Legal Consultant

Emirates Nature is a UAE environmental non-governmental charity, established in 2001 under the Honorary Founder and President H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan as a legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed’s vision for the United Arab Emirates. HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the Ruler’s representative in the Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) Board of Directors.

We operate with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah and are governed by a local board of directors.

Emirates Nature works in association with WWF, one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. Emirates Nature-WWF has been active in the UAE for two decades and is renowned for its commitment to biodiversity conservation, habitat protection, sustainable development, and community engagement. Some of our flagship projects include marine conservation initiatives to protect coral reefs and marine species, wildlife conservation programs focusing on endangered species such as Arabian oryx and sea turtles, habitat restoration projects in critical ecosystems, and sustainable development initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change impacts and promoting eco-friendly practices across various sectors.

It is our organizational objective to ensure a high performing workforce within our offices with highly efficient, skilled members all of whom will be unilaterally focused on supporting and delivering conservation activities to our stakeholders within the UAE.

The organization is seeking a short-term legal consultant with 5-7 years of UAE legal experience in corporate law and KYC processes. The consultant will develop a Legal Delegation of Authority framework aligned with UAE laws and policies; assist in creating the Legal Strategy 2025; review and create agreement templates per Legal SOPs; conduct UAE legislation research and prepare presentations; oversee KYC procedures and update tracking systems; and manage document storage and sharing according to SOPs.

The ideal candidate has strong analytical and communication skills in English and Arabic, advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, a bachelor’s degree in civil law (master's is advantageous), and demonstrates high professionalism, ethical standards, attention to detail, and adaptability.

1. Legal Strategy 2025:
   • Deliverables:
     • Develop and produce the organization's Legal Strategy for 2025 in alignment with the Operations Unit Strategy and UAE regulatory requirements.
     • The strategic plan document should detail the legal objectives, initiatives, timelines, and required resources.
     • Create a risk assessment identifying potential legal risks and proposed mitigation strategies.
     • Prepare presentation materials for executive briefings on the Legal Strategy 2025.
     • Create a comprehensive Legal Delegation of Authority (DOA) template that includes key agreement provisions and incorporates approval thresholds based on the value of agreements, specifying when higher-level approvals (e.g., DG, COO, CMO, Head, Manager) are required.
2. Review of Agreements and Template Creation:
   • Deliverables:
     • Analyze and provide quality reviews to ensure compliance and efficiency with legal standards and organizational policies, and include recommended revisions, when required.
     • Develop standardized agreement templates tailored to the organization's needs, when required.
     • Establish and document processes to ensure future agreements are in adherence to Legal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
3. UAE Legislation Research and Presentation Preparation:
   • Deliverables:
     • Conduct thorough research on UAE legislation, including laws, regulations, circulars, judgments, and resolutions.
     • Prepare a detailed presentation on the hierarchy and application of UAE legal instruments.
     • Compile a comprehensive research report with annotated references.
     • Design a professionally formatted presentation summarizing key findings.
     • Develop supplementary materials for internal training or reference purposes.
4. Lead and Handle Know Your Customer (KYC) Processes:
   • Deliverables:
     • Oversee and strengthen Legal KYC procedures to ensure full compliance with internal policies such as the organization’s Donation & Fundraising Policy and the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development's inspection sheets, and UAE regulations.
     • Update and implement the Legal KYC tracking system using platforms like Monday.com, Excel, and email where applicable.
     • Develop a KYC Policy and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
     • Create KYC compliance checklists and verification forms reflecting the new requirements.
     • Provide regular updates and reports on KYC activities and compliance status.
5. Document Management and Sharing:
   • Deliverables:
     • Organize and store legal agreements for efficient retrieval in accordance with Legal Agreements SOPs accessible to authorized personnel.
6. Communication and Reporting:
   • Deliverables:
     • Weekly Meeting Agendas: Prepare and share agendas before each meeting to outline discussion points.
     • Weekly Progress Reports: Summarize activities completed, ongoing tasks, and any issues requiring attention.
     • Meeting Minutes: Document key discussions, decisions, and action items from each meeting, and distribute to relevant internal stakeholders.

• Bachelor’s degree in civil law from a UAE-accredited university.
• Master’s degree in civil law (LLM) or related field is advantageous.

1. Language Proficiency:
   • Fluency in English and Arabic (both written and spoken).
2. Professional Experience:
   • Minimum of 5-7 years of legal experience in the UAE.
   • Demonstrated expertise in corporate law, contract management, and legal strategy development.
   • Experience with Legal KYC processes.
3. Knowledge and Expertise:
   • In-depth understanding of UAE legal systems, including federal and local laws.
   • Proficiency in legal research and analysis.
   • Familiarity with developing and implementing legal policies and procedures.
4. Skills:
   • Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
   • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Arabic.
   • Ability to interpret UAE legislation and convey it clearly.
   • Proficient in drafting and reviewing legal documents.
5. Personal Attributes:
   • High level of professionalism and ethical standards.
   • Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
   • Ability to work independently and collaboratively within the organization.
   • Adaptable to changing priorities and deadlines.
6. Tools Proficiency:
   • Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word (document drafting and formatting).
   • Proficient in PowerPoint (creating in-depth and brief presentations).
   • Knowledge of internal KYC tracking tools (e.g., Monday.com, Excel).

Emirates Nature-WWF Focus: Acts as a member of Emirates Nature-WWF, placing higher priority on Emirates Nature-WWF goals than own goals and anticipating the effects of own area’s actions on others to ensure holistic Emirates Nature-WWF outcomes.

External Orientation: Looks outwards ensuring WWF stays relevant, continues to anticipate and adapt to external environmental and global trends.

Delivering Quality Outcomes: Establishes stretch goals, plans, using best judgment and takes responsibility for planning to and delivering on outcomes.

Building Working Relationships: Builds collaborative relationships through the understanding and development of other’s and own ideas.

Communicating Effectively: Uses appropriate means of communication to convey messages, seeks input from others and ensures understanding.

Leading Teams: Develops direction and shared purpose, builds a team through coaching to ensure the accomplishment of goals and high-level team performance.

Leading Change: Encourages and seeks out innovative solutions and brings people on a journey constructively and empathetically.

Managing Resources: Makes the right judgments based on financial and resource availability.

Establishing Strategic Direction: Generates options to achieve long-range goals, selects the best strategies for success, and delivers on strategic goals.

Building Organizational Capability: Diagnoses individual and team capability and development needs and champions talent management.

• Internal: Works with all units within the organization.
• External: Works with local government agencies, regulators, private and public sector partners.

Emirates Nature-WWF is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome diversity in the workplace and offer a flexible and diverse place of employment.

Emirates Nature-WWF staff participate wholeheartedly in general activities and events that require the full support and participation of all staff members, whether the focus of any particular event or activity has any bearing on the job description and assigned project objectives and activities.

Please send your application consisting of a cover letter explaining why you are the right candidate to work with EN-WWF and your CV with the subject ‘Application for Legal Consultant’ to the attention of Ms. Magdalena Tayoun at [email protected] before 30th November 2024.

Emirates Nature-WWF reserves the right to appoint a candidate prior to this date.