Job Description

:
Legal Advisor
IRIS Executives, an Executive Search firm, is urgently looking for a Legal Advisor for one of its largest clients in Dubai.
Job Title: Legal Advisor
Job Location: Dubai
Remuneration: Competitive
Benefits:
Annual Airfare: Return business class tickets (cash equivalent) for the employee, spouse, and up to 3 children under 19, to their home country.
Relocation allowance: 40,000AED paid in 6months.
Education Allowance: 72,000AED per kid up to 2 children to a max of 144,000AED.
Medical Insurance: A Class Comprehensive coverage for the employee, spouse, and up to 3 children.
Life Insurance: 2 months basic salary.
Annual Leave: 33 working days excluding public holidays.
Working Hours: Monday to Thursday: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM and Friday: 7:30 AM - 12:00 PM.
Visa: Provided.
Bonus: Annual performance-based bonus.
Our client is a world-renowned leader in the aviation industry with 400 employees.
Job Responsibilities:
The Legal Counsel will play a pivotal role in ensuring the organisation meets its legal, regulatory, and investigative obligations in a highly complex and safety-critical environment. This position is responsible for providing specialised legal support across a range of domains, including aviation regulation, ICAO Annex 13 investigations, contract law, and international compliance.
The postholder will act as a legal advisor to safety, operational, and executive teams, proactively identifying legal risks, developing risk mitigation strategies, and ensuring the organisation remains aligned with national and international legal frameworks.
The role also demands engagement with external regulatory authorities, partner organisations, and legal representatives, offering a unique opportunity to influence the legal positioning of the organisation both domestically and globally. This is a strategic role requiring deep domain expertise, resilience under pressure, and the ability to deliver pragmatic legal solutions in a dynamic environment.
Key Accountabilities
Lead the legal review and advisory process for ICAO Annex 13 investigations, ensuring all findings and actions are legally sound and aligned with GCAA and international standards.
Provide expert legal support in the drafting, negotiation, and execution of aviation-related contracts, including ANSP agreements, procurement frameworks, and service-level arrangements.
Interpret and apply UAE national aviation legislation, GCAA/DCAA regulations, and ICAO standards to operational and strategic decision-making.
Monitor developments in international air law, particularly those impacting sovereign obligations, airspace management, drone and UTM frameworks, safety oversight, and liability regimes.
Support the regulatory compliance function by reviewing policies, procedures, and change proposals to ensure alignment with legal obligations.
Draft and review memoranda of understanding (MOUs), codeshare agreements, and cross-border aviation collaboration documents, with attention to jurisdictional risk and indemnity.
Advise on liability, indemnity, and insurance structures relevant to ANSP operations and airport expansion activities.
Provide legal input on safety cases, risk assessments, and operational documentation where regulatory compliance is a critical consideration.
Support investigation reports and responses to legal claims or regulatory enforcement by coordinating with insurers, external counsel, and authorities.
Prepare and deliver internal legal training and awareness sessions on aviation legal issues, including just culture, incident confidentiality, and investigatory privilege.
Represent the organisation in external legal forums, stakeholder committees, and during audits and inspections where legal representation is necessary.
Ensure resilience by documenting legal interpretations and building internal knowledge management systems to mitigate single point of failure risks.
To qualify for this role, you must have:

• Minimum 6-10 years of legal experience, with at least 3 years in aviation or transport law.

• Proven experience developing aviation safety assessments/cases and applying an Aviation Safety Management System (SMS), including safety analysis and risk assessment.

• Strong knowledge of ICAO Annex 13, international air law, and GCAA/DCAA regulations, including SMS procedures.

• Demonstrated experience engaging with regulatory authorities on a regular basis.

• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills.

• Bachelor's degree in Law (LLB or equivalent) is essential; Master's degree (LLM) or specialization in Aviation Law is highly desirable.

• Recognized qualification in Aviation Safety Management or relevant alternative.

Skills:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.

• Attention to details and analytical skills.

• Problem solving and decision making.

• Excellent communication and organizational skills.

• Computer literacy with MS office packages skills.

• Leadership and managerial skills.

• Ability to work under pressure.

• Good communication & people skills.

• High integrity, discretion, and sound judgement

• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication

• Resilience and ability to handle sensitive, time-critical matters

• Adaptable, collaborative, and solution-focused mindset.

Skills Required