Senior Legal Counsel: Regulatory and Privacy
Job Overview
Absa Group is appointing a Senior Legal Counsel: Regulatory and Privacy in Johannesburg (requisition R-15992408; full time; hybrid; posted 30 October 2026; applications close 7 November 2026). The role independently manages complex data privacy and regulatory legal matters and translates legal requirements into clear, practical and workable business solutions across the Bank, the Group and Absa Regional Operations (ARO).
As a senior subject-matter expert on data privacy and data protection law (POPIA and international regimes), financial-sector regulation and financial crime, the incumbent reviews Privacy Impact Assessments and new products, drafts and negotiates data processing and data sharing agreements, manages external counsel and legal spend, and represents the Bank at internal committees, governance forums and industry bodies.
Key Responsibilities
• Provide highly specialised legal advice on data privacy, data protection, regulatory and financial-crime matters
• Review and legally assess Privacy Impact Assessments, compliance assessments, new products, projects, technologies and data-use arrangements
• Advise on novel data use, sharing, disclosure, retention and cross-border transfer across the Bank, Group and ARO
• Draft, review and negotiate data protection provisions, DPAs, data sharing agreements, consent wording and privacy notices
• Independently manage a broad portfolio of matters from instruction to completion; manage external counsel and legal spend
• Partner Risk, Compliance and control functions to identify, manage and mitigate legal risk
• Monitor domestic and international privacy and regulatory developments and communicate business impact and actions
• Represent the Bank at internal committees, governance forums and industry engagements; deliver legal training
Required Qualifications
• LLB (BCom Law/BA Law/BJuris + LLB, BProc or LLB); admitted attorney qualified to practise in South Africa
• Ideally 5–8 years’ relevant post-qualification experience
• Substantial hands-on data privacy and data protection experience, including drafting and negotiating DPAs (essential)
• Deep expertise in POPIA and international data protection law; financial-services and market-conduct/financial-crime experience advantageous
• Multi-jurisdiction (African) advisory experience advantageous
• Excellent legal analysis, drafting, negotiation and stakeholder-influencing skills
Skills & Requirements
About This Job
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