Job Advertisement: Legal Affairs General Counsel (Emirati Nationals prefered)

Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Department: DG Office
Reports To: Director General
Job Type: Full-Time

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Legal Affairs General Counsel to lead our client’s Legal Affairs unit and serve as their principal legal advisor. This senior leadership role is essential to safeguarding the Group’s legal integrity, managing risk, and ensuring compliance with UAE and international regulations. The successful candidate will directly support the Director General and executive leadership in navigating legal complexities across all organizational functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide expert legal advice to the Director General, executive leadership, and departmental heads.
• Oversee the drafting and legal review of contracts, agreements, MOUs, and institutional policies.
• Ensure full regulatory compliance with UAE Federal Law, the Client’s Executive Council policies, and applicable international laws.
• Manage legal disputes and coordinate litigation in collaboration with external legal advisors.
• Lead institutional legal risk assessments and support strategic initiatives through informed legal guidance.
• Stay updated on legal and regulatory developments and advise relevant departments accordingly.
• Promote legal awareness and compliance through internal advisories and training sessions.
• Represent the Client before courts, government entities, and official bodies as required.
• Manage legal document governance and secure case file archiving.
• Oversee Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) operations to support robust internal controls and ethics.
• Ensure compliance with applicable HSE standards and protocols.

Requirements

• Education: Master’s degree in Law (LLM) or equivalent; UAE legal practice license is highly preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 15 years of legal experience, with at least 5 years in a senior legal advisory or General Counsel capacity within government, public institutions, or large corporate environments.
• Languages: Bilingual fluency in Arabic and English is essential ( Emirati National preferred although open to other nationalities )
• Technical Expertise:
• Proven experience in commercial and economic legal advisory, including corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and contract management.
• Strong understanding of economic policy and business strategy, with the ability to provide legal insights that support organizational growth.
• Experience in managing legal affairs for affiliated entities, ensuring consistency and compliance across the group.
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior leadership and board members with a strategic and solution-oriented approach.
• Familiarity with local and international legal frameworks, particularly in cross-border transactions and partnerships.
• Tools: Proficiency in legal research systems and case management tools.

Key Competencies

• Advanced expertise in legal advisory, contract and policy review, regulatory compliance, and legal risk management.
• Proven leadership in performance management, stakeholder engagement, and team empowerment.
• Strong decision-making, adaptability, and a results-oriented approach.
• Creative legal problem-solving and a proactive mindset toward innovation and institutional improvement.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: AED80,000.00 - AED85,000.00 per month

Application Question(s):

• Where did you do your legal training

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• Legal: 10 years (Required)
• Leadership: 5 years (Required)
• Commercial and Economic Legal Advisory: 10 years (Preferred)
• Economic and Business Strategy: 10 years (Preferred)

Language:

• Fluent Arabic and English (Required)