Senior Corporate Counsel

Overview

This role is responsible for legal and compliance matters across an international group. You will serve as a senior legal advisor across multiple jurisdictions, covering corporate and commercial matters, People and employment, governance, compliance, and cross-border legal matters.

A major focus of the position is owning and continuously developing the global compliance framework, including KYC/KYB, AML/CFT, sanctions, third-party compliance, ethics, and investigations. You will work closely with People, Finance, Operations, Product, IT, and other business functions to translate legal and regulatory requirements into practical solutions, policies, and controls.

Responsibilities

• Own and continuously develop the group’s compliance framework, including:
  • KYC/KYB
  • AML/CFT
  • sanctions
  • third-party due diligence
  • ethics and related policies and controls
• Oversee risk-based compliance decisions and investigations, and coordinate responses involving regulators, law enforcement, fraud, scams, and other high-risk matters.
• Monitor compliance risks, drive remediation, and report to RiskCo, ExCo, and relevant Boards, working closely with Product, IT, and other business functions.
• Oversee compliance vendors, tooling, and processes, and promote compliance awareness across the organization.
• Advise on corporate, commercial, and cross-border legal matters, including:
  • group structuring
  • entity management
  • governance
  • intercompany arrangements
  • transactions
  • international expansion
• Provide legal guidance across the group’s jurisdictions, including DIFC/UAE operations, and coordinate external counsel where local expertise is required.
• Support Board and shareholder matters and provide legal oversight of the group’s corporate and statutory obligations.
• Act as the primary legal advisor to People/HR across the full employment lifecycle, including employment and contractor models, employee relations, investigations, and terminations.
  • Advise on global workforce structures and cross-border employment to ensure contracts, policies, and practices reflect applicable local requirements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate vendor, customer, partner, and other commercial agreements, providing practical advice on contractual and commercial risk.
• Advise on data protection and privacy requirements across international operations.
  • Shape the global policy framework, translate legal requirements into practical controls, and proactively identify and mitigate material legal risks.

Requirements

• 8+ years of relevant legal experience.
• University degree in Law (LLB, JD or equivalent) and a professional legal qualification or admission to practise law in at least one recognized jurisdiction.
• Strong corporate, commercial, and employment law experience in an international and cross-border environment.
• Demonstrated experience advising People/HR and organizations operating through multiple legal entities and jurisdictions.
• Experience owning or operating compliance frameworks, with practical knowledge of:
  • KYC/KYB
  • AML/CFT
  • sanctions
  • third-party due diligence
• Strong commercial contracting, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Sound knowledge of data protection and privacy requirements relevant to international organizations.
• Sound legal judgment and the ability to translate complex requirements into practical, business-oriented solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with DIFC/UAE law and regulations.
• Experience in Defi / Crypto.
• Experience building or scaling compliance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience interacting with regulators, law enforcement, or external investigators.
• Experience with international corporate restructurings, investments, or M&A.
• ICA, ACAMS, CIPP or an equivalent compliance/privacy qualification.

Compensation & Benefits

No compensation or benefits information provided in the supplied job description.

Location

No location information provided in the supplied job description.