Global Litigation & Recoveries Counsel

Who we are

World Fuel is a global leader in the marketing, trading, distribution and financing of Land, Marine and Aviation fuel products and services. With 3,000+ employees across all continents, we are headquartered in Miami and ranked within the Fortune 500.

www.worldfuel.com

Position Location

Cape Town, South Africa – Hybrid (2 days in office)

Overview

We are seeking a Global Collections & Litigation Counsel to join our exceptional legal team. This is a hands‑on, execution‑driven role for a lawyer who thrives on autonomy, ownership, and results.

Reporting into Counsel in our Cape Town office and joining our 35+ member legal team which operates from the US, Singapore, UK, South Africa, Costa Rica and Brazil, this role presents an exciting opportunity for a pragmatic attorney who is comfortable operating with limited supervision, making judgment calls, finding novel solutions to global challenges and driving matters to successful closure across multiple jurisdictions.

WKC embraces technology and efficient, flexible working practices. This role offers hybrid working, with regular attendance at our Cape Town office (two days per week), to maintain connection and collegiality.

Responsibilities

• Within the legal team, lead global debt recovery and invoice collection efforts for World Fuel’s Land, Marine and Aviation business groups
• Be the primary liaison between the Legal team, commercial Sales team and global Credit and Exposure Control teams
• Develop and execute practical, commercially grounded and cost-effective strategies to quickly and efficiently maximise recoveries
• Take ownership of contentious matters from escalation to resolution, with a strong focus on speed and cost-effective results

• Assess and manage jurisdictional challenges, insolvency exposure, enforcement options, and recovery viability
• Develop efficient, centralised matter tracking and reporting methods, to align with regular financial reporting requirements
• Build and continually refine repeatable collections and litigation playbooks, templates, and escalation frameworks
• Maintain a register of companywide litigations and provide regular litigation reports
• Identify risk patterns and work with our Credit, Contract Operations, Exposure Control and Sales teams to continually optimise our operations
• At all times be a positive brand ambassador for World Fuel

Background and Skills

• An attorney qualified in South Africa with 5-8 years PQE. Candidates outside of this guideline PQE range with demonstrable knowledge and the drive to succeed will be considered on their merits
• Training and post qualification litigation and debt recovery experience at a reputable commercial law firm. Experience in global bankruptcy laws is favourable but not essential
• A pragmatic, hands-on lawyer who is able to think on their feet and find sensible solutions to legal challenges without defaulting to external counsel; ability to assess issues, take ownership and efficiently implement solutions
• The ability to effectively manage time and workload and get things done
• The ability to maintain effective matter tracking systems and regular costs and progress reports
• Strong stakeholder management skills – be emotionally intelligent and able to win trust and develop and maintain internal and external business relationships
• Professional presence and integrity
• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced, dynamic, performance-driven culture
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills

#WFS