Senior Vice President - Legal Counsel

Job Purpose

Strategic Transactions & Deal Execution

• Lead legal structuring and execution of joint ventures, partnerships and strategic investments across Aldar's real estate portfolio, including hotels, schools, retail malls and office assets.
• Drive negotiation of high-value, non-standard and complex strategic legal agreements, ensuring efficient execution and alignment with Aldar's commercial objectives.
• Provide legal leadership on complex deal structures and transaction strategies, advising on optimal structuring to maximise value and manage exposure.
• Ensure effective legal positioning in multi-party, cross-border and cross-functional transactions.
• Support execution of strategic business growth initiatives, including large-scale acquisitions, divestments and group-level structuring projects.
• Oversee documentation for leasing transactions across Aldar's diversified portfolio, including tenant management, renewals and enforcement.
• Review, negotiate and lead on property management agreements, facilities management contracts, licences and service agreements.
• Apply specialist knowledge of hotel and school management agreements and franchise agreements to advise on complex sector-specific transactions.

Legal Advisory & Risk Management

• Provide authoritative, commercially oriented legal advice on high-complexity and business-critical matters across the Development business.
• Lead identification and mitigation of legal risks in strategic matters, ensuring appropriate contractual protections and deal safeguards are embedded in all transactions.
• Support business teams in structuring innovative and non-standard solutions, balancing risk management with commercial growth objectives.
• Guide the business on legal compliance, applicable regulatory frameworks and internal governance requirements.
• Oversee legal input into risk and commercial decision-making, including escalated and contentious matters.
• Support development of legal standards and best-practice frameworks for complex transactions within the Development business.

Stakeholder Engagement & External Management

• Engage directly with senior leadership and key stakeholders (including Commercial, Finance, Treasury, Tax and Strategy) coordinating legal inputs across transactions.
• Lead interactions with strategic partners, investors and counterparties, representing Aldar's legal position in high-level negotiations.
• Appoint and manage external law firms, provide clear legal instructions and manage associated spend within budget.

Team & Process

• Allocate work across the team and mentor members on structuring, negotiation and deal execution, building internal expertise.
• Propose and drive continuous improvement in transaction execution processes, legal templates and tools.
• Maintain current knowledge of relevant legal developments in the UAE and key international jurisdictions applicable to Aldar's activities.

Qualifications & Skills

• 12-15 years of related experience ideally gained in international law firm and/or large in-house environment.
• Min of 4+ Years of managerial position preferred.
• Experience in transactional real estate matters and development management.
• Expert-level knowledge of UAE legal systems and regulatory frameworks, including onshore and ADGM jurisdictions, with familiarity across relevant international frameworks.
• Exceptional drafting skills with the ability to review and approve complex, high-value legal documentation to the highest standard.
• Strong strategic thinking and the ability to structure innovative legal solutions for non-standard and complex transactions.
• Proven ability to lead and influence senior internal and external stakeholders, including C-suite, investors and strategic partners.
• Excellent negotiation skills with a demonstrated track record of leading high-value, multi-party negotiations to successful conclusion.
• Exceptional communication skills, including the ability to present complex legal matters clearly and concisely to executive leadership and board-level audiences.
• Law Degree, Bachelors or Post Graduate Diploma in Law

• Common Law Qualified