Legal Officer

Job Title: Legal Officer
Department: Legal & Compliance
Reports To: Legal & Compliance Manager
Employment Type: Full-time

Position Overview

The Legal Officer provides administrative, coordination, documentation, and monitoring support to the Legal & Compliance function.

The position is responsible for ensuring that legal and compliance matters are properly coordinated, documented, tracked, and followed through with the relevant departments, management, regulators, external counsel, and other stakeholders.

The role allows the Head of Legal & Compliance to focus on substantive legal matters, regulatory risk assessment, compliance oversight, and management advisory while ensuring that day-to-day legal and compliance activities are properly organized and monitored.

Key Responsibilities

1. Legal Coordination and Administration

• Coordinate legal requests received from various departments and ensure proper routing and follow-up.
• Maintain a tracker of contracts, legal requests, approvals, signatures, and outstanding action items.
• Coordinate contract review and execution with relevant departments and authorized signatories.
• Monitor contract status, renewal dates, expiration dates, and other important deadlines.
• Coordinate with external counsel on legal matters, requests for documents, consultations, and case-related requirements.
• Assist in preparing and organizing documents for legal review.
• Maintain an organized and confidential filing system for contracts, legal documents, correspondence, and corporate records.
• Schedule meetings and coordinate discussions involving Legal and other departments.
• Follow up with concerned personnel on pending legal action items and deliverables.

2. Compliance Coordination and Monitoring

• Maintain a compliance calendar and tracker covering regulatory submissions, licenses, permits, reports, and other compliance requirements.
• Monitor deadlines and follow up with responsible departments to ensure timely completion of compliance requirements.
• Coordinate the collection and consolidation of documents and information required for regulatory submissions, audits, and compliance reviews.
• Maintain records of regulatory filings, submissions, acknowledgments, and supporting documents.
• Assist in monitoring compliance with company policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Track compliance issues, action plans, and remediation items until closure.
• Assist in preparing compliance reports, presentations, and management updates.
• Coordinate with relevant departments regarding implementation of compliance requirements.

3. Regulatory and Corporate Documentation

• Assist in organizing documents required by regulatory agencies, including the SEC, BSP, CIC, LGUs, and other applicable government agencies.
• Maintain a database of corporate registrations, licenses, permits, certificates, and regulatory documents.
• Assist in monitoring validity and renewal dates of licenses, permits, and registrations.
• Assist in preparing documentary requirements for regulatory filings and applications.
• Maintain an organized repository of corporate and compliance records.

4. Policy and Document Management

• Assist in the coordination and documentation of company policies, procedures, guidelines, and internal controls.
• Track policy reviews, approvals, revisions, and implementation.
• Maintain the master list and latest versions of Legal and Compliance policies and documents.
• Coordinate with HR and other departments on the dissemination and implementation of policies.

5. Audit and Investigation Support

• Coordinate document requests relating to internal and external audits.
• Assist in gathering and organizing documents and information requested by auditors or regulators.
• Maintain audit and compliance request trackers.
• Assist the Head of Legal & Compliance in monitoring responses and remediation of audit findings.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive legal, employee, customer, and company information.

6. General Administrative Support

• Prepare meeting agendas, minutes, action-item trackers, and follow-up reports.
• Prepare basic reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and monitoring dashboards.
• Manage calendars and schedules relating to Legal & Compliance activities.
• Perform other administrative and coordination functions as may be assigned by the Head of Legal & Compliance.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Legal Management, Political Science, Business Administration, Accountancy, or a related field.
• Paralegal certification or relevant legal/compliance training is an advantage.

Experience

• At least 2-3 years of experience in a legal, compliance, corporate secretarial, paralegal, administrative, or related role.
• Experience in a law firm, financial services company, financing company, or regulated industry is an advantage.

Knowledge and Skills

• Basic understanding of legal and regulatory processes.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to monitor multiple deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Ability to prepare and maintain trackers and reports.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
• Strong follow-up and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work independently while knowing when matters require escalation to the Head of Legal & Compliance.

Core Competencies

• Organization and attention to detail
• Follow-through and accountability
• Confidentiality and integrity
• Communication and coordination
• Time and deadline management
• Problem-solving
• Document and records management
• Regulatory awareness
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance may be measured based on:

• Timely and accurate completion of Legal & Compliance administrative requirements.
• Accuracy and completeness of legal and compliance trackers.
• Timely monitoring and escalation of regulatory and contractual deadlines.
• Proper maintenance and accessibility of legal and compliance records.
• Timely follow-up and closure of assigned action items.
• Accuracy and completeness of documents prepared for legal, compliance, audit, and regulatory purposes.
• Responsiveness to internal and external stakeholders.
• Maintenance of confidentiality and proper handling of sensitive information.

Role Boundaries

The Legal Assistant/ Officer does not provide independent legal advice, make legal determinations, approve legal documents, or exercise the authority of the Head of Legal & Compliance.

The position primarily provides coordination, monitoring, documentation, and administrative support, with substantive legal and compliance matters subject to review and direction by the Head of Legal & Compliance.