I seek an in-house legal leadership role where I can drive contract efficiencies, advise senior leaders, lead a team, and strengthen compliance frameworks.
Looking for a job
Phumlani Nyawo
@phumlaninyawo
Admitted attorney and In-house Legal Counsel experienced in commercial law, compliance, litigation, and contract management.
South AfricaWhat I'm looking for
I am an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and Contract Manager with seven years of post-admission experience and four years serving as in-house counsel. I provide practical, business-focused legal advice across corporate, commercial, regulatory, and litigation matters.
I have managed the lifecycle of 500+ commercial contracts valued above R500 million and improved contract turnaround time by approximately 18% through template standardization. I reduced external litigation costs by 5% through active management and ADR strategies.
At the SABC, I lead and develop legal teams, advise C-suite and senior management, draft and negotiate complex commercial agreements, and support M&A, procurement, and compliance initiatives. I routinely present legal arguments before regulatory forums and manage external counsel.
I am results-driven, resilient under pressure, and skilled in contract management, legal research, dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance (including GDPR/POPIA/PAIA and ICASA rules). I seek to support organisations with pragmatic legal solutions that enable business objectives.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
SA
Current
Manager: Commercial Legal Services
SABC
Jun 2024 - Present (1 year 9 months)
Leads a legal team of 7, manages contract lifecycle for 500+ commercial contracts valued above R500M, and improved contract turnaround time by ~18% while advising senior management on governance and regulatory compliance.
SA
Current
Legal Advisor (In-House)
SABC
Feb 2022 - Present (4 years 1 month)
Drafts, negotiates and standardises commercial agreements and templates, manages litigation and ADR processes to reduce legal costs by 5%, and provides regulatory, IP and data-protection advice to the business.
SS
Legal Advisor
SERR Synergy
May 2021 - Jan 2022 (8 months)
Provided labour-relations and employment law advice, conducted disciplinary and retrenchment processes, negotiated with trade unions, and trained clients on POPIA data-protection compliance.
TI
Associate Attorney
TKN Incorporated
Jun 2019 - May 2021 (1 year 11 months)
Advised public and private clients on compliance and construction projects, drafted commercial agreements, participated in due diligence for a project finance deal >R1B, and supervised junior practitioners.
HA
Candidate Attorney / Associate
Honey Attorneys
Jan 2017 - May 2019 (2 years 4 months)
Provided legal advice to businesses and state entities, handled litigation across courts and tribunals, and drafted commercial contracts, pleadings and legal policies to support firm clients.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Allison
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
2023 - 2023
University of Zululand
Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Law
2013 - 2016
Completed a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) program focusing on South African commercial, corporate, and administrative law from 2013 to 2016.
PS
Phumanyova High School
National Senior Certificate, Secondary Education
2010 - 2012
Obtained the National Senior Certificate with secondary education completed between 2010 and 2012.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Looking for a job
Location
South AfricaAuthorized to work in
Salary expectations
79k+ USD
Social media
Job categories
Interested in hiring Phumlani?
You can contact Phumlani and 90k+ other talented remote workers on Himalayas.
Message PhumlaniFind your dream job
Sign up now and join over 100,000 remote workers who receive personalized job alerts, curated job matches, and more for free!
