Senior Legal Counsel

About the job

ADNOC Trading Limited ("AT") is seeking an ambitious, motivated,
Senior Legal Counsel
to join its Legal team in Abu Dhabi.

This is a unique opportunity to join a new and fast-growing international energy trading company, and to be part of its long-term future success.

ADNOC Trading Limited

Incorporated in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, Abu Dhabi's international financial centre, AT commenced commercial operations in December 2020 and currently trades crude oil, LNG and emissions. It has plans to expand the range of products its trades over time as well as extending its geographical expansion by opening offices overseas.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior Legal Counsel is responsible for supporting the General Counsel to provide legal advice and services to ADNOC Trading ("AT") and, to the extent relevant, its affiliates on existing operations and new projects or transactions, including on international commodity dealings (. This role involves (but is not limited to) offering professional legal consultation and advice to AT on internal compliance policies, procedures and standards, contractual commodity matters, including review of and updating existing general terms and conditions for supply and shipping contracts, drafting new general terms and conditions, amending existing general terms and conditions, negotiating and interpreting supply and shipping contracts, drafting and negotiating various forms of financing documentation, responding to internal and counterparty queries, amending and negotiating other miscellaneous forms of agreements and documents and providing advice generally on safeguarding AT's interests.

Key Accountabilities – Job Specific

• Provide legal counsel and advice on operational, commercial, corporate, and transactional matters related to AT's supply, trading, and financing activities.
• Draft, review, interpret, and amend legal documents including agreements, letters, memos, submissions, and other business-related documentation.
• Assist the General Counsel in supervising junior lawyers and ensuring quality of legal work.
• Review and advise on claims connected to AT's business activities, including interpretation of signed contracts and applicable legislation.
• Consult with the General Counsel on major issues impacting AT's projects, transactions, and operations.
• Support development and implementation of legal practices and strategies for AT.
• Attend internal AT committees to advise on legal risks and ensure compliance with laws and regulations.
• Mentor and support development of junior Emirati lawyers; coordinate training and development initiatives with other departments.
• Manage external legal counsel services, including reviewing work products, preparing RFPs, and issuing instructions.
• Coordinate with Corporate Governance and Compliance departments on governance and compliance matters.
• Liaise with ADNOC's other legal departments on corporate and commercial affairs.
• Assist in recruitment for AT's legal team, including candidate screening, vetting, and interviewing.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the General Counsel.

Generic Accountabilities

• Supervision:
  Plan, supervise, and coordinate activities of junior lawyers in collaboration with the General Counsel; train and develop junior lawyers to enhance skills and deliver objectives.
• Budgets:
  Provide input for preparation of AT's legal budgets; assist in implementing approved budgets and work plans; monitor and highlight variances for cost control.
• Policies & Procedures:
  Assist in implementing approved policies, processes, systems, and standards to ensure compliance with company and international standards.
• Performance Management:
  Contribute to achieving approved performance objectives in line with the company's performance framework.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement:
  Design and implement tools and techniques to improve operational efficiency; identify process improvements against best practices and ISO standards to deliver intelligent solutions.

Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge & Skills

• Minimum Qualification:
  Bachelor's Degree in Law from a reputable university.
• Minimum Experience:
  At least 8 years of transactional work experience in a reputable international law firm and/or in-house legal department, preferably within the oil and gas industry.
• Knowledge & Skills:
  Experience in shipping, maritime, international trade, and commodity trading.
• Excellent English language skills (written and spoken); fluency in Arabic is an advantage.
• Note: Post-qualification experience excludes trainee lawyer years prior to qualification.