Senior Legal Counsel Near & Middle East

Veolia; Dubai; On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in water, energy, and waste management is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel for its Dubai headquarters. The role involves providing comprehensive legal support on strategic projects, managing contract negotiations, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. Ideal candidates will hold an LLM, possess extensive experience in legal matters of multinational companies, and demonstrate exceptional analytical and negotiation skills.

Qualifications

• 8+ years post-qualification experience in multinational law firm or in-house legal team.
• Common law education preferred with project finance expertise.
• Fluent level English required.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support on environmental utilities projects and contracts.
• Draft, review, and negotiate legal agreements.
• Ensure compliance with legal and statutory obligations.

Skills

Contract analysis

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Decision-making

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

LLM or equivalent legal qualification

Job description

Company Description

For 170 years, Veolia has been a global leader in providing water, energy, and waste management solutions. Serving public authorities and industries across 58 countries, our comprehensive services are essential to human development and sustainable growth. As we progress alongside economic growth and human development, we continuously adapt and innovate, designing solutions that positively impact the environment and conserve resources.

Veolia focuses on local solutions to purify and preserve vital resources, mitigate resource depletion, decarbonize lifestyles and production methods, and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Our mission is to build a better 21st century, and we proudly identify as #resourcers.

Key figures of Veolia Near and Middle East

• Over 3,900 employees in the Middle East (in addition to the nearly 6,000 employees for Enova, which reports directly to Veolia Africa Middle-East for Facility Management and Energy Efficiency contracts in the region)
• A robust local network across the region, including the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia
• 40 years of sustainable partnerships

In the Middle East, Veolia collaborates with industries, governments, communities, and commercial businesses to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions needed today, while maintaining a vision for tomorrow. Through public-private partnerships and innovative contractual schemes, Veolia is dedicated to achieving measurable results with pragmatic, sustainable environmental solutions.

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Context

Veolia Near & Middle East HQ provides business support and expertise to its various local entities and ensures that the Veolia Group strategy, policies, processes and tools are implemented appropriately and in a timely manner as well as customized to our local needs.

The legal department plays a critical role in ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, mitigating risks, and protecting the company's interests. They provide guidance on various legal matters, including corporate governance, contracts, employment issues, and regulatory compliance. They often collaborate with other departments to develop policies and procedures that align with legal requirements while supporting the company's objectives.

Job Description

Main Accountabilities

The Senior Legal Counsel Near & Middle East provides legal support to projects and corporate matters of Veolia in the Near & Middle East business region, including relevant subsidiaries and entities. They also deliver legal support on any other matters of strategic, financial and reputational importance to the business. The Senior Legal Counsel is responsible for and relied upon to deliver timely, accurate and reliable legal advice in a practical, commercially-focused and ethical way, to minimise risk, resolve issues and maximise the opportunity for the business to achieve its goals. This position reports to the General Counsel Near & Middle East, and is based full-time at the regional head office in Dubai, UAE.

Detailed Job Description

• Contribute to legal structuring of environmental utilities and infrastructures projects (in Water, Energy and Waste), on various contract types (EPC, DBO, BOO, BOT, O&M, management contracts). Work closely with functional teams based both regionally and at headquarters. Daily interface with relevant internal teams, primarily Business Development, Proposals and Finance.
• Contract Management: Provide comprehensive legal support on contracts and project management. This includes drafting, reviewing, and negotiating contractual/legal analysis of bids and proposals, setup of consortium, tender review processes, shareholder agreements, project agreements, intercompany agreements, .
• Ensure contracts align with the company’s objectives while minimizing risk.
• Provide expertise to the Business Units and Management in drafting, formatting and negotiating contracts.
• Provide legal advice and support in M&A processes/transactions and organic/financial growth projects, to teams involved in financing of new investments or refinancing of existing investments.
• Work closely with external counsel to effectively manage pre-litigation or litigation matters in the region. Work in compliance with Veolia Group policies and in close coordination with the litigation team at Veolia headquarters. Handle litigation and arbitration proceedings in coordination with Contracts Managers and external counsel.
• Deal effectively with deadlines and project timeframes, applying the appropriate levels of priority and communicating with stakeholders
• Ensure and uphold contractual, ethical, legal and statutory compliance in the fulfilment of one’s professional responsibilities

Qualifications

• LLM or equivalent legal qualification
• 8+ years post-qualification experience in either:
  • Multinational law firm
  • In-house legal team of global company (utilities/ energy/ engineering /infrastructure /industrial construction)
• Common law education preferred with project finance expertise
• Legal expertise in:
  • EPC/Design & Build projects
  • Contract analysis, drafting and negotiation
  • Construction law
• Fluent level English (written and verbal)
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities
• Excellent contract drafting capabilities
• Sound business and legal judgment
• Strategic thinking with attention to detail
• Quantitative aptitude

Additional Information

Personal Attributes

• Self-motivated and independent
• High integrity and ethical standards
• Proactive with excellent prioritization skills
• Strong team player
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Cultural awareness and emotional intelligence
• Professional discretion
• Ability to perform under pressure in fast-paced environments
• Commitment to diversity and inclusion

As an inclusive company, Veolia is committed to diversity and gives equal consideration to all applications, without discrimination.

The preceding description is not designed to be a complete or exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities that will be carried out by the selected candidate.

Veolia Middle East does not and shall not discriminate in any forms in its recruitment processes.