Head of Legal

ABOUT US

HyperionDev is one of the largest providers of accelerated tech education in EMEA and one of the oldest providers of 'coding bootcamps' in the world. We work with top universities such as Imperial College London, The London School of Economics, The University of Edinburgh, and Stellenbosch University to deliver structured technical courses and bootcamps that accelerate people into fulfilling tech careers. We have been recognised as one of the top education technology scaleups in the world and gained the financial backing of Meta (previously Facebook) which recognised us as  the most socially impactful startup operating in Africa, where we initially started our work.

We are dedicated to closing the global tech skills gap and we achieve this by integrating tech education with human mentorship and expert code review powered by a workforce in Southern Africa, which lowers the cost of an accessible education in technology. This model has been successful, allowing us to reach millions of learners a year from over 60 countries. We have also partnered with government bodies such as the UK's Department for Education who provide scholarships for students to study on our bootcamps and gain employment at companies such as AstraZeneca and the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS).

We're backed by nearly 2000 investors, having raised the largest crowdfunding round of funding for an edtech company in history. As a primarily bootstrapped, profitable, and scale up tech business join us as we play our part in making the world a more stable, safer, and fair place. 

ABOUT THE ROLE 

We are a rapidly expanding startup with international growth, managing complex government and university partnerships. Our legal operations involve working with multiple law firms across jurisdictions, ensuring compliance, risk management, and strategic legal guidance to support our expansion.

The Head of Legal will be responsible for overseeing all legal aspects of our business, providing strategic direction, managing external legal counsel, and ensuring compliance with international regulations. This role is critical in safeguarding our company’s interests while facilitating scalable and legally sound growth. As the Head of Legal at HyperionDev, you will be part of our leadership team, working directly with the CEO and Partnerships team on business expansion. You will represent HyperionDev in all legal matters, lead our preparedness for legal challenges, and provide strategic counsel to other departments.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Your responsibilities will include:

• Develop and implement the company’s legal strategy to support international expansion
• Manage and negotiate a wide range of business contracts, including agreements with government, universities, service providers, and strategic partners.
• Oversee compliance with global regulatory requirements, including data protection, local legislation and corporate governance.
• Liaise with and manage relationships with external law firms across multiple jurisdictions.
• Provide legal risk assessments and mitigation strategies to the CEO and management team.
• Lead dispute resolution, litigation management, and regulatory investigations when necessary.
• Support corporate structuring, investor contracts and any M&A activities as the company scales.
• Develop and review legal policies and procedures
• Lead and train the internal team in their contract management, compliance, legal administration and litigation tasks.
  
  

REQUIREMENTS 

Minimum

• Should be an admitted attorney with an LLB degree
• Minimum of 10 years of in-house legal experience reviewing policies and procedures.
• 5+ years experience in a leadership role
• Minimum of 1 year experience with English and Welsh law cases
• Strong experience in contract negotiation, corporate law, and compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Exposure to working with or within fast-growing startups and international business environments
• Experience managing external law firms and legal budgets.
• Excellent leadership and management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with both legal and non-legal stakeholders.
• Proven ability to analyse and solve complex legal issues.
• Strong negotiation skills 

Preferred 

• Master's degree in Law or Business Administration 
• Prior experience in a startup / tech environment
• Prior experience or knowledge in government procurement legislation
• Experience drafting shareholder agreements, Board resolutions or minutes, sale of share agreements
• Experience in matters dealing with Intellectual Property Law or trademark application/enforcement
• Strong ethical standards and commitment to integrity and compliance.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills.
• Strong writing skills and high attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Ability to work independently and meet timelines 

BENEFITS

Flexible & remote working: We are a remote-friendly organisation and offer flexible work options.

Generous annual leave and medical benefits: We provide up to 20 annual leave days as part of our leave policy, as well as health insurance or medical aid benefits for our staff.

Join the heart of tech in Africa, the US, and Europe: You'll work with the best of the best and rub shoulders with the world leaders in edtech, developer education, and developer assessments. Join one of the most ambitious and highest performing tech companies in the space, with a founding team that draws their former experience from companies such as Google, Amazon, GetSmarter/2U, & Yoco. 

Life-changing work: Solve real problems that make education and tech careers accessible to those who need it most: you're allowed to brag about it.