Job Description

Job Summary
The position is responsible for providing leadership in the area of advisory through appropriate direction to the members of senior management and other ZU employees to ensure organization complies with the regulations and to shield the organization from legal risks and liabilities, thus protecting the interests of the organisation under all circumstances from a longer-term strategic perspective.
The Responsibilities

• Leads and provides direction to guide all organizational activities ensuring they are conducted lawfully and in compliance with all relevant rules and regulations.
• Collaborates and advises senior management across multiple locations and provides analysis and solutions on all legal matters with the highest level of legal protection and intelligence.
• Reviews strategic plans from a legal perspective and provides appropriate direction and guidance.
• Advises on all agreements associated with the organisation. Leads and examines the terms of all ZU contracts and agreements; including but not limiting to, vendors, sales, procurement, HR, government, etc. to ensure their compliance with relevant rules and regulations.
• Guides the college/department on various agreements and contracts that the organization enters into.
• Provides expert legal guidance for drafting and reviewing of standard documentation as well as negotiation and approval of contract terms ensuring they are in the best interest of the organization.
• Conducts legal research on relevant legislations, policies and laws in the relevant area to keep updated with current regulations and advises accordingly in the most appropriate and effective manner adopting the overall legal best practice for the organisation and from a strategic and long-term perspective.
• Leads the representation of the organisation in court, as and when required. Briefs and liaises with the external lawyers for litigation cases.
• Builds and manages relationships with external Law firms in order to pursue legal cases for and against the organization to protect organizational interest.
• Leads the department and acts as the lead for all external parties with respect to legal matters of the organization.
• Independent judgment and professionalism is used to determine the appropriation and adequacy of legal practices.
• Observation, verification and enquiry are used to determine the degree of compliance with the laws, policies, procedures and regulations applied.
• Incumbent has a vital role to play in advising on appropriate policies and procedures to apply within the UAE context and in a university setting.
• Deliver a high quality and efficient legal service to all aspects of the institution.
• Works closely and collaboratively with the senior management to ensure overall legal compliance critical for attaining organizational objectives, goals, priorities and directions.
• Collaborates with the senior management for obtaining information required to conduct regular audits for regulations, discussing findings, and reporting on findings and recommendations.
• Builds and manages excellent relationships with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Builds and develops effective communication between external governmental/legal and the University's community.

Required Skills

• Must possess a Master's Degree in Law from an accredited Institute with a Minimum of 15 years of legal experience with more than 5 years in an advisory capacity or an equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Bi-lingual Arabic and English is a must.
• Experience of the UAE government sector and its legal requirements.
• Experience and knowledge of the legal governance framework of the UAE.
• Experience in legal aspects of contracts and agreements.

Skills Required