Senior Legal Counsel GCC & South Africa

The Kraft Heinz Company; Dubai; On-site; AED 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

A multinational food and beverage company is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to oversee the legal function in the Gulf region and South Africa. The role involves providing strategic legal advice on contract management, marketing compliance, and dispute resolution. The ideal candidate will have a law degree, at least 8 years of experience in a similar position, and strong collaboration skills. Fluency in English is essential, with additional languages being a plus.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience in a similar role, preferably in a multinational company.
• Strong technical skills in contract management, marketing and IP, company secretarial, compliance, and dispute resolution.
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead the legal function for the Gulf region and South Africa.
• Support the drafting, negotiation, and review of contracts.
• Advise on advertising and marketing law matters.
• Ensure corporate secretarial compliance.
• Provide legal advice on labor law and regulations.

Skills

Contract management

Marketing and IP

Company secretarial

Compliance

Dispute resolution

Labor law

Excellent communication

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving skills

Fluency in English

Education

Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB or equivalent)

LLM

Job description

Description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel to lead the legal function for the Gulf region and South Africa. The successful candidate will provide strategic legal advice and support to the business across a range of areas, including contract management, marketing and IP, company secretarial, compliance, and dispute resolution. This is a key role that requires strong technical skills, business acumen, and the ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders across the organization.

What You'll Do:

Contract Management:

• Support the drafting, negotiation, and review of contracts across a range of products, goods, and services.
• Implement an effective distribution contract portfolio management system.
• Develop and maintain standard templates, processes, tools, and trackers to standardize processes within the business and improve existing legal processes.

Marketing and IP:

• Advise and support on advertising and marketing law matters, including competitive product claims, packaging materials, media copy, and advertising materials clearance.
• Review marketing materials content, data, claims, etc. and work closely with the Marketing and Regulatory departments to ensure a timely and risk-managed approach.
• Review marketing campaigns, sales initiatives, sponsorship, promotional strategies, and permissions - where required.
• Provide local legal support to the Global Brand Protection Team and assist in IP Enforcement and Anti-counterfeit matters.

Company Secretarial:

• Support company secretarial matters and meetings.
• Ensure corporate secretarial compliance in the cluster, and mainly where the company has a local presence (UAE, KSA).
• Support company secretarial liaison with the global company secretary function.
• Manage corporate licences and registrations.

Compliance:

• Assist (where applicable) in any internal compliance audits.
• Advise and support data privacy-related compliance matters.
• Support the legal trainings yearly agenda.

Dispute Resolution:

• Advise and assist in any pre-litigation disputes and provide legal support in the resolutions of claims.
• Manage timely and accurate litigation reporting.

Labor Matters:

• Provide legal advice on labor law and regulations in UAE and KSA, including employment contracts and labor disputes.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, including labor laws, social security laws, and workers' compensation laws.

Leadership and Management:

• Lead the legal function for the Gulf region and South Africa, providing strategic direction and guidance to the team.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to ensure alignment and effective delivery of legal services.
• Develop and manage the budget for the legal function in the region.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB or equivalent), LLM will be a strong benefit.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in a similar role, preferably in a multinational company.
• Strong technical skills in contract management, marketing and IP, company secretarial, compliance, and dispute resolution.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders across the organization.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of the commercial landscape in the Gulf region and South Africa.
• Fluency in English (additional languages an advantage).

Location(s)

Dubai Office