Manager - Legal Affairs UAE National

Where does this role fit into the bigger picture?

The Manager - Legal Affairs reports directly to the Chief of Legal Affairs and supports the legal department in protecting the Dubai Future Foundation and its affiliated entities from a legal perspective.

Manager - Legal Affairs

As the Manager - Legal Affairs for the Dubai Future Foundation, you will be responsible for supporting the Chief of Legal Affairs and your colleagues in the legal team in implementing the legal strategies across the Dubai Future Foundation and its entities. You will work independently and collaboratively as required, support day to day operations of the legal function, provide strategic and commercially focused legal advice, and ensure efficient and timely legal support to the business. You will proactively identify risks, organize and prioritize workloads, and deliver high quality legal support.

Legal Operations and Administration

• Support the Chief of Legal Affairs on the day to day operations of the legal department.
• Organize legal meetings and ensure accurate documentation and effective communication.
• Partner with internal stakeholders, lead negotiation and contract drafting processes, and provide consistent high quality legal support.
• Draft, review, update, and oversee the implementation of policies and standard operating procedures.
• Prepare, review, draft, and negotiate complex contracts and ancillary legal documents; submit recommendations for internal approval, manage feedback with the Chief of Legal Affairs, and ensure compliance with Dubai Future Foundation policies and applicable UAE laws and regulations.
• Drive and manage the full contract lifecycle across DFF departments, including drafting, negotiation, execution, and contract change control processes.
• Provide ongoing legal advice and support to internal departments, project teams, and initiatives.
• Prioritize legal workload and requests to ensure efficient, timely, and accurate delivery.
• Conduct legal and regulatory research, assess risks to the business, and elevate key legal issues to the Chief of Legal Affairs.
• Support audit and compliance monitoring activities for the Dubai Future Foundation and its group affiliates.
• Provide commercially sensible and cost effective legal advice and undertake other duties related to legal management and strategy as directed by the Chief of Legal Affairs.
• Balance legal risk management with DFF's mandate to drive innovation, providing commercially minded advice that enables the business to move forward within acceptable risk parameters rather than defaulting to risk avoidance.
• Contribute to policy and regulatory thought leadership on emerging technology governance, supporting DFF's role in shaping Dubai's regulatory approach to innovation, AI, and future technologies.

Third Party Relationships

• Build and maintain relationships with external counsel, third party vendors, government entities, and regulators as required.
• Support legal engagements with UAE courts and relevant authorities where required.
• Coordinate legal support with the Chief of Legal Affairs and internal departments to understand legal requirements and align support.

Why this role is Important?

This role makes the biggest impact by being highly organized, detail oriented, flexible, and adaptable to the changing needs of the business. It is critical in assisting the Chief of Legal Affairs in legally protecting the business, managing and prioritizing the legal workload, and ensuring the business can deliver on its strategic objectives.

What Dubai Future Foundation Offers

We offer you a unique opportunity to work with passionate people, support shapers of the future, and make an impact on the organization, UAE, and humankind. You will have the chance to work on exciting new projects in a highly diverse and fast paced environment that fosters creativity, disruptive ideas, and innovation.