MENA Chief Operating Officer & Director of Finance

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP; Dubai; On-site; AED 918,000 - 1,469,000; Full time

Job summary

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in Dubai is seeking a MENA Chief Operating Officer and Director of Finance to provide strategic and operational leadership across the region, coordinating finance, IT and other operations to support the firm's regional strategy.

This role partners with the MENA Leadership, oversees business continuity, governance, cost control, and real estate, and drives transformation, data analytics, and risk management to protect the firm's reputation and profitability.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of broad-based business operations leadership experience, including with a major law firm.
• Experience coordinating multiple business functions and mentoring teams.
• Proven success in enterprise change management and strategic execution.
• Strong business, financial and commercial acumen with strategic planning ability.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills; influence-based leadership.
• Strong drive, entrepreneurial spirit and results orientation.
• Undergraduate degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across MENA, aligning finance, IT and operations.
• Collaborate with HR and leadership to execute regional strategy and structure.
• Lead business continuity, crisis management and risk governance across MENA.
• Develop regional plans, drive profitability and revenue growth opportunities.
• Drive business transformation and innovations in MENA operations.
• Deliver financial analysis and reporting; enable data-driven decision-making.
• Oversee regulatory governance and compliance, including AML and related regimes.
• Manage regional real estate portfolio and space utilisation strategies.
• Control costs and optimise operational efficiency across offices.

Skills

Leadership

Change management

Strategic planning

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Communication

People leadership

Business transformation

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or advanced degree preferred

Job description

• The MENA Chief Operating Officer amp Director of Finance will provide strategic and operational leadership across the MENA region directly managing a range of business operations and administrative functions ensuring alignment and coordination across the firm s finance and information technology and other operational areas
• The role will work closely with the Head of HR and the MENA Leadership team to support the development and execution of the firm s regional strategy ensuring the region is appropriately structured and resourced to deliver its strategic objectives
• The MENA Chief Operating Officer amp Director of Finance will lead the region s business continuity and crisis management framework working with the Legal Department and Operations teams to ensure robust contingency planning crisis response and recovery arrangements are in place and effectively implemented to address operational regulatory and people related risks
• b The MENA Chief Operating Officer amp Director of Finance will b Develop a broad and deep understanding of the MENA region s practices operations market and competitive position work closely with the firm s MENA Managing Partner and other partners and members of leadership regarding business planning identification and maximization of financial profitability and revenue growth opportunities and ensure operational excellence
• In conjunction with existing business services leads drive business transformation and innovation efforts for the firm in the MENA region and related organizational operational and cultural change management efforts monitor trends and best practices in professional services and legal business management approaches and solutions and appropriately incorporate new methodologies
• In conjunction with the global financial leadership deliver actionable succinct and impactful financial analysis and reporting for the MENA region and develop and implement capabilities to provide for augmented data-driven decision-making
• Lead the firm s regulatory governance and operational risk agenda across MENA Working in partnership with the Legal Department and Operations teams ensure the effective implementation and oversight of governance compliance and risk management frameworks across all offices supporting the firm s regulatory obligations and protecting its reputation Act as Deputy MLRO for MENA providing leadership and oversight of anti-money laundering financial crime prevention and related regulatory compliance matters
• In conjunction with existing business services leads develop and establish operating policies and direct the firm s MENA office operations ensuring services are delivered within set budgets and comply with local regulations regularly assess and report on the effectiveness of operations and shared services providing insights and guidance on continuous improvement
• Play a key role in connecting the dots across the MENA partnership and business service leadership fostering effective communication collaboration and alignment across the region helping to build lines of communication
• Serve as a key representative for the MENA region across the global firm and with external and internal constituencies collaborate on overall global strategies and objectives and drive corresponding MENA initiatives and programs to achieve those goals
• Work with existing operational colleagues to manage the firm s MENA real estate portfolio and help drive real estate strategy including space utilization initiatives
• Oversee and implement cost control strategies to optimize operational efficiency and ensure financial sustainability across all MENA offices including monitoring expenditures identifying cost-saving opportunities and driving initiatives to reduce overhead without compromising service quality With the support of existing Business services leads manage the firm s local business services teams ensuring they meet strategic objectives and operational targets including optimizing resource allocation and enhancing service delivery to support the firm s global operations and client needs
• Working closely with the MENA Head of HR to champion a positive people experience by fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment including developing and implementing policies that support employee well-being professional growth and engagement ensuring that all team members feel valued and motivated to contribute to the firm s success

• A minimum of 10 to 15 years of broad-based business operations leadership experience, which includes a proven record with major law firms.
• Demonstrated record coordinating the range of business functions and capabilities; and managing, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams committed to superior levels of client service, team-orientation, and professional excellence.
• Proven success leading enterprise change management, on institutional, functional, and behavioral levels, and associated communications and operational deployments.
• Strong business, financial, and commercial acumen; the ability to develop comprehensive short- and long-term strategic plans from broadly stated objectives, anticipating and exceeding business needs, and managing conflicting priorities when necessary.
• Outstanding interpersonal and relationship-building skills, the ability to lead through influence rather than direct control, and to create consensus-based support for business strategies and decisions in complex, multinational organizations.
• Strong drive, can do attitude, entrepreneurial spirit, and results-orientation; willingness to roll up one s sleeves when necessary and lead by example.
• Superior presentation, writing, and verbal communication skills; capacity to interact credibly and diplomatically with all levels in an organization including at the senior partner level and in the outside community, tailoring communications effectively for different groups and stakeholders.
• An undergraduate degree is required; MBA or other advanced degrees preferred.