Legal Counsel

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

In fast changing markets, customers worldwide rely on Thales. Thales is a business where brilliant people from all over the world come together to share ideas and inspire each other. In aerospace, transportation, defence, security and space, our architects design innovative solutions that make our tomorrow's possible.

For over 50 years, Thales has been a trusted partner of the United Arab Emirates, providing innovative and cutting-edge solutions in Defence, Aeropsace and Cyber & Digital, aligned with the nation’s long-term vision. With a strong local presence and more than 500 employees across three offices, Thales is deeply embedded within the UAE’s ecosystem. Thales Emarat Technologies plays a pivotal role as a key industrial enabler, fostering national sovereignty, self-reliance, and innovation. Through localization, strategic collaboration, and exporting ‘Made in the Emirates’ technologies to global markets, we contribute significantly to the UAE’s ambitious growth and development while helping build a future we call all trust.

Overview of the Job

Legal Counsel within the Legal Department of Thales AMEWA, Regional Hub covering the following regions: Africa, Middle East, Central and Western Asia (the “Regions”).

Operational Context

Thales international organization’s mission is to foster and manage growth of Thales presence in all the countries of these Regions for all Thales activities in the aerospace, space, defense and security domains.

The Job Holder will become a key player in the development and management of this regional business organization, implying close and cross-fertilizing relationships with many competences at senior levels, including Region Vice[1]Presidents, Country Directors, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Key Account Managers, Contract and Program Managers, Finance Directors, etc.

Regional business activities are driven by a dynamic demand characterized by a sharp competition and growing customers’ requirements in terms of quality, systems products and services sophistication, delivery time and prices, industrial cooperation and financing schemes. Customers, in the private and public sectors, are very diversified and include ministries, municipalities, bank and enterprise, oil and gas, airport, airlines, civil works domains, etc.

The Job Holder will be a key element in the implementation of the stringent ethics and compliance standards within Thales, and as such, will contribute to the evolution of its organization as well as of its way of working, in order to take into consideration the evolutions of its environment, new laws and regulations and the best ethical and governance practices.

Job Description

The Job Holder will be responsible for securing the legal aspects of commercial engineering services implemented for supporting export and domestic initiatives undertaken by the Thales Operational Units in the relevant Regions’ countries. With due reference to best practices and ethics rules, he/she will participate in the identification and selection of business advisers and industrial partners and be responsible for analyzing, implementing and updating due diligence files in close coordination with the Country Directors, relevant local functions and concerned Thales units. He/She will be responsible for drafting, negotiating, preparing and managing the contracts to be executed with said business advisers as well as for preparing partners due diligence analysis. The Job Holder will be as close as possible to operational functions and help in elaborating relevant contractual solutions and identifying contractual, legal and compliance stakes so that risks are detected, measured and mitigated. In compliance with Thales policy, the Job Holder will interface with external counsels for analysis and management of specific legal issues in the framework of complex contractual and/or legal arrangements or litigation procedures in the Regions.

The Job Holder will contribute to the implementation of the Thales ethics and compliance standards, and as such will participate notably to the deployment throughout the Regions of an ethics and compliance communication and training plan.

The Job Holder will assist the Legal & Contracts Director in addressing audit reviews (internal and external), corporate law, governance and compliance aspects for the Regional Hub.

Reporting Lines

The Job Holder will report directly to the Legal & Contracts Director of the Regional Hub.

Background

The Job Holder shall have a minimum of a Master's Degree (5 years – M2) in law. She/he shall have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience as in-house lawyer providing support to business in an international environment.

He/She shall have a good practice of international contracts and ethics and compliance issues. The interest for compliance matters is key for this position.

He/She shall have a perfect command of French and English languages, both spoken and written.

He/She shall be autonomous, meticulous, self-confident, teamwork capable and well organized

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