DFF - Manager - Legal Affairs

Tanqeeb; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 300,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

Dubai Future Foundation invites a Manager – Legal Affairs to join the legal department, reporting to the Chief of Legal Affairs. You will lead day-to-day operations, provide strategic, commercially focused legal advice, and ensure timely support to the business.

Candidates should have a law degree, at least 6 years post-qualification experience, international law firm exposure, fluency in English and Arabic, and strong drafting/negotiation skills across IT, IP, and corporate law.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Law from a recognized university.
• Minimum of 6 years of post-qualification legal experience.
• Experience in an international law firm or private practice; UAE law exposure is a plus.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Arabic.
• Strong drafting and negotiating of complex commercial contracts.
• Experience in information technology, commercial transactions, intellectual property, and corporate law.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, update policies and SOPs; ensure compliance.
• Manage full contract lifecycle from drafting to execution and change control.
• Provide ongoing legal advice to internal departments and project teams.
• Prioritize workloads to ensure timely, accurate delivery.
• Support audit and compliance activities for Dubai Future Foundation and Museum of the Future.

Skills

Contract drafting

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Risk assessment

Languages EN/AR

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Law

Job description

Job description

About Dubai Future Foundation:

Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) was established in 2016 to institutionalize future-shaping for Dubai and strengthen the city’s position as a leading global city of the future. The Foundation works in partnership with government and private-sector entities to imagine, design and accelerate Dubai’s future. Its work spans five strategic areas: future foresight, knowledge dissemination, capacity building, future design and future acceleration. At the heart of DFF’s mandate is turning future‑focused ideas and opportunities into tangible outcomes. The Foundation embraces risk‑taking, agility and foresight as key attributes in navigating emerging opportunities and challenges. DFF is guided by a core belief that leading in the present is not enough; the future must be actively imagined, designed and executed.

LIFE AT DUBAI FUTURE FOUNDATION

Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Future Foundation was established in 2016 to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Dubai. The Foundation works to collectively imagine, inspire, and design Dubai’s future in collaboration with government and private entities across various sectors.

With a mandate to position Dubai as a hub for innovation and a leading city of the future, the Foundation’s strategic business units focus on:

• Imagining and Understanding the Future
• Disseminating Future Knowledge
• Capacity Building
• Designing and Accelerating the Future
• Seeing and Experiencing the Future

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once said:

“The future is not built on possibilities and numbers but on clarity of vision, planning, action and implementation.”

With this vision in mind, the Foundation adopts a forward‑looking approach that places future readiness at the core of its operations.

WHERE DOES THIS ROLE FIT INTO THE BIGGER PICTURE?

The Manager – Legal Affairs reports directly to the Chief of Legal Affairs.

The Legal Department is responsible for protecting Dubai Future Foundation and the Museum of the Future from a legal perspective, while supporting business operations to ensure that all frameworks, structures, contracts, and agreements align with applicable laws and regulations.

MANAGER – LEGAL AFFAIRS

As the Manager – Legal Affairs at Dubai Future Foundation, you will support the Chief of Legal Affairs in implementing legal strategies across the Foundation and its entities.

You will manage the day‑to‑day operations of the legal function, provide strategic and commercially focused legal advice, and ensure the efficient and timely delivery of legal support to the business.

You will proactively identify risks, organize and prioritize workloads, and deliver high‑quality legal services to internal stakeholders.

LEGAL OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION

• Support the Chief of Legal Affairs in managing the day‑to‑day operations of the Legal Department.
• Organize legal meetings, ensuring accurate documentation and effective communication.
• Support the implementation of legal strategies across Dubai Future Foundation by partnering with internal stakeholders, leading contract drafting and negotiation processes, and providing consistent, high‑quality legal support.
• Draft, review, update, and oversee the implementation of policies and standard operating procedures.
• Prepare, review, draft, and negotiate complex contracts and ancillary legal documents; submit recommendations for internal approval; manage feedback with the Chief of Legal Affairs; and ensure compliance with Foundation policies and applicable UAE laws and regulations.
• Manage the full contract lifecycle, including drafting, negotiation, execution, and contract change control processes.
• Provide ongoing legal advice and support to internal departments, project teams, and initiatives.
• Prioritize legal workloads and requests to ensure efficient, timely, and accurate delivery.
• Conduct legal and regulatory research, assess business risks, and elevate key legal issues to the Chief of Legal Affairs.
• Support audit and compliance monitoring activities for both Dubai Future Foundation and the Museum of the Future.
• Provide commercially sound and cost‑effective legal advice and undertake other duties related to legal management and strategy as directed by the Chief of Legal Affairs.

THIRD-PARTY RELATIONSHIPS

• Build and maintain relationships with external counsel, third‑party vendors, government entities, and regulators, as required by Dubai Future Foundation and the Museum of the Future.
• Support legal engagements with UAE courts and relevant authorities, where required.
• Work closely with internal departments to understand legal requirements and coordinate legal support with the Chief of Legal Affairs.

WHY IS THIS ROLE IMPORTANT?

This role is essential to ensuring the effective organization, prioritization, and delivery of legal support across Dubai Future Foundation and the Museum of the Future. You will support the Chief of Legal Affairs in safeguarding the Foundation’s legal interests, managing legal workloads, mitigating business risks, and ensuring timely legal guidance to support strategic objectives. The role requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, flexibility, and the ability to adapt to the evolving needs of the business.

WHAT DUBAI FUTURE FOUNDATION OFFERS

We offer a unique opportunity to work with passionate people, support the shapers of the future, and contribute to work that has a meaningful impact on the organization, the UAE, and humanity.

You will have the opportunity to work on exciting and innovative projects in a highly diverse and fast‑paced environment that fosters creativity, disruptive ideas, and innovation.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Law from a recognized university.
• Minimum of 6 years of post‑qualification legal experience.
• Experience working in an international law firm or private practice; experience with UAE law is an advantage.
• Excellent written and spoken English and Arabic communication skills.
• Strong experience in drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts.
• Experience in information technology, commercial transactions, intellectual property, and corporate law.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Ability to translate legal advice into practical, business‑focused guidance.
• Strong ability to engage and collaborate effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong negotiation, organizational, and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to identify key legal risks, provide appropriate recommendations, and escal