Senior Legal Counsel- Commercial & Technology

Join the UAE’s largest bank and one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions. Our focus is to create value for our employees, customers, shareholders and communities to grow through differentiation, agility and innovation. 

We are looking for top talent and your success is our success. Accelerate your growth as you help us reach our goals and advance your career. Be ready to make your mark a top company, in an exciting and dynamic industry.  

The role holder assists the Head of Legal – Commercial & Technology with managing legal risk in all the geographies where the FAB Group operates in relation to Commercial & Technology activities in accordance with FAB Group legal policies and procedures. The role holder should be able to work autonomously but should seek the Head of Legal – Commercial & Technology’s input on unusual situations, complex matters, and issues which may pose significant legal, financial and/or reputational risk to the FAB Group.

Core Responsibilities

Legal Advisory

• Provides legal advice and support to the business while keeping in mind FAB’s strategic and business objectives. 
• Provides guidance to facilitate FAB’s compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
• Collaborates with the Head of Legal to establish, disseminate and implement the FAB Group legal policies.
• Completes legal tasks and projects in a timely manner and responds to legal queries assigned to him/her by the Head of Legal.
• Supports FAB subsidiaries and international branches by providing general legal oversight on legal risks associated with their products and services.                      

Litigation                    

• Supervises and is responsible for the adequate management of litigation and disputes pertaining to the relevant area in the UAE and abroad.
• Represents FAB and its subsidiaries before Notaries Public, court experts, courts, and the police to resolve matters in the best interest of the FAB Group.
• Reports relevant litigation matters to the Group General Counsel and Heads of Legal and provides updates to the relevant stakeholders.

Legal Documentation and Review

• Drafts, reviews and negotiates contracts and other legal documents in order to maximize the FAB Group’s legal protections whilst simultaneously minimizing legal risks.
• Produces and regularly updates standardized legal agreements, contracts and standard terms and conditions for the FAB Group in compliance with international best practices and applicable legal requirements.
• Assists the business in launching new products and conducts legal and regulatory due diligence on such products, including identifying risks and mitigants in all applicable geographies.

Knowledge of External Environment

• Stays abreast of new laws and regulations through continuous legal education, attending professional conferences, and participating in professional associations.
• Provides updates to the FAB Group’s senior businesspersons on new legislation and regulatory developments that may have an impact on the FAB Group and advises on how to comply with such new legislation and regulations.

Knowledge Sharing

• Works closely and develops a positive professional relationship with the other members of the legal function and shares legal knowledge and best practices with legal colleagues, including providing formal and informal training sessions at the direction of the Group General Counsel and Heads of Legal.

Stakeholder Management

• Liaises with external law firms and relevant authorities (such as courts) to ensure the effective resolution of all legal matters affecting the FAB Group.

Learning and Development

• Functions as a subject matter expert and provides input on learning and development initiatives including training content to ensure value addition and relevance.

MIS and Reporting

• Ensures that all requisite reports are prepared in a timely and accurate manner, and meet the FAB Group’s requirements, policies, and standards.

People Management Responsibilities

• Defines goals and key performance indicators for direct reports and ensures effective implementation of the FAB performance management process.
• Develops talent within the team by providing guidance and coaching to achieve defined goals.

Specific Accountability

• At the direction of the Head of Legal – Commercial & Technology, takes a prominent role in advising on technology, digitization and related matters, which includes procurement, regulated outsourcing, privacy/data protection, and intellectual property.
• Advises on the use of specific technologies for purposes such as e-identity, biometrics, encryption, RPA, and AI.
• Drafts, reviews and negotiates vendor contracts, including for material outsourcing, technology (cloud, on-prem software, open source, software development, etc.), services, consultancy and provides legal support to the business with regard to vendor relations.
• Advises on privacy/data protection matters.
• Drafts, reviews and advises on intra-group service contracts between FAB Head Office and its subsidiaries and international branches.
• Advises the business and other FAB functions on any other non-customer facing legal matters.

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Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in law from an internationally recognised university.
• Master’s degree in law is preferred.
• Qualified as a lawyer in the UK, the USA, Australia or another Commonwealth or European jurisdiction is preferred.
• Excellent English language skills.
• Ability to read, write and communicate in Arabic is beneficial but not mandatory.

Minimum Experience

• Minimum of 7 years’ experience in a reputed bank or law firm, with at least 3 years in a similar role.
• Experience with commercial contracts (vendors, collaborations, technology, licensing) is required.
• Experience with data protection (e.g. GDPR) is required.
• Experience with HR related matters is preferred, but not mandatory.