Legal Director, Corporate and Commercial

Huda Beauty; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 440,000 - 588,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent beauty brand in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a Corporate and Commercial Director to lead its legal function across various corporate matters. The ideal candidate will have at least 10 years of experience managing complex legal issues, particularly in consumer goods. Key responsibilities include overseeing corporate governance, providing legal advice on contracts, and driving the digital transformation of legal operations. This role offers the chance to shape the company's governance culture in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

Premium medical/dental/vision coverage

Monthly self-love days

Employee discounts on products

Quarterly product gifting

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10-15 years post-qualification experience in corporate and commercial legal matters.
• Previous in-house experience in leading legal functions is an advantage.
• Ability to build relationships with stakeholders effectively.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the corporate lifecycle of all entities across multiple jurisdictions.
• Provide senior commercial legal advice on contracts relevant to consumer goods.
• Drive digital transformation of legal operations.

Skills

Strong interpersonal skills

Excellent judgment

Negotiation skills

Experience with legal tech solutions

Understanding of the cosmetics industry

Education

Qualified lawyer in a major jurisdiction

Job description

WhoWeAre

AtHudaBeauty,ourVisionistoleadincreatingademocratisedbeautyindustrywherepowerisgivenbacktopeopletodefine,create,andenjoybeautyforthemselves!Launchedbyaward-winningbeautypowerhouseHudaKattanin2013,HudaBeautyisoneoftheworld’sfastest-growingbeautybrands.Asacompany,wearefueledbypurposeandnotprofit,thisallowsustoapproachthingsdifferentlysothatwecancreateproducts,content,andacommunitylikenoother.Alothaschangedsinceourlaunchin2013,butsomethingthatwillforeverremainatthecoreofHudaBeautyisourfocusonbusinessexcellenceandourunwaveringpassionforkindness!

Summary

ReportingdirectlytoourGeneralCounsel,HudaBeautyseeksapragmatic,commercially-mindedDirector,CorporateandCommercialtoestablishandscaletheGroup’slegalfunctionacrosscorporateandcommercialmatters. Thishands-on,senior-levelrolewillleadandmanagetheGroup’slegalentitygovernance,companysecretarialmatters,mergersandacquisitions,legalentityrestructuring,thedigitisationoftheHudaBeautyLegaldepartmentandleadourcommercialcontractingandcontractcompliance,workingcollaborativelyandcross-functionally.YouwillbeatrustedadvisortotheGroup’sseniormanagementteam.Therolerequiresstrongstakeholderengagementskills,theabilitytotranslatelegalandregulatoryrequirementsintopracticalbusinessprocesses,andexperiencebuildingapoitivegovernancecultureinafast-movingconsumergoodsenvironment.

