Legal Counsel

gutor; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Gutor, a leading international manufacturer of UPS systems, seeks a Legal Counsel to support growth in the Middle East and Africa. You will draft, review and negotiate diverse commercial agreements and manage corporate legal and insurance matters across MEA, while coordinating with global teams.

You will provide practical, commercially balanced legal advice to local leadership, support strategic initiatives, and help manage regulatory compliance and risk across regions.

Qualifications

• Law degree and admitted to practice in MEA jurisdictions.
• 5–8 years post-qualification legal experience.
• Strong experience in commercial contract drafting and negotiation.
• Experience in Petrochemical Industry or Oil & Gas Industry.
• Experience within an industrial, engineering, energy, technology, manufacturing, or infrastructure environment.

Responsibilities

• Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements, including customer contracts, supplier agreements, NDAs, service agreements, and distribution/agency agreements.
• Identify and mitigate contractual risks and support contract lifecycle management.
• Develop and maintain contract templates and negotiation playbooks; partner with Sales, Procurement, Finance, HR and Operations.
• Manage day-to-day corporate legal and insurance matters across Gutor entities, especially MEA; support governance and corporate secretarial requirements.
• Coordinate with insurers, brokers, external counsel, auditors and regulators as required.
• Provide legal support to managers and leadership; support strategic initiatives, acquisitions, partnerships, and business expansion projects.

Skills

Contract negotiation

Legal drafting

Stakeholder management

Commercial awareness

Regulatory compliance

In-house experience

Education

Law degree (LLB or equivalent)

Admission to practice law in MEA jurisdictions

Job description

Gutor is a leading international manufacturer of UPS systems for industrial applications. The company has been in business for over 75 years and has a proven track record of delivering high-quality products and services. Gutor's products are designed to meet the demanding needs of industries such as oil & gas, petrochemical, chemical, nuclear, and transportation. The company also has a global presence with over 600 employees in more than 30 countries and branches in Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S.A to name a few.

Gutor is committed to providing its customers with the best possible support. The company has a team of experienced engineers and technicians who are available to help with any problems that may arise.

The Legal Counsel will support Gutor's growth, in particular in the Middle East and Africa, by providing practical and commercially focused legal advice, with a primary emphasis on contract management and corporate legal matters, supporting local management, and contributing to legal risk management across the business in the Middle East, Africa and other regions.

The position will act as a trusted business partner to operational and commercial stakeholders while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Contract Management (70%)

Draft, review, negotiate, and manage a broad range of commercial agreements, including:

• Customer contracts
• Supplier agreements
• NDAs
• Service agreements
• Distribution and agency agreements
• Framework and partnership agreements

Identify and mitigate contractual risks.

Support contract lifecycle management processes.

Develop and maintain contract templates and negotiation playbooks.

Partner with Sales, Procurement, Finance, HR and Operations teams during contract negotiations.

Corporate & Governance

Manage day-to-day corporate legal and insurance matters across Gutor entities, in particular in the Middle East and Africa.

Support board, governance, and corporate secretarial requirements.

Coordinate with insurers and brokers, as well as with external legal counsels, auditors and regulatory authorities, where required.

Ensure legal documentation is maintained in accordance with corporate and regulatory requirements.

Business Partnering & Management Support (15%)

Provide legal support to Managers and local leadership teams.

Deliver practical and commercially balanced legal advice.

Support strategic initiatives, acquisitions, partnerships, and business expansion projects when required.

Assist with dispute management and pre-litigation matters.

Compliance & Risk Management

Support compliance programs and internal policies.

Monitor legal and regulatory developments impacting the business.

Conduct legal risk assessments and recommend mitigation measures.

Promote legal awareness and training across business functions.

International Legal Support

Work closely with the global legal team.

Enable the International contracts lawyer to focus on more complex international negotiations and strategic legal matters.

Provide support on selected global projects and cross-border contractual matters.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS - REQUIRED

Law degree (LLB or equivalent).

Admission to practice law in recognized jurisdictions, in particular in the Middle East and Africa.

Experience

5-8 years of post-qualification legal experience.

Strong experience in commercial contract drafting and negotiation.

Experience in Pretrochemical Industry or Oil & Gas Industry.

Experience within an industrial, engineering, energy, technology, manufacturing, or infrastructure environment is highly desirable.

Experience working in-house or in a combination of law firm and corporate legal environments.

Technical Skills

Commercial contract negotiation.

Corporate governance and company secretarial matters.

Legal risk assessment.

Compliance and regulatory knowledge.

Stakeholder management.

Excellent legal drafting skills.

Languages

Fluent English (mandatory).

Arabic is an advantage.

French is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS - DESIRED BUT NOT ESSENTIAL

Other languages are a plus.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

Strong commercial acumen

Pragmatic problem-solving

Business partnership mindset

Influencing and negotiation skills

Ability to work independently

Excellent attention to detail

Risk assessment and decision-making capability

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

High ethical standards and integrity

Gutor is an equal opportunity employer and prohibit discrimination/harassment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.