Job Overview
The Group Head of Legal will lead the legal function across the group, ensuring full legal compliance while protecting the company’s commercial, contractual, regulatory, and strategic interests. The role provides expert legal advice to the board, group CEO, and senior management and oversees all legal matters across subsidiaries. Key areas include corporate governance, contracting, compliance, litigation, regulatory affairs, risk management, and legal support for business operations and transactions. The role acts as the central legal authority, ensuring consistency and control of all legal activities across the group.
Key Responsibilities
Legal Leadership & Advisory:
- Provide strategic legal advice to the Board, CEO, and senior management on legal risks and opportunities
- Lead the group legal function and act as the primary legal contact across all entities
- Support business decisions with practical, commercially sound legal guidance
- Identify, assess, and mitigate legal risks across the group
- Advise on corporate, commercial, employment, regulatory, property, and litigation matters
- Lead drafting, review, negotiation, and approval of all key contracts
- Develop and maintain a group-wide contract management framework, including templates, approvals, and controls
- Manage contracts with customers, suppliers, contractors, partners, and government entities
- Ensure contracts are legally sound, commercially aligned, and enforceable
- Monitor key obligations, renewals, risks, and liabilities across all agreements
- Standardize all legal documentation including NDAs, MOUs, service agreements, leases, and employment-related contracts
- Ensure compliance with corporate governance standards and company laws
- Oversee board and shareholder resolutions, statutory documents, and company filings
- Support restructuring, M&A, licensing, and subsidiary governance matters
- Maintain proper delegation of authority and approval structures
- Monitor and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations
- Develop and update internal legal and compliance policies
- Advise management on regulatory risks and required actions
- Coordinate with regulators, government bodies, and external advisors
- Manage disputes, claims, litigation, and arbitration involving the group
- Coordinate with external counsel on legal proceedings
- Provide risk assessments and settlement recommendations
- Ensure timely reporting and tracking of all legal cases
- Identify and manage legal risks across business activities
- Conduct legal review of major projects, investments, and transactions
- Support internal controls related to contracts, compliance, and approvals
- Work closely with internal departments to minimize legal exposure
- Select and manage external law firms and consultants
- Control legal budgets and ensure cost-effective legal support
- Ensure quality and timely delivery of external legal services
- Advise HR on employment law, contracts, disputes, and terminations
- Support HR policies, employee relations, and disciplinary matters
- Ensure compliance with labour regulations and internal policies
- Support M&A, joint ventures, financing, procurement, and strategic projects
- Conduct legal due diligence and review transaction documents
- Ensure all approvals, licences, and legal protections are in place
- Maintain a centralized legal documentation system
- Ensure proper tracking of contracts, licences, and statutory records
- Monitor expiries, renewals, and legal deadlines
Key Deliverables
- Group-wide legal framework and governance structure
- Standardized contract system and legal templates
- Reduced legal and contractual risk exposure
- Timely legal guidance to management and business units
- Effective dispute and external counsel management
- Strong compliance across all group entities
- Accurate and structured legal reporting
Key Relationships
- Internal: Board of Directors, CEO, Executive Management, Finance, HR, Procurement, Operations, Business Units, internal audit, and Subsidiaries
- External: Law firms, regulators, government bodies, banks, suppliers, customers, contractors, courts, and arbitration bodies
Qualifications and Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Law (required)
- Master’s degree in Law or related field (preferred)
- Bar admission or legal licence (preferred)
- 10–15 years of legal experience in a group or multinational environment
- Minimum 5 years in a senior legal leadership role
- Strong experience in corporate, commercial, contract, employment, and regulatory law
- Experience in contract negotiation and contract management
- Experience advising senior leadership and boards
- Experience managing external counsel and legal budgets
- Strong leadership, communication, and negotiation skills
- High integrity, confidentiality, and strong analytical ability
- Fluency in English, Kurdish, and Arabic required
- Willingness to travel when required
*Only applicants meeting the strict criteria outlined above will be contacted as part of the shortlisting process.