Reference: 5827 CM

Job Description:

Under the guidance of the Senior Director, manage legislative and regulatory issues in South Africa for operations, particularly related to zoning and permitting requirements for tower construction and deployment;
Create advocacy materials related to development, construction and operation of passive infrastructure;
Develop policy arguments and position papers on public policy, legislation and regulatory issues;
Evaluate the political landscape associated with legislative and regulatory proposals and issues;
Coordinate communication on key issues, outcomes and strategies related to legislation and regulatory activities;
Identify public relations risks and opportunities and build and implement outreach and engagement strategies;
Review and analyze regulators and legislator’s interests on the independent passive infrastructure industry;
Provide responses to requests for information, analysis, site visits and operational information;
Establish and nurture relations, including leading direct advocacy and education activities with legislators, local authorities, and regulators, their staff, and external stakeholders in support of permit granting, business operations and corporate interests;
Represent company before external stakeholders, in coordination with the respective Country Manager and Legal Counsel, to ensure that permitting, business and corporate agendas, messages, initiatives, interests, and goals are met;
Represent, with support from the Country Manager, the Legal Counsel and other staff members, before the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa and other membership or industry organizations, as needed;
Effectively build diverse external stakeholder relations and coalitions, in coordination with the respective Country Manager and Legal Counsel, including developing an effective relationship with the US Embassy and the US Commercial Office;
Maintain current knowledge of regulations, standards, and best practices of the wireless passive infrastructure industry, including and inventory of such regulations in South Africa, as well as those that are in the making before National, Provisional and local authorities;
Interact closely with the licensing and permitting departments in South Africa, providing support in connection with the obtainment, maintenance and regularization of licenses and permits for specific sites of portfolio;
Assist, and interact with the licensing and permitting department, in the negotiation of settlement agreements or related agreements with the governmental authorities for the regularization of specific sites of portfolio;
Responsibilities include interviewing and hiring employees in conjunction with Human Resources; interviewing and engaging outside counsel and independent contractors; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Qualifications:

University or graduate degree in Law, Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration, Communications, Business, Economics or related field.
5-7 years of experience in the legislative, public affairs, government affairs, broad issues management or communications arenas in which duties include policy analysis, advocacy and/or written and verbal communication with elected officials and staff.
Demonstrated experience in the telecommunications, technology or digital sectors or any other highly regulated industry; as well as dealing with, designing and executing regulatory, legislative strategies and policies. Experience gathering documents, performing analyses, and drawing conclusions on legislative and regulatory policies.
Experience in dealing with highly sensitive, political inquires through coordination and extensive communications.
Effective communicator who can deliver compelling arguments that address the needs of diverse audiences.
Relationship builder, skilled at developing collaborative partnerships and cultivating networks internally and externally.
Strategic influencer seen as a trusted advisor and credible thought leader with policy makers and staff.
Solid organizational skills, proactivity and detail-orientation.
Excellent interpersonal and effective communication skills (verbal, written, presentation). Capacity to work under pressure with tight deadlines in the context of changing priorities.
Proven ability to work in a matrix organization, with multi-disciplinary teams and interact with diverse stakeholders.
Team player with a can do attitude, willing to walk the extra mile to achieve corporate objectives and highly proactive and reliable.
Ability to move seamlessly between strategy and execution, with a great sense of urgency and focus on reaching objectives.
Critical thinking and analytical skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint).
Available for domestic travel about 40-50% of the time. Some international travel may be required.
Fluent in English, with excellent written and conversational skills.
Ability to read, analyze and interpret laws and regulations, legal documents and financial reports in English.
Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, members of the business community and representatives of local, municipal, regional and national governments, regulatory agencies and community associations in English.
Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors in English.