Africa Senior Legal Counsel
About Zipline
Zipline 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, Zipline 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. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.
Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.
We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.
About You and The Role
Zipline is seeking a senior, strategic, and highly adaptable lawyer to lead and scale legal and compliance efforts across Africa. This role sits at the intersection of compliance execution, regulatory strategy, and public-sector partnership, and will play a critical role in enabling Zipline’s growth in complex regulatory environments.
You will be a key member of Zipline’s lean, high-impact Legal Team, responsible not only for operating and evolving Zipline’s global compliance programs in Africa—including hands-on administration of U.S. government awards.
This is a hands-on leadership role. One day you may be advising on a nuanced Nigerian employment or healthcare regulatory issue; the next, leading engagement with a U.S. federal contracting officer, supporting negotiations with an African ministry of health, or helping the business navigate export controls, sanctions, or anti-corruption risks.
You will work cross-functionally with Operations, Policy, Government Affairs, People, Finance, and Engineering, and will report directly to Zipline’s Deputy General Counsel.
What You'll Do
- Design, implement, scale, and continuously improve Zipline’s legal and compliance programs across Africa, with a focus on sustainable, practical operations that support rapid growth
- 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)
- 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 Zipline’s African market
- Translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, actionable guidance for business and technical teams
- Partner with internal public affairs, policy, and operations teams to align legal, compliance, and government relations strategies
- Monitor and assess regulatory and policy developments across relevant African jurisdictions and advise leadership on emerging risks and opportunities
- Help shape Zipline’s long-term legal and regulatory strategy in Africa, balancing compliance rigor with innovation and speed
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
- Support commercial negotiation, contracting, and procurement processes
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 escalate when appropriate
- Experience advising on or engaging with government entities, regulators, or public-sector stakeholders, ideally in international or emerging-market contexts
- 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, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
What Else You Need to Know
- JD required
- Member in good standing of at least one U.S. state or international bar
- At least 7–10 years of relevant legal experience, including experience at a reputable law firm and/or in-house (international, compliance, government contracting, or regulated-industry experience strongly preferred)
Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.
We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!