Senior Legal Counsel GCC & South Africa

Kraft Heinz; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 300,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global food company is seeking an experienced Senior Legal Counsel in Dubai to lead the legal function for the Gulf region and South Africa. The role involves providing strategic legal advice across contract management, marketing, compliance, and dispute resolution. Candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in law, at least 8 years of multinational experience, and strong skills in various legal areas. The position offers a significant opportunity to influence legal strategy while collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience in a similar role, preferably in a multinational company.
• Strong technical skills in various legal areas.
• Fluency in English; additional languages an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Lead the legal function for the Gulf region and South Africa.
• Advise on matters related to contract management, marketing, and IP.
• Ensure corporate and legal compliance in the region.
• Assist with labor law and dispute resolution.

Skills

Contract management

Marketing and IP law

Company secretarial compliance

Dispute resolution

Labor law compliance

Excellent communication

Negotiation skills

Problem-solving skills

Fluency in English

Education

Bachelor’s degree in law (LLB or equivalent)

LLM (if applicable)

Job description

Job 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

Kraft Heinz is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Underrepresented Ethnic Minority Groups/Women/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity and other protected classes