Responsibilities

EssentialDutiesandResponsibilities : CorporateAffairs OverseethefullcorporatelifecycleofallGroupentitiesacrossmultiplejurisdictions,ensuringstructuralintegrity,governancealignment,andcompliancewithapplicablelawsandinternalpolicies. Leadandadviseontheproperdraftingandexecutionofcorporatedocuments,suchasarticlesofassociation,memorandaofassociation,boardandmanagerresolutions,powersofattorney,saleandpurchaseagreements,transitionalservicesagreements,boardminutes,andsimilardocuments. Developandmaintainpolicies,proceduresandcontrolframeworksforgovernanceandrisk-relatedmatters(e.g.,productsafety-relatedoperationalrisks,supplychain,third-party/vendorrisk,data/privacyriskintersections). Leadandcoordinateentityformation,cross-borderreorganisations,mergers,demergersandliquidation/strike-offprocessesinpartnershipwithexternalcounsel,theFamilyofficeaswellasFinanceandTax. Adviseonentityrationalisationandrestructuringprojectstooptimizeoperational,taxandregulatoryoutcomes. Own,design,implementandmaintaintheGroup’sdelegationofauthority(DoA)framework;framework;leadperiodicreviewsandensureconsistentapplicationacrossjurisdictions;designandmaintaininternalcontrols,approvalworkflows,andaudit‑readyprocessesforsignatureauthority,sign‑off,andDoAexceptions. Supporttheestablishmentandrunningofgovernancefora(e.g.,riskcommittee,workinggroups),prepareagendas,materialsandclearactiontrackers;drivefollow-throughwithseniorstakeholders. Providepracticaladvicetobusinessleadersonrisk-baseddecision-making,escalation,andembeddinggovernanceintoday-to-dayoperations. Monitorinternalcontrolsandremediationplans;coordinaterisktestingandassuranceactivitieswithinternalauditorexternalreviewerswhererequired. CommercialLegal Provide senior commercial legal advice on customer, supplier and partner contracts, distribution, licensing, master services agreements, and brand/channel agreements relevant to consumer goods/beauty/luxury sectors. Developstandardisedcontractingtemplates, playbooksandclauselibrariestostreamlinenegotiationandreducelegalspend, workingcollaborativelywithourDirector,Compliance,GovernanceandRisk. Lead the negotiation and execution of complex cross-border commercial transactions; provide pragmatic commercial risk advice. DigitisationandAI Drive digital transformation of our legal operations, namely the corporate matters and commercial contract lifecycle management (CLM) through implementation and continuous improvement including tracking, reporting and document retention. Cross-Functional Partnership Act as key legal partner to our Director, Compliance, Governance and Risk; Finance and Tax teams on entity-level matters, intercompany agreements, fund flows, and tax-driven restructurings, as well as fostering a culture of compliance and improvement. Support statutory consolidation, financial reporting, audit requests and regulator engagements relating to entity governance and legal documentation. Build strong relationships with the Director (Compliance, Governance & Risk), General Counsel, Finance, People + Culture, Operations, Product Safety/Quality, Procurement and local market leads to create policies and escalations affecting corporate affairs and commercial activities, as well as day-to-day activities. Team Leadership Lead, develop and mentor direct reports and other Legal, Regulatory and Compliance team members (corporate, commercial and company secretarial); set priorities and manage performance. Oversee selection, engagement and oversight of external counsel and service providers; drive cost-effectiveness delivery and best practice. Champion process improvement, automation and adoption of entity management and CLM systems. Training & Culture Drive the development and delivery of legal training, both as a train‑the‑trainer within the Legal, Regulatory & Compliance function and, also, for business leads and functional stakeholders in order to reduce risk in our business operations and embed risk‑aware behaviours. Support the General Counsel and Director, Compliance, Governance and Risk in communications and change management to promote an culture of governance and accountability across the group.

Benefits

Monthly“SelfLoveDays”–atcompanydiscretion PremiumMedical/Dental/Visioncoverageforemployeeplusdependents Monthlycoachingsessionswithourin-houseSuccessCoach EmployeediscountsonallHudaBeautyproducts Quarterlyproductgifting HudaBeautyiscommittedtobuildingdiverseandinclusiveteamsandupholdinganequalemploymentworkplacethatsfreefromdiscrimination.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Wehirestellarindividualsregardlessoftheirrace,color,ancestry,religion,genderidentity,nationalorigin,sexualorientation,age,maritalstatus,medicalconditions,disability,orveteranstatus.

Accommodations

Ifyouneedreasonableaccommodationsatanypointintheapplicationorinterviewprocess,pleaseletusknow.

Qualifications

QualifiedlawyerinamajorjurisdictionwithintheHudaBeautyGroupwithaminimumof10-15yearspostqualificationexperiencehandlingcomplexcorporateandcommerciallegalmatters. BeingcalledtoaUSstatebarisanadvantage. Previousin-houseexperienceinleadingandimplementingcorporateandcommerciallegalmattersisanadvantage. LeadershipindesigningandimplementinglegaltechsolutionsandexperiencewithlegalAIsolutionsareanadvantage. Strongorganisationalskillsthatreflecttheabilitytoperformandprioritisemultipletasksseamlessly. Highemotionalmaturityandintelligencewithstronginterpersonalskillsandtheabilitytocollaborateandbuildrelationshipswithinternalandexternalstakeholders. Demonstratedabilitytoachievehighperformancegoalsandmeetdeadlinesinafast-pacedenvironment. ForwardthinkerwithaKaizen(continuousimprovement)mentality,whoactivelyseeksopportunitiestoimproveandproposessolutions. Keeninterestand/orexperienceinthecosmeticsindustryisanadvantage. Excellentjudgement,negotiation,andcommunicationskills. Highlyresourcefulteamplayerwiththeabilitytobeextremelyeffectiveindependently. Consistentlydisplayanapproachablenatureandflexibleworkingstylewithflawlesswrittenandverbalcommunicationskills. Strongpresentationskills,withtheabilitytopresenttostakeholdersatalllevelsoftheorganisationwhenrequired. Flexibleworkingstyle. Occasionalearlymorningorlateeveningcallsmayberequiredtoaccommodateglobalbusinessneeds. Adhoctravelmayalsoberequired.