Principal Counsel, Africa Legal

About the company: The company is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, the company operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible.

About You and The Role: The company is seeking a senior, strategic, and highly adaptable lawyer to lead and scale legal and compliance across multiple countries of operation in Africa. This role sits at the intersection of compliance execution and regulatory strategy and is critical to enabling the company's continued growth in complex and evolving regulatory environments. You will independently lead all Africa Legal & Compliance operations and strategy while serving as an integral member of the company International's high-impact Legal Team. You will also be a key member of the company Africa Leadership Team, with the Heads of People and Finance and our Country Directors, and with a dotted reporting line to the company Africa's CEO. You will work cross-functionally with the Africa Leadership Team, Operations, Policy, Government Affairs, People, Finance, and Engineering, and will report directly to the company's Deputy General Counsel.

What You'll Do:

• Design, implement, scale, and continuously improve the company's legal and compliance programs across Africa, with a focus on sustainable, practical operations that support rapid growth.
• Lead day-to-day compliance workstreams covering sanctions, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, privacy, healthcare, employment, and product-related regulations.
• Support internal investigations, audits, and risk assessments, partnering closely with People, Finance, and senior leadership.
• Manage litigation and disputes across the company's African markets.
• Translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for business and technical teams.
• Own compliance with U.S. government award requirements, including FARs and 2 CFR 200, and serve as a primary point of contact for U.S. government contracting officers (including at the U.S. Department of State).
• Monitor and assess regulatory and policy developments across relevant African jurisdictions and advise leadership on emerging risks and opportunities.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Culture:

• Act as a senior legal advisor to business leaders, providing pragmatic, risk-calibrated guidance.
• Build strong relationships across the company and help foster a durable "culture of compliance" where teams understand the rules of the road and feel empowered to raise issues early.
• Help shape the company's long-term legal and regulatory strategy in Africa, balancing compliance rigor with innovation and speed.

What You'll Bring:

• A willingness to dive deep into unfamiliar issues and operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-environments.
• Strong judgment and the confidence to make independent decisions, coupled with the discernment to escape when appropriate.
• Experience advising on legal and compliance matters, preferably in international or emerging-market environments.
• The ability to break down complex legal and regulatory problems into clear priorities and practical solutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to advise senior stakeholders.
• A collaborative, solutions-oriented mindset and strong organizational skills.
• Willingness to travel up to ~25% to Africa and San Francisco headquarters.

What Else You Need To Know: The company is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at the company and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech.