Associate Director - Legal

We are looking to hire an Associate Director - Legal who will be responsible for the provision of legal advice and managing legal risk to support the Company’s strategy. The ADL reports to GSLD and is responsible for assisting/supporting the GSLD in providing a professional in-house legal service on all matters related to Seddiqi Holding and its operations.

• building a single, unified, collaborative, friendly, first-class, in-house legal team, which is curious, responsive, humble, pragmatic, commercially focused, customer-centric, and always open to finding ways of doing things better and faster.
• developing and maintaining service level standards and agreements in coordination with internal stakeholders.
• provide strategic, high quality, legal advice and support to the business.
• negotiate contracts with Brands and other third parties on the best terms commercially available, to minimize risks and otherwise protect the business.
• develop an efficient, professional, legal team and to foster and encourage teamwork within the team and across the business;
• ensure all legal activity within the business is cost effective and within budget.
• Assist and support the GSLD to manage complex litigation matters, work closely with the relevant business department (or external counsel where required) to determine position and strategy, advising the team and achieving resolution.
• ensure appropriate service levels are maintained and effective support and guidance is provided to the business.
• develop and maintain effective working relationships, becoming a trusted advisor to the business.
• working with governmental licensing authorities in the UAE and/or across the GCC;
• lead, guide, and coach the legal team to ensure best-in-class legal support to the business.
• work with CHCO and Human Capital team to develop a high-performance team through selection, development, deployment, and motivation of competent staff;
• create a safe, diverse, high performance team environment and culture that inspires pride, retains and motivates top talent, and attracts new talent.
• draft and negotiate a wide range of contracts (distribution agreements, franchise agreements, retail agreements, commercial leases, contracts for goods and services).
• ensuring the needs of the organization are achieved through efficient, effective and seamless support services offered by the legal team.
• provide support to more junior lawyers, assist in their training, development, and growth.
• ensure quality, consistency, and accuracy in legal advice across the legal team.
• provide accurate and timely counsel to the GSLD, other members of the legal team, and senior management on a variety of legal topics (corporate, commercial, leasing, employment, private equity, investments, financial services/financial services regulatory, IP and IT).
• keeping abreast of legislative changes and proactively advising the business on the impact of such changes as well as advise on possible solutions.
• Assist and support the GSLD to ensure compliance with all reporting, filing and documentation requirements.
• review a wide range of sources of information for new and proposed legal developments which impact relevant areas of responsibility and cascade across the business appropriately.
• Contribute to the creation and development of the strategic direction of the Legal Department, under the guidance and supervision of the GSLD.
• create contract templates and internal briefing notes, keep such templates and briefing notes up-to-date, and provide training so that the business can operate efficiently.
• contribute to the development of company-wide and Legal Department policy and procedures.
• providing expert and strategic legal advice to management that mitigates risks and protects the organization.
• developing, monitoring, and managing the Legal Department’s manpower budget, making sure that it is in line with the overall business strategy and objectives.
• advise on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and investments, with a view to protecting the business and ensuring it obtains the best terms commercially available in the circumstances.
• setting internal governance policies and managing the impact of external factors.
• provide legal advice, assistance and support (on both a proactive and reactive basis) to the GSLD and the business in writing, orally, by presentations and in meetings across any number of legal issues, whether commercial or contentious.
• provide strategic inputs into the overall legal team manpower plan to ensure that the department is appropriately staffed to meet business needs;
• build a single, unified, collaborative, friendly, first-class, in-house legal team, which is curious, responsive, humble, pragmatic, commercially-focused, customer-centric, and always open to finding ways of doing things better and faster;
• monitor the team’s performance, provide feedback, and provide input on request to help the GSLD undertake performance appraisals for all his direct reports;

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Law from a reputable university.
• of corporate law (including M&A and joint ventures), contract law, intellectual property law, data protection, private equity, investment, and financial services regulatory matters; and
• Able to think strategically and solve complex legal problems.
• 10+ years job related experience which includes relevant experience gained in a reputable law firm and/or a leading in-house Legal.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• of international compliance best practices, especially related to brand agreements, including in jurisdictions that apply to such contracts.
• of negotiating, drafting, revising and dealing independently with a wide variety of commercial contracts and lease agreements (may come from a private practice or a busy, in-house team background);
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in UAE.