Group Senior Manager - Legal

Provision of commercially focused guidance, advice and assistance to head office and regional management over a broad range of legal matters across the Ports & Terminals pillar.  Liaison with, and supervision of, external legal counsel.

Key Accountabilities:

Provide strategic, effective, reliable and user-friendly support, advice and assistance to senior managers within DP World on legal matters affecting any aspect of DP World’s business across the Ports & Terminals pillar.

Review, draft and negotiate a broad range of legal documents (including joint venture agreements, management services agreements, concession agreements, terminal services agreements, strategic customer framework agreements, standard terms and conditions, internal policies and procedures and ancillary agreements), ensuring that legal requirements are met within such documents.

Identify and analyse legal issues arising in transactions and new projects, mainly ports & terminals transactions and projects.  Make clear and commercially focused recommendations in respect of such issues. Support the transactions and projects (including their implementation) from a legal perspective.

In addition to transaction / project development advisory work, provide legal guidance to DP World’s network of ports & terminals businesses and related support functions by advising on regulatory, commercial and contentious matters relating to the Ports & Terminals pillar which have potential cross-regional or global impact on DP World’s business

Maintain strong links with external legal counsel. Assist with the selection of appropriate external legal counsel for work that is to be outsourced. Manage external legal spend for projects for which the job holder has day to day responsibility.

Advise the business on developing legal knowhow including, but not limited to, contract templates, playbooks, approval matrices and contracting processes, policies and procedures generally in the Ports & Terminals pillar to facilitate and ensure DP World adopts a harmonised, effective and risk-mitigated contracting process in its material dealings with customers, partners and host governments. 

Act as a liaison between commercial colleagues from Corporate Finance & Business development department (CF&BD) and external legal counsel.  Provide external legal counsel with clear and explicit instructions.  Oversee and review work carried out by external legal counsel. 

Provide effective reporting to the Group Vice-President Legal (Ports & Terminals) on all material legal matters impacting the Ports & Terminals pillar. 

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Law Degree from an accredited university.

Qualification to practice law from a recognised legal regulatory body.

Minimum 5 years post qualification experience in an internationally recognised law firm and/ or multinational company. Preferably experience working in the Middle East region. 

Knowledge of cross-border corporate and commercial transactions, and experience of managing transactions through to completion. Ideally, knowledge and experience of international infrastructure projects

Commercial awareness and understanding of business needs (including awareness and sensitivity to differing international legal and cultural business practices, and the flexibility to work within different cultural environments). 

Excellent analytical and organisational skills. 

Ability to effectively negotiate legal issues and transaction documentation with counterparties.

Good communication and interpersonal skills.