Senior Legal Counsel

Payfuture; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to join their Dubai office. This role offers a unique opportunity to provide legal support across diverse jurisdictions in a dynamic fintech environment. You will be instrumental in negotiating contracts, interpreting regulations, and ensuring compliance within a global group that specializes in payment gateway services. The ideal candidate will possess strong legal drafting skills and a commercial mindset, thriving in a fast-paced setting while collaborating with cross-functional teams. If you are driven by accountability and ownership, this position is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years of post-qualification legal experience in regulated financial services.
• In-house experience in fintech or payments is ideal.

Responsibilities

• Deliver legal advice to support operations and strategic projects.
• Draft and negotiate various commercial agreements.
• Assist with corporate governance and regulatory interpretation.

Skills

Legal drafting

Negotiation skills

Regulatory interpretation

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Law degree (LLB or equivalent)

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled and commercially minded Senior Legal Counsel to join our Dubai office as part of the Group Legal Team. Reporting directly to the Group Chief Legal Officer, you will play a key role in supporting the legal needs of all group companies, with a primary focus on commercial contracts, corporate governance, and regulatory interpretation across multiple jurisdictions particularly in the UAE, the EU, UK, India and other key markets.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated legal professional to work in a fast-paced, cross-border fintech environment, contributing to the growth and compliance of a global group providing payment gateway services.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Legal Advisory: Deliver practical, business-focused legal advice to internal stakeholders across the group, supporting day-to-day operations, commercial initiatives, product development, and strategic projects.
2. Contract Negotiation & Drafting: Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of commercial agreements, including contracts with merchants, service providers, vendors, partners, and employees, as well as service-level agreements.
3. Regulatory Interpretation: Assist with interpreting relevant laws and regulatory frameworks applicable to the group’s operations in the EU, India, UAE, and other jurisdictions, particularly in the context of payment services and financial technology.
4. Corporate Governance & Entity Support: Support group entities on corporate governance matters, including preparation and review of shareholder and board resolutions, as well as intercompany agreements.
5. M&A and Strategic Projects: Provide legal support on mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, and international expansion, working closely with external counsel where needed.
6. External Counsel Management: Coordinate with external legal advisors across multiple jurisdictions to manage local legal matters efficiently and cost-effectively.
7. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with internal teams including compliance, risk, finance, sales, HR, and global expansion to ensure legal alignment with business strategy.

Requirements:
You will be a good fit if you:

1. Are aligned with our values of Belief, Positivity, Accountability & Ownership, Execution and Speed.

Experience & Seniority:

1. 5-8 years of post-qualification legal experience within regulated financial services in the EU, UK or the UAE.
2. Ideally, at least 2 years of in-house experience in a fintech, payments, or cross-border financial services business.
3. Demonstrated experience providing legal support across multiple jurisdictions.

Qualifications:

1. Law degree (LLB or equivalent) from a recognized institution.
2. Admitted to practice law in a common law or civil law jurisdiction (e.g., UK, EU, UAE).

Regulatory Awareness (Legal Scope):

1. Solid understanding of relevant EU, UK, and UAE legal frameworks, as they apply to payment gateways, payment services, fintech, crypto companies.
2. Familiarity with PSD2, the E-Money Directive, FCA regulations, and UAE financial regulations.
3. Knowledge of emerging regulatory frameworks (e.g., crypto regulations, DORA, MiCA) is a plus.

Skills:

1. Strong legal drafting and negotiation skills, with a sharp eye for detail and a commercial mindset.
2. Proven ability to manage multiple complex matters in a fast-paced, international environment.
3. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally.

Language:

1. Fluent in English (written and spoken); additional languages are an advantage (not a requirement).