Director Legal

The role holder is responsible for acting as the primary legal advisor to DHAM, providing expert and strategic legal advice and services to the GCEO and senior management. In addition, the role holder is responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations by DHAM and its entities in the conduct of its activities and with its governance policy, while protecting the interest of the owners and managing the impact of external factors. The role holder is responsible for the overall service delivery, development, and management of DHAM legal services inclusive of all transactional work.  

• Drive the development and implementation of DHAM’s strategic plans that support DHAM’s vision and goals; translate the strategic plan to initiatives to ensure achievements of business objectives and takes a proactive approach in monitoring progress.
• Participate in the establishment of KPI’s, enhancement of legal specific KPI’s and direct implementation of KPI’s across DHAM Legal to ensure that business performance can be measured against such standards and objectives.

Budgeting

• Prepare Legal department budget and seek approval from DHAM Management and DH CLO on such budget.
• Monitor actual spend and variance to the budget and recommend corrective actions to contain costs within approved budgets.

Key Stakeholder Management

• Act as the primary legal counsel to DHAM Management and business units’ internal clients and provide verbal and/or written legal advice and opinion to ensure continuous mitigation against legal and contractual risk.
• Maintain the shareholders’ interests and ensure internal compliance with the shareholders’ Governance Policy and the legal guidelines. Manage the impact of external factors.
• Create associations of trust and respect with key stakeholders.

Legal Advisory and Risk Mitigation

• Keep abreast of change in laws and regulations and disseminate the information to the business units and DHAM.
• Ensure DHAM’s functions are compliant with all relevant local and regional laws and regulations through providing advice and guidance on, inter alia, policy, process, and documentation.
• Provide on-going strategic and tactical advice on general commercial matters to ensure DHAM has the necessary legal opinion to guide commercial sound decisions.
• Evaluate and weigh multiple inputs and impacts of any decision or course of action. Identify proactive solutions that will eliminate or mitigate risk. 
• Assist and participate in the decision-making process through the provision of legal advice/ recommendations to the Group CEO and senior management on matters of significant impact or risk. Anticipate issues and estimate risks strategically.
• Assess and create risk profiles for DHAM and develop appropriate measures to address and mitigate identified risks.
• Negotiate and enter in discussions on behalf of DHAM with external parties and in doing so protect the organization’s interests at all times.
• Deal with complex and significant matters for DHAM that cut across legal and related areas.

Legal Deliverables, Documents & Trademarks

• Manage the legal service deliverables to DHAM internal clients in accordance with legal operational guidelines. Develop, direct and motivate the performance of the Legal team in the interests of the DHAM. 
• Manage DHAM legal templates to ensure compliance with laws and the commercial requirements of the business that minimize risk and maximize legal rights.  
• Draft and review of bespoke complex legal documentation, agreements, forms, and correspondence for relevant business units to ensure they are compliant with all standards, regulations, and legislation.
• Maintain and update the legal records of the DHAM Group; Ensure commercial / trade licenses are regularly renewed and up to date.
• Manage DHAM’s trademark and domain name portfolio.
• Ensure consistency of approach and style within the standard documentation across relevant business units.

Vendor Selection & Management

• Manage vendor relations and appointment of external law firms where relevant whilst ensuring that DHAM acquires cost effective legal advice and work.
• Ensure the performance of external vendors is monitored in terms of quality / timeliness of output and any issues are highlighted / escalated and corrective actions are taken in a timely manner.

Corporate Governance, Policies, Processes, Systems, and Controls

• Ensure implementation of appropriate functional policies, processes, systems, standards, procedures, and internal / external controls in line with DHAM’s Corporate Governance model.

Reporting

• Prepare reports on the activities of DHAM Legal for DHAM Management and Dubai Holding review and collaborate with Dubai Holding Litigation team periodically to ensure ongoing awareness of potential litigation issues/risks.
• Build and ensure the reporting system is in line with the Corporate Governance System to deliver timely and accurate information which will support the delivery of the corporate objectives.
• Direct the preparation of periodical management reports and progress reports to keep the senior management informed about the progress of various initiatives and to facilitate decision-making.

Continual Improvement

• Lead the drive to continually improve services to bring in the quality and efficiency of delivering desired services through improved processes to customers and enhance customer retention and customer experience.
• Stay abreast of changes in the legal environment and market trends and recommend initiatives / changes as appropriate to be incorporated within the function.
• Undertake continuous improvements towards industry best practices to support the legal function and the business in achieving its goals and providing an exemplary service.

• Provide leadership within the function, setting individual objectives, managing performance, developing, and motivating staff, provision of formal and informal feedback and appraisals – in order to maximize subordinate and departmental performance in the pursuit of the Department’s objectives.
• Build and promote an organization culture that encourages innovation and reward performance that leads to enhanced staff motivation and retention.