph of oneself
- A copy of one's national identity card
- A curriculum vitae setting out the following information about oneself, in the following order:

• Name, gender, date of birth and contacts
• academic and professional qualifications
• a list of academic and professional certificates
• previous work experience and/or professional engagements
• membership of any professional associations
• the titles, dates and forum of any publications, research, academic papers, lectures, presentations etc. by the candidate
• the range of languages spoken, including one's mother tongue
• any community service and social welfare activities engaged in
• the names and contacts of three persons who can attest to the candidate's academic, professional and moral excellence.

b. The second document will be one continuous document in PDF format containing the scanned images of the most relevant academic and professional transcripts and certificates. The document size should not exceed 50MB.

Candidates who are called for an interview will be asked to bring with them the originals of their national identity card and their academic and professional transcripts and certificates.

The two application documents should emailed on or before May 20, 2013, 1700hrs East African Time.

Paper-based applications posted to or delivered at the Council will not be considered.

The National Council for Law Reporting is an equal opportunity employer. In keeping with its constitutional obligations under The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 particularly Articles 22(3) and 232(h), the Council encourages eligible persons from minority groups, or marginalised communities and persons with disabilities to apply for these vacancies.

Candidates who canvass for this vacancy will be disqualified. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews.