Legal Affairs Manager (Legal Counsel)

Job Purpose:

To provide sound, timely and strategic legal advice and support to the Company and its subsidiaries across a range of legal affairs matters, enabling informed decision-making and the achievement of business objectives.

Key Result Areas:

1.Provide sound, timely and strategic legal advice and support to business divisions and internal departments (including but not limited to HR, Commercial Teams, Sourcing & Solution, Finance, Internal Audit, Ethics, Compliance & Privacy, IT, QHSE, etc.)

2.Draft, review and assist with the negotiation of a wide range of contracts, corporate and legal documentation to support the Company*s initiatives; Identify and analyze risk areas from a legal perspective; Advise on contract conflicts and interpretations; Provide explanations and counter clauses to ensure that the Company*s interest is protected and the best commercial and legal positions are maintained.

3.Provide effective legal inputs on various Company*s strategic initiatives, projects, policies and process improvement/ development.

4. Conduct research on various legal matters, including issues on legal applicability, best market practices, commentaries and jurisprudence.

5.Keep abreast of all legal and regulatory changes that may affect the Company across all areas; Suggest amendments to internal policies, SOPs and contracts to reflect those changes.

6.Plan and oversee the legal activities involved in the preparation, processing, review, maintenance and distribution of legal records, documents, reports and correspondence, including liaising with translators, notary public, Government entities and external counsels.

7.Appear at various internal forums for imparting legal awareness training; Educate the business teams and individuals involved in negotiating complex commercial deals, such that they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and subsequently work with them as the agreements are drafted, revised and completed.

8.Assist with Insurance-related matters.

9.Manage, maintain and propose improvements to the Legal Department*s Matter Management System; Ensure proper filing and record-keeping of the legal documentation. Ensure compliance with the Legal Department*s SOPs, processes and procedures, escalation matrices and standards.

10. Engage and coordinate with external counsel as required, ensuring timelines are met, budgets are adhered to, and effective liaison with the business is maintained.

Job Context:

• Responsible for balancing conflicting business demands, producing high-quality, practical and commercially oriented legal advice.
• Where required, managing allocated outsourced work and communicating effectively to ensure relevant stakeholders are fully informed of progress towards the resolution of problems and the completion of their projects. Ensure that complex or high-level matters are completed correctly and referred to the Head of Legal as appropriate.
• Ensure professional knowledge is maintained and applied by monitoring and reviewing legal publications and legislative changes, attending regular training, and ensuring that any such changes are shared within the team.
• As required, provide support to the Head of Legal.

Knowledge, Skills & Minimum Experience:

Education Qualification:

Qualifications: Law degree from a recognized university, including qualification as a solicitor, barrister, attorney or equivalent.

Work Experience:

a) Years of Experience: 5+ years post-graduate experience in a corporate group, in-house legal department, or law firm. Previous UK, UAE or other GCC country experience will be an advantage.

b) Area of Experience: Generalist. Specialized knowledge and experience in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements and advising on Company-wide projects.

Skills:

a) An excellent technical and practical knowledge of contract law, close attention to detail, the ability to priorities workload and be an effective communicator.

b) Excellent English language written and verbal communication skills.

c) Ability to work both independently and in a collaborative team setting.

d) Ability to manage both day-to-day operations as well as project work.