International Legal Assistant

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

Our legal and compliance team makes sure that the mission never gets derailed. We're hiring an International Legal Assistant based in London to be the operational engine of our global legal function. If you love making complex things run smoothly, thrive in a fast-moving environment, and want your skills to mean something — read on.

The International Legal Assistant will provide broad coordination and operational support to ONE’s global legal, governance, and compliance functions, helping ensure the organization operates responsibly, ethically, and in line with its charitable mission across multiple jurisdictions. You will be part of a global team working to drive investments that support economic opportunity and healthy lives in Africa.

This role plays a key part in enabling ONE and the Legal team to meet legal and regulatory obligations, manage risk appropriately, and uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency expected of an international nonprofit and advocacy organization. The position involves keeping projects on track, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, and improving processes and the team’s ability to respond to changes in the legal and regulatory environment globally. 

The role supports the full scope of the in-house legal team’s work on governance, compliance, contracts, risk and insurance in an international context. You will join a small, collaborative legal team that values learning, accountability, sound judgment and mission impact.

This is a full-time position reporting directly to ONE’s General Counsel. The role is based in London, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL

General Legal Support

• Provide administrative support across matters relevant to the legal team's areas of work, including nonprofit governance, lobbying and advocacy, intellectual property, fundraising, partnerships, and program operations.
• Conduct research, gather background information and prepare clear, well-organised briefing notes and summaries to support the team's work.
• Contribute to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Legal function in a fast-moving, mission-driven environment.
• Coordinate with external counsel and company secretarial providers across multiple jurisdictions.
• Track progress on internal legal and compliance projects and priorities.
• Manage document workflows, approvals, and signature processes across global teams.
• Support audits, donor reporting, and internal reviews by gathering and organizing documentation.
• Provide day-to-day administrative assistance to the General Counsel and wider legal team
• Maintain shared team resources, distribution lists, contact databases, and intranet pages.
• Act as a first point of contact for routine queries directed to the legal team, triaging and routing as appropriate.

Compliance

• Maintain the international compliance calendar, ensuring timely completion of registrations, filings, and reporting obligations for nonprofit entities.
• Provide support for ONE’s compliance framework, including ethics, anti-corruption, safeguarding, and data protection, including designing and improving systems, tracking actions, scheduling reviews, and maintaining records.
• Help coordinate routine nonprofit filings and submissions (e.g. IRS Form 990, and charity registrations) by liaising with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, and tracking deadlines.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments in ONE’s markets and support practical implementation of compliance requirements.
• Help develop and maintain staff training on compliance, ethics, and risk management, and track completion across the organization.
• Run standard due diligence checks on partners, vendors, and grantees using established tools (sanctions screening, conflicts, reputational checks) and escalate findings to the legal team.
• Assist with internal reporting channels and support reviews or investigations into compliance concerns.

Governance

• Support the General Counsel with Board and committee preparations, including meeting materials, minutes, and maintaining statutory books and records.
• Assist with Board onboarding related to compliance training, policy acknowledgements, and governance requirements.

Risk Management

• Support the administration and renewal of global insurance policies and assist with claims coordination.

Contract Management

• Support improvements to contract intake and routing, track contracts through review and signature, and help improve workflows in collaboration with procurement and operations teams.
• Organize and maintain contracts and legal documentation in shared systems.

This description reflects the essential functions of the role but is not exhaustive. Additional responsibilities may be assigned as organizational needs evolve.

WHAT YOU BRING TO ONE

• Strong alignment with ONE’s mission and values, and a commitment to ethical advocacy and social impact.
• Bachelor’s degree in any relevant field (e.g. legal studies, business administration, international relations, public policy, legal studies) or equivalent practical experience; a paralegal or legal qualification is welcome but not required.
• Understanding of the nonprofit, charity, or advocacy sector; experience with international NGOs is an advantage but not required.
• At least three years of experience in an administrative, executive assistant, paralegal, or compliance support role, ideally within a professional services, nonprofit, or international organisation context.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to manage sensitive information with discretion.
• Experience setting up and maintaining effective administrative and compliance processes.
• Familiarity with legal and compliance terminology sufficient to support the team's work; deep technical legal knowledge is not required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with senior stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, with sound research and information-gathering abilities.
• Self-starter with sound judgment and the ability to work independently while collaborating across teams.
• Cultural awareness and comfort working with diverse, international stakeholders.
• Highly organized and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, mission-led organization.
• A mindset focused on continuous improvement, learning, and impact.
• Proficiency with everyday productivity and collaboration tools (e.g. Microsoft 365, document management systems, AI tools, e-signature platforms) and confidence picking up new systems.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Fluency in English is required. French or German language skills are an advantage but not essential.

TRAVEL

Travel up to 5%

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Attendance 2 days per week in the office. Team schedules and business needs may dictate the specific days/times you need to be in the office. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

ONE offers competitive compensation and an exceptional benefits package along with the opportunity to contribute to worldwide causes impacting those most in need.

Salary range: £35,000 to £39,000 plus benefits

ONE offers competitive compensation and an exceptional benefits package along with the opportunity to contribute to worldwide causes impacting those most in need.