Compliance Counsel - Advisory

ADNOC Abu Dhabi UAE; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 165,258 - 238,707; Full time

Job summary

ADNOC Abu Dhabi UAE is seeking a Compliance Counsel - Advisory for a senior legal and ethics compliance role focused on regulatory compliance in Abu Dhabi. The role involves advising on data privacy, international trade compliance, ESG, and more.

The ideal candidate has 8 to 10 years of legal experience, preferably in Oil & Energy. Join us to contribute to ethical business conduct and strengthen governance standards across ADNOC Group.

Qualifications

• 8 to 10 years of experience in transactional legal work, preferably in a reputable law firm or in-house.
• Experience within the Oil & Energy industry is preferred.
• Excellent written and spoken English; fluent Arabic is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Provide advice on key regulatory compliance matters.
• Support the Manager and team in managing compliance.
• Design and deliver compliance training sessions.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Compliance advisory

Legal advisory

Data privacy

International trade compliance

ESG compliance

Stakeholder management

Compliance training

Education

Bachelor's degree in Law

Job description

Compliance Counsel - Advisory

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Oil & Energy

Function: Legal

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: 45,000‑65,000 estimated (final offer to be confirmed)

Overview

Compliance Counsel - Advisory is a senior legal and ethics compliance role focused on regulatory compliance, data privacy, international trade compliance, ESG, insider management, market abuse, policy development, and advisory support for ADNOC Group.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide advice on key regulatory compliance matters, including data privacy, international trade compliance, ESG, insider management, market abuse, and related legal standards.
• Support the Manager and the Compliance Advisory team in managing regulatory compliance matters across ADNOC Group.
• Escalate compliance risks, issues, opportunities, and regulatory developments to relevant leadership when required.
• Act as a subject‑matter expert for the development, implementation, and maintenance of compliance policies and procedures.
• Tailor compliance frameworks, guidance, and internal controls to evolving regulatory landscapes and business requirements.
• Design and deliver advanced compliance training and awareness sessions to improve understanding of key laws, standards, and ethical obligations.
• Support development, monitoring, and management of external counsel and service provider budgets for the Compliance Advisory team.
• Mentor junior team members and share legal and compliance expertise to uphold high professional standards.
• Support the wider Ethics and Compliance team on initiatives, projects, advisory matters, and governance‑related activities.
• Prepare reports, presentations, MIS inputs, and progress updates on Compliance Advisory matters for management review.
• Collaborate across Ethics and Compliance teams, business stakeholders, functional teams, Legal, Governance and Compliance leadership, and ADNOC Group advisors.
• Ensure compliance with the ADNOC Group Ethics and Compliance Program designed to prevent and detect unlawful or unethical business conduct.
• Promote a strong culture of compliance, ethical business conduct, transparency, and responsible decision‑making across the organization.
• Create awareness of good compliance practices and support knowledge‑building across the business.
• Provide input into annual budget development in line with business objectives and operational plans.
• Lead the development and implementation of policies, processes, systems, standards, procedures, guidelines, and internal controls.
• Drive continuous improvement within Ethics and Compliance to achieve performance levels aligned with external benchmarks and international standards.
• Lead achievement of KPIs and performance objectives for the Ethics and Compliance function.
• Establish monitoring mechanisms to track delivery of compliance objectives and identify improvement areas.
• Provide strategic analysis and recommendations to enhance business practices, governance, and compliance performance.
• Support knowledge development, competency building, and continuous learning within Group Ethics and Compliance.
• Lead or support training and development initiatives for junior colleagues, including Emirati talent development.
• Evaluate organizational structure requirements and support effective human capital utilization within the function.
• Represent Group Ethics and Compliance in task forces, events, committees, and stakeholder meetings.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal stakeholders, external legal advisors, government entities, local authorities, and professional service providers.
• Assist with appointment, coordination, and performance assessment of external lawyers, experts, and compliance advisors.
• Support Corporate Risk Management within the business unit.
• Recommend process improvements, intelligent solutions, and best‑practice enhancements to improve compliance advisory services.
• Support HSE culture, sustainability practices, and compliance with ADNOC Code of Practices where relevant to the function.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Law is essential.
• 8 to 10 years of professional experience in transactional legal work, preferably gained in a reputable international law firm or in‑house legal department.
• Experience within the Oil & Energy industry is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of regulatory compliance matters, including data privacy, international trade compliance, ESG, insider management, market abuse, and ethical business conduct.
• Solid understanding of applicable legislation, regulatory standards, business practices, and international compliance best practices.
• Experience developing, implementing, and maintaining compliance policies, procedures, guidelines, internal controls, and advisory frameworks.
• Ability to provide practical legal and compliance advice to business and functional stakeholders in a large organization.
• Experience preparing compliance reports, management presentations, progress updates, policy documents, and advisory materials.
• Strong ability to manage external counsel, service providers, legal advisors, and expert consultants.
• Experience supporting compliance training, awareness sessions, knowledge transfer, and junior team development.
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills.
• Fluent Arabic is an advantage.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to collaborate across legal, governance, compliance, business, and functional teams.
• Ability to identify risks, escalated matters appropriately, and provide clear recommendations to leadership.
• High level of integrity, confidentiality, professional judgment, and ethical responsibility.
• Strong analytical, communication, presentation, drafting, and interpersonal skills.

Skills Set

• Regulatory compliance
• Compliance advisory
• Legal advisory
• Ethics and compliance
• Data privacy
• International trade compliance
• ESG compliance
• Insider management
• Market abuse
• Compliance policies
• Compliance procedures
• Internal controls
• Legal risk management
• Regulatory standards
• Business ethics
• Corporate governance
• Compliance training
• Awareness sessions
• External counsel management
• Service provider budget support
• Stakeholder management
• Legal reporting
• Management presentations
• MIS reporting
• Transactional legal work
• In‑house legal advisory
• International law firm experience
• Policy development
• Process improvement
• Corporate risk management
• Legal drafting
• English communication
• Arabic language advantage
• Confidentiality
• HSE compliance
• Sustainability awareness

Why Join Us

This role offers the opportunity to support ADNOC Group’s Ethics and Compliance function in Abu Dhabi through high‑impact advisory work covering regulatory compliance, legal risk, policy development, stakeholder guidance, and compliance awareness. It is suited for an experienced legal and compliance professional who wants to contribute to ethical business conduct, strengthen governance standards, support strategic advisory matters, and work with senior stakeholders across a major energy organization.

About the Company

ADNOC Group is a leading energy organization headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with a major presence across upstream operations, energy production, technology development, sustainability, and responsible business practices. The company continues to strengthen governance, regulatory compliance, ethical conduct, and operational excellence while creating long‑term value across the UAE energy sector.