JOB PURPOSE
As a senior member of the Noatum Ports Legal Team, reporting to and operating in alignment with the Noatum Ports General Counsel, this role assumes regional leadership responsibility across UAE The Senior Legal Counsel oversees all legal aspects of strategic and high-value projects, including regulatory approvals and licensing, complex contracting, corporate governance, compliance/ESG, financing and security documentation, and dispute management. The role delivers clear, pragmatic, and commercially focused legal advice that aligns local regulatory requirements with Group standards to enable successful execution of business objectives.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Serve as the primary legal advisor to Executive Leadership, Commercial, Operations, Finance, Procurement, and Projects teams.
- Lead the drafting, review, negotiation, and approval of all high-value and strategic commercial, operational, EPC, concession, and service contracts.
- Establish and oversee contract risk assessment frameworks and mitigation strategies.
- Lead and manage all litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution matters, including strategy, exposure assessment, and settlement negotiations.
- Appoint, instruct, and manage external legal counsel, ensuring quality, efficiency, and cost control.
- Oversee and maintain a centralized contract and legal documentation repository.
- Design, implement, and continuously enhance the port’s legal and regulatory compliance framework.
- Monitor and ensure compliance with port, maritime, labor, environmental, customs, trade, sanctions, and corporate laws.
- Lead regulatory gap assessments, compliance audits, and remediation plans.
- Maintain and regularly update the legal risk register and enterprise mitigation plans.
- Develop, approve, and enforce legal and compliance policies, procedures, and controls.
- Lead regulatory engagement, inspections, and interactions with authorities.
- Governance & Board Support
- Act as senior legal advisor to the Senior Management Board (SMB).
- Review, validate, and certify SMB resolutions, decisions, and governance actions for legal compliance.
- Ensure maintenance of all statutory records, licenses, permits, and corporate registrations.
- Oversee compliance with corporate governance frameworks and Group policies.
- Support Board and Committee documentation, resolutions, and governance processes.
- Maintain delegated authority frameworks and powers of attorney.
People Management Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor, and develop the Legal & Compliance team.
- Set legal priorities, allocate workloads, and ensure effective resource utilization.
- Build long-term legal capability through coaching, succession planning, and continuous professional development.
- Promote a strong culture of integrity, accountability, compliance, and risk awareness across the organization.
Strategic Responsibilities
- Act as the principal legal advisor on all strategic, commercial, and infrastructure matters.
- Support strategic investments, partnerships, concessions, joint ventures, and M&A activities.
- Provide legal risk analysis and recommendations for major capital projects and commercial decisions.
- Support long-term port development, expansion, and governance strategy.
- Drive continuous improvement in legal, compliance, and governance maturity across the cluster.
KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS
- Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB or equivalent) – mandatory.
- Master’s degree in Law (LLM) – strongly preferred.
- Licensed to practice law in a recognized jurisdiction.
- Professional training or certification in compliance, governance, contract law, or risk management is an advantage.
Language Skills:
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills in English is a must.
Years of Experience:
- Minimum 7–10 years in a senior legal, compliance, or governance leadership role
Nature of Experience:
- Extensive international experience in ports, shipping, logistics, infrastructure, energy, government, or other highly regulated industries.
- Strong proven background in:
- Commercial & contract law
- Regulatory compliance
- Corporate governance
- Litigation & dispute resolution
- Experience in greenfield projects, large-scale infrastructure developments, or concession-based operations is highly desirable
Technical Competencies required for the role
- Commercial & Contract Law Leadership
- Regulatory Compliance & Corporate Governance
- Litigation & Dispute Management
- Strategic Risk & Legal Advisory
- Corporate Secretarial, Licensing & Authority Management
- Policy Development & Compliance Framework Design
