Associate General Counsel - Legal Operations

Job Summary

Key Accountabilities

• Lead and oversee the Legal Operations section, ensuring high-quality and timely legal support across business units.
• Manage the full lifecycle of contract drafting, review, and negotiation, including procurement, commercial, and other business-related contracts.
• Develop and maintain standard contract templates and contracting policies to improve efficiency and reduce legal risk.
• Manage external counsels.
• Manage all legal disputes, litigation, and arbitration matters involving the company.
• Collaborate with external counsel where necessary and supervise legal strategies for ongoing disputes.
• Advise internal stakeholders on a wide range of corporate legal matters including governance, business structure, regulatory obligations (excluding compliance), and strategic initiatives.
• Ensure legal consistency and risk mitigation across all areas of the company’s operations.
• Serve as the primary legal contact for interactions with government authorities, regulators, and industry bodies.
• Monitor and assess regulatory developments that may impact the business and advise management accordingly.
• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of qualified lawyers.
• Promote professional development and ensure a high-performance legal team.
• Work closely with the senior management team to align legal strategy with business objectives.

Desired Candidate Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB or equivalent); LLM or JD is an advantage.
• Minimum 15 years of post-qualification experience, with significant experience in corporate/commercial legal practice, preferably extensive knowledge of legal systems and business practices in the Middle East.
• Proven experience in managing a legal team in a complex, multinational, or regional environment.
• High proficiency in Arabic (spoken and written) is an additional advantage.
• Deep understanding of Middle Eastern legal systems, commercial practices, and regulatory frameworks.
• Strong experience in handling commercial contracts, dispute resolution, and corporate advisory.
• The ideal candidate must have excellent negotiation and drafting skills, strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management abilities,
• High level of integrity, strategic thinking, and problem-solving capability and ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver under pressure.