Legal Officer - Digital Lending & Fintech

About the role

Pycs is hiring a Legal Officer in Nairobi to manage all legal and regulatory matters across its digital lending and fintech operations, including payments, remittance and associated financial services. The role covers litigation, arbitration, data protection claims and regulatory compliance, and provides clear, actionable legal advice to the Board and senior management. It requires strong expertise in financial services regulation, AML/CFT and data protection within the Kenyan context.

Key responsibilities

• Manage and oversee litigation, including a high volume of small claims cases from lending, recovery, customer disputes and internal employee matters; represent the company in court and manage external counsel.
• Lead arbitration proceedings, including pleadings, evidence and settlement negotiations, and respond to demand letters, statutory notices and pre-litigation correspondence.
• Defend data protection and privacy claims, including DPA complaints and investigations.
• Advise on regulatory exposure under central bank rules, digital lending, payments, consumer protection and data protection laws, and issue legal opinions and advisory memoranda to the Board.
• Review, draft and approve legal agreements such as loan agreements, vendor and technology contracts, partnership and employment contracts, and ensure lending disclosures and recovery communications are enforceable.
• Support Board matters, monitor legal and regulatory developments, maintain litigation trackers and case strategy, and escalate legal risks.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Law from a recognised institution.
• Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with a valid practicing certificate.
• Minimum 4-6 years of post-qualification experience, with exposure to fintech, digital lending, payments or financial services.
• Proven experience managing litigation, small claims and arbitration cases, and a strong track record in contract review and drafting.
• Experience handling data protection claims and regulatory investigations.