Legal Advisor Nationality Requirement: Saudi National
Department: Legal
Reporting To: Country Manager / Global Legal Function
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Mission
To act as the primary legal point of contact for the Company in Saudi Arabia, providing professional legal advice, managing contracts, litigation and disputes, and protecting the Company's legal interests.
The Legal Advisor is responsible for identifying and managing legal risks, ensuring that legal matters are handled in accordance with applicable Saudi laws and Company standards, and coordinating material legal matters with the Global Legal Function in Switzerland.
Key Responsibilities
1. Legal Advisory
- Provide legal advice to Management and business functions on matters arising from the Company's operations in Saudi Arabia.
- Interpret applicable Saudi laws and regulations and assess their legal impact on the business.
- Provide practical and commercially appropriate legal recommendations.
- Review business matters from a legal risk perspective and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
- Support Management in evaluating the legal implications of business decisions.
- Prepare legal opinions and advice when required.
2. Contracts & Commercial Agreements
- Draft, review, revise, and negotiate commercial agreements and legal documents.
- Review contractual terms and identify legal risks, liabilities, obligations, and potential exposures.
- Support negotiations with suppliers, service providers, landlords, business partners, and other third parties.
- Ensure contracts comply with applicable Saudi laws and Company legal standards.
- Maintain approved legal templates and contractual documentation.
- Coordinate contracts requiring Group Legal review or approval with the Global Legal Function.
3. Litigation, Disputes & Claims
- Represent the Company before Saudi courts and relevant judicial committees when required and legally authorized.
- Manage litigation cases, legal claims, disputes, and settlement matters.
- Prepare and review legal submissions, responses, pleadings, supporting documents, and case files.
- Develop appropriate litigation and dispute resolution strategies.
- Monitor hearings, deadlines, case developments, and required legal actions.
- Coordinate with external legal counsel where required.
- Advise Management on legal exposure, potential outcomes, and settlement options.
- Maintain complete and confidential litigation and dispute records.
4. Legal Compliance & Regulatory Advisory
- Monitor legal and regulatory developments relevant to the Company's business activities.
- Assess changes in Saudi legislation and advise Management on their potential impact.
- Review business practices, agreements, and activities where legal compliance assessment is required.
- Provide legal advice in connection with regulatory inquiries or matters when referred to Legal.
- Identify potential legal compliance risks and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
- Escalate material legal or regulatory risks to Management and the Global Legal Function.
5. Corporate Legal Support
- Provide legal support on corporate governance matters when required.
- Draft and review corporate resolutions, powers of attorney, authorizations, and other legal instruments.
- Review corporate documents from a legal perspective.
- Provide legal advice regarding corporate structure and governance requirements.
- Coordinate material corporate legal matters with the Global Legal Function.
6. Legal Risk Management
- Identify, assess, and monitor material legal risks affecting the Company.
- Maintain visibility over litigation, disputes, contractual exposures, and other significant legal matters.
- Recommend appropriate legal risk mitigation measures.
- Escalate significant legal exposures to Management and the Global Legal Function.
- Support development and maintenance of legal policies, templates, and controls.
- Maintain confidentiality and appropriate control over sensitive legal information.
7. Global Legal Coordination & Reporting
- Act as the local legal liaison with the Global Legal Function in Switzerland.
- Coordinate legal matters requiring Group review, guidance, or approval.
- Escalate material litigation, contractual, regulatory, and legal risk matters in accordance with Group requirements.
- Prepare periodic legal updates and reports for Management and Global Legal.
- Ensure local legal practices remain aligned with Group legal standards while complying with Saudi law.
Authority & Accountability
- Provide legal opinions, advice, and recommendations within the scope of the role.
- Draft, review, and negotiate legal agreements within delegated authority.
- Represent the Company before courts and judicial committees where legally authorized.
- Coordinate with external legal counsel subject to applicable Company approvals.
- Request relevant information and documentation necessary to assess legal matters.
- Escalate material legal risks and exposures to Management and Global Legal.
- Maintain strict confidentiality over legal matters and Company information.
- No authority to assume operational ownership of matters assigned to other business functions unless formally delegated.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Legal Advisory
- Legal Advice Response Time
- Legal Request Completion Rate
- Quality & Accuracy of Legal Advice
- Legal Matter Closure Rate
Contract Management
- Contract Review Turnaround Time
- Contract Review Completion Rate
- Contractual Risk Identification & Resolution
- Compliance with Legal Review Requirements
Litigation & Disputes
- Legal Deadline Compliance
- Litigation Case Management Timeliness
- Case Documentation Accuracy
- Dispute Resolution Effectiveness
Legal Risk & Compliance
- Legal Risk Mitigation Closure Rate
- Material Legal Compliance Incidents
- Regulatory Change Assessment Timeliness
- Legal Reporting Accuracy & Timeliness
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Law from a recognized university.
- Valid Saudi Ministry of Justice license to practice law.
- Saudi National.
- Minimum 5-7 years of relevant legal experience in Saudi Arabia.
- Strong experience in corporate and commercial law with litigation exposure.
- Strong knowledge of Saudi Companies Law, Civil Transactions Law, and other applicable commercial legislation.
- Experience drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial agreements.
- Proven experience in litigation, dispute resolution, and legal case management.
- Strong professional Arabic and English, written and spoken.
- Ability to work independently and take ownership of local legal matters.
- Experience within a multinational or corporate environment is preferred.
Core Competencies
Legal Competencies
- Saudi Corporate & Commercial Law
- Contract Drafting & Negotiation
- Litigation & Dispute Resolution
- Legal Research & Interpretation
- Regulatory Legal Analysis
- Legal Risk Assessment
Business Competencies
- Commercial Awareness
- Legal Judgment
- Negotiation
- Stakeholder Management
- Risk-Based Advisory
Behavioral Competencies
- Integrity
- Confidentiality
- Accountability
- Professional Judgment
- Analytical Thinking
- Attention to Detail
- Communication
- Independence & Ownership
Working Relationships
Internal
- Country Manager
- Global Legal Function – Switzerland
- Business and Support Functions
External
- Saudi Courts and Judicial Committees
- External Legal Counsel
- Contractual Counterparties
- Regulatory or Government Authorities, only in relation to assigned legal matters
- Other external parties relevant to legal cases or transactions
Key Challenges
- Acting as the primary local legal point of contact while coordinating with the Global Legal Function.
- Managing litigation, contracts, disputes, and legal risks simultaneously.
- Providing commercially practical legal advice while protecting the Company's interests.
- Responding to evolving Saudi legal and regulatory requirements.
- Maintaining independence, confidentiality, and sound legal judgment across sensitive matters.
