Senior Legal Counsel

JOB TITLE

Senior Legal Counsel | MAF Properties | Communities Development UAE

Role Summary

The position is mainly responsible for managing all legal aspects of Majid Al Futtaim Development Business Unit (“DBU”) and acting as the primary support to the VP Legal. The role provides commercially focused, cost-effective legal advice and end-to-end transaction handling in relation to complex real-estate developments, investments, and joint ventures across the UAE and other jurisdictions where DBU operates, including KSA and Egypt.

ROLE PROFILE

• Support the VP Legal as required, including leading matters independently and acting as an escalation point for legal issues within Development Business Unit.
• Manage all legal matters relating to DBU projects and transactions, acting as the primary legal point of contact for complex and high-value matters and exercising delegated authority to negotiate and manage transactions.
• Lead the structuring, negotiation, and execution of complex real-estate and development transactions, including joint ventures, SPAs, development and management agreements, bulk sales, financing-related arrangements, from term sheet.
• Provide timely, pragmatic, and commercially focused legal advice to senior internal stakeholders, clearly outlining legal risks, that balance risk management with business objectives.
• Proactively identify, assess, and manage legal and regulatory risks across DBU activities, align risk positions with the agreed risk appetite, and implement appropriate mitigation and escalation measures.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex contracts and legal documentation, maintain and continuously enhance DBU legal templates, and ensure alignment with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, and best practice.
• Lead legal workstreams on major development projects as assigned by VP Legal, ensuring delivery of agreed outcomes within timelines, and coordinating effectively with Development, Finance, Commercial, Sales, Investment, Risk, and Governance teams.
• Advise on dispute avoidance and preventive lawyering, and where necessary manage litigation and arbitration matters in and out of court in coordination with external counsel, including recommending strategy and overseeing implementation.
  
  

• Bachelors degree in Law.
• Minimum 10 years of post-qualification experience in a reputed law firm and/or real estate development company, with a strong focus on complex real-estate and development transactions in the UAE.
• LLM or MBA from a reputable university is a plus.
• Proven experience in structuring, negotiating, and closing transactions, including joint ventures, development agreements, and investments, with exposure to cross-border matters.
• Bilingual - fluent in Arabic and English.
  
  

• At Majid Al Futtaim, we’re on a mission to create great moments, to spread happiness, to build, experiences that stay in our memories for a lifetime. We’re proud to say that over the past 27 years, we have built a reputation as a regional market leader in what we do. Join us!
• Work in a friendly environment, where everyone shares positive vibes and excited about our future.
• Work with over 45,000 diverse and talented colleagues, all guided by our Leadership Model.