Legal & Contract Manager MEA

Harmattan Ai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
On-site

Who this role is best for

Strong fit for commercially minded lawyers with defense or regulated tech experience who thrive in close collaboration with business teams in the UAE.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with experience in defense, AI, or regulated technology sectors and a track record in complex commercial contracts
    — “Strong track record drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts”
  • Legal professionals who enjoy working closely with business teams and have a strategic mindset for scalable processes
    — “This is a broad in-house role for a lawyer who enjoys working close to the business”
  • Individuals with native-level Arabic and the ability to coordinate local counsel in Arabic-speaking markets
    — “Native-level Arabic and fluent professional English”

Things to consider

  • Security clearance eligibility is a mandatory requirement for this role
    — “Eligible to obtain and maintain any security clearance or authorization required for the role”
  • The role is focused on expansion in Arabic-speaking markets, requiring localized expertise and coordination
    — “Act as principal legal advisor for expansion across Arabic-speaking markets”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience in defense contracts and AI-related legal challenges in your resume and interviews
    — “Advise on legal and regulatory issues around autonomous and AI-enabled defence systems”
  • Emphasize your ability to build scalable legal processes and templates for business expansion
    — “Help build the legal processes and templates that let the business scale”
  • Demonstrate your capability to manage external counsel and control legal spend effectively
    — “Coordinate external local counsel and manage legal spend”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • drafted and negotiated complex commercial contracts
  • supported entity governance and board documentation
Typical background
qualified attorney or in-house legal counsel with experience in tech or defense environment

Skills & requirements

Required

Commercial LawDefense ProcurementContