Assistant Manager - Legal

The Assistant Manager - Legal acts as the Group Head's key day-to-day support on transactional, commercial, product, regulatory, and litigation matters. You will draft and negotiate diverse agreements (financing, commercial, corporate, tech/SaaS/fintech), manage external counsel on disputes, advise on new/existing diverse financial products and fintech solutions, all in a fast-paced regulated environment.

This is an exciting, rewarding position for a commercially minded lawyer who thrives on variety, creative problem solving, and rapid skill development. You will engage with an exceptionally wide and constantly evolving mix of matters from new product structuring and launches, innovative commercial/technology contracts, and internal projects, to dispute management and regulatory support with virtually no limits on the diversity of issues that arise.

Major Responsibilities Transactional, Commercial & IT Legal Support

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial, financing, IT, technology, SaaS, cloud, data-processing, outsourcing, and fintech agreements.
• Support legal aspects of digital initiatives and technology vendor arrangements.
• Review customer onboarding documentation, powers of attorney, corporate authorizations, and constitutional documents.
• Ensure all material contracts incorporate appropriate protections, governing law, dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance clauses.
• Support tender processes, RFPs, and contract negotiations to align with laws, regulations, and internal policies.

Legal Advisory, Regulatory & Product Support

• Provide day-to-day legal advice to business units on UAE laws, DFSA/ADGM/SCA/CBUAE requirements, and emerging regulatory developments.
• Provide end-to-end legal support for new and existing financial products and services, including financial services offerings, investment and wealth management solutions, insurance products, product structuring/documentation, regulatory classification/approvals, terms & conditions, marketing materials review, and ongoing compliance monitoring (e.g., consumer protection and Shariah compliance where applicable).
• Conduct legal research and analysis on laws, regulations, court judgments, and developments; prepare concise memos with recommendations.
• Escalate complex or high-risk matters to the Group Head of Legal with clear analysis.
• Assist in managing litigation, disputes, arbitration, and claims involving the Group.
• Coordinate with external legal counsel and support the preparation of briefs, documentation, and case files.
• Draft and review legal correspondence, notices, claims and pleadings as required.
• Track legal cases and maintain accurate litigation records and documentation and reporting to senior management.

Compliance, Governance & Risk

• Support monitoring of compliance with UAE laws and regulatory requirements applicable to the Finance House Group.
• Support the development, review, and implementation of internal policies, procedures, governance documents and framework for the Group Legal.
• Support legal due diligence for transactions, partnerships, and initiatives in line with best practices.

Stakeholder & External Coordination

• Liaise with regulators, governmental authorities, courts, and external stakeholders as directed.
• Maintain effective working relationships with Internal Stakeholder, external law firms and advisors.
• Support regulatory filings, responses, and legal documentation as required.

Qualifications, Experience & Skills Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Law (mandatory).
• Master's degree in Law or relevant specialization is an advantage.

Experience & Technical Skills

• 5-7 years of post-qualification legal experience, with at least 3 years in a financial institution, regulated entity, or law firm with a strong financial services / fintech practice.
• Demonstrated experience in drafting and negotiating complex commercial and technology contracts is essential.
• Prior exposure to litigation case management with external counsel is highly advantageous.
• In-house experience in a UAE-regulated financial services group is strongly preferred.
• Exposure to banking, financial services, insurance, brokerage, or investment-related legal matters.
• Strong drafting, analytical, and legal research skills.
• Good command of Arabic and English, both written and verbal.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with senior stakeholders.
• High standards of professionalism, integrity, and confidentiality.
• Commercial mindset with the ability to balance legal risk with business objectives.