Corporate Legal Counsel

Kitopi is a creator of magical food experiences—we discover, create, and curate homegrown brands from the region, for the region.

With a purpose to satisfy the world’s appetite to create joy, Kitopi owns and operates a diverse portfolio of over 200+ brands. These brands are either created, discovered, or curated with their customers in mind.

Launched in Dubai, UAE, in January 2018, Kitopi has grown to become one of the greatest success stories in the food tech space. By July 2021, Kitopi achieved Unicorn status, becoming the fastest company in the MENA region to reach this milestone.

Kitopi’s growth has been fueled by its innovative and scalable software solutions. Kitopi’s kitchens are powered by its proprietary Smart Kitchen Operating System (SKOS), an in-house suite of applications that optimizes cloud kitchen operations in real-time. As part of its growth roadmap, technological innovation, data science, artificial intelligence, and robotics will take center stage as Kitopi continues to reinvent the food industry and remain the leading food company in the region.

With over 6,000 employees, Kitopi currently operates 200+ locations across the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. It also operates its Customer Experience Center in Amman, Jordan, and its Engineering Hub in Krakow, Poland.

Job Summary:

As a Corporate Counsel at Kitopi, you will be responsible for providing day-to-day legal support across all areas of Kitopi’s business operations, corporate transactions, compliance initiatives, and risk management. You will work closely with business leaders to draft and negotiate contracts, advise on legal risks, and support regulatory requirements across the regions Kitopi operates in.

This is a hands-on, business-facing role requiring sound legal judgment, excellent communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial contracts, including vendor agreements, service agreements, leases, franchise agreements, and confidentiality agreements.
• Advise internal stakeholders on legal risks, business strategies, and regulatory compliance in areas such as commercial, employment, data privacy, and corporate governance.
• Support corporate transactions such as entity formation, joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, and internal restructuring.
• Assist in managing disputes, litigation, and regulatory investigations as necessary.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations across all jurisdictions where Kitopi operates.
• Develop and maintain templates, contract management processes, and playbooks to drive efficiency and consistency.
• Deliver internal training on legal and compliance matters to relevant teams.
• Support intellectual property (IP) registration, protection, and enforcement activities.
• Coordinate with external counsel on specialized legal matters.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of internal legal workflows and policies.
• Advise on and manage compliance programs, including anti-bribery, anti-money laundering (AML), and data protection.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree; admission to practice law in at least one jurisdiction.
• 4–7 years of relevant post-qualification experience (PQE) in a top law firm and/or as in-house counsel in a fast-paced company.
• An Arabic speaker is preferred
• Strong commercial contract drafting and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge of corporate, commercial, employment, and regulatory law.
• Experience in the food & beverage, retail, hospitality, or tech sectors is a plus.
• Ability to balance legal risk with commercial objectives pragmatically.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High attention to detail, strong analytical ability, and business acumen.
• Ability to prioritize, work independently, and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills to build relationships across departments and geographies.

Benefits

- Extensive learning opportunities with hard and soft skill training to help you improve and challenge yourself.

- Be involved in customized workshops run by the Kitopi Academy.

- Have the chance to work in an international, diverse, and inclusive environment.

- Become part of one of the most caring communities out there.

- Free and unlimited access to a nutritionist.

- No Dress Code! (T&C applies).

- The famous team activities and social events bursting with fun

- Inclusive private health insurance.

- Up to 50% discount on Kitopi brands.

- Annual leave as per the company policy.

Additionally, we offer:

- Wellness spaces designed for mothers inclusive for all.

- Monthly well-being programs to nurture your mental and physical health.

- Informative and empowering webinars to support your growth.

- Social Thursdays and Fridays across markets to gather and connect with colleagues.

Recruitment Process and Timeline

First, you apply, and our talent attraction team will review your profile. If your profile matches our requirements, you will receive a link to schedule a meeting with a recruiter at your convenience. This meeting is an opportunity for you to share more about yourself and for us to get to know you better.

If you are shortlisted, you will meet with our hiring managers. Depending on the role and its requirements, you may need to attend 2-3 interview rounds. These rounds could include a case study, role-play, trial assignment, or live coding session, which will be communicated to you in the initial conversation.

Upon successful completion of the interview rounds, your recruiter will contact you to discuss the offer. We aim to complete this process within 2-3 weeks.

So, what does it really mean to work at Kitopi?

We are constantly striving to make Kitopi the best place to work, by empowering you to be the best version of yourself every day. Our company values act as our guiding principles to help ensure that everyone feels safe, included, and like they truly belong.

Kitopi is an equal-opportunity employer. While we currently operate in 6 countries, we are over 70 different nationalities of talented Kitopians. Whether you are a seasoned professional, a recent graduate, or someone looking to return to the workforce after a break, we encourage you to apply. We celebrate rich diverse backgrounds, lifestyles, and cultures and have a 0-tolerance policy towards racism, bigotry, and hate. Please apply if you see a position that makes your heart skip a beat and help us build a company that we are all proud to work for.

Customer-obsessed and tech-enabled, at Kitopi, we are a team of passionate humans who are on a mission together to satisfy the world’s appetite.