Head of Legal Partnerships

About the role

An AI safety technology company is looking for a Head of Legal Partnerships to build and run the network of law firms behind its service, which lets users share evidence packs with vetted firms. The role sits in Lagos, Nigeria, with travel across Nigeria in the first three months, and expands into the Netherlands and the United States. It combines legal, commercial and marketing work in a 35/40/25 split, reporting to the CEO.

Key responsibilities

• Source, vet, contract and onboard law firms state by state in Nigeria, then extend the network to the Netherlands and the United States, and scope further markets
• Run a structured vetting standard and partner agreements covering per-report fee, service levels, data terms, no exclusivity, no steering and termination for breach
• Own the escalation flow end to end: user selects a firm from a matched list, the firm receives the evidence pack securely, responds within the agreed time, and the user rates the experience
• Publish and hold service levels (response time, acceptance rate, user rating, complaint rate); coach firms below standard and remove non-compliant ones
• Keep the evidence pack trustworthy (hashing, timestamps, chain of custody, access logs, retention and deletion rules) in agreement with Security Operations and the data protection lead
• Ensure the company never gives legal advice, recommends one firm over another, takes a share of a legal fee or pays or receives a referral commission, and structures the platform fee lawfully in each market
• Own the service website, social media (at least five posts a week, approved before publication), in-app messaging, rights trainings and PR
• Win over firms with partner decks, bar branch presentations, practice area events and a monthly firm update; track escalation rate, firm pipeline, cost per signed firm and platform engagement

Required profile

• Qualified lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar, with at least six years of practice or legal operations experience
• Proven commercial record signing partners and running accounts in legal tech, insurance, a law firm network, a marketplace or a comparable B2B2C business
• Marketing experience running websites and social accounts, briefing creatives and speaking on a stage
• Fluent English; Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo an advantage
• Willingness to travel across Nigeria in the first three months

Required skills

• Working knowledge of professional conduct rules on referral fees, fee sharing and advertising in Nigeria, and ability to brief outside counsel in the Netherlands and the United States on the same
• Able to explain a hash, a timestamp and a chain of custody to a judge and a product manager
• Understanding of data protection and the user's free choice of lawyer
• Preferred: network across Nigerian Bar Association branches, practice in victims' rights, domestic violence or personal injury, familiarity with legal aid processes, and legal tech experience

Full-time position with a six-month probation; base salary plus a performance bonus linked to accepted escalated reports and revenue, not paid in quarters with regulatory findings or unremedied service level breaches. Only qualified candidates will be contacted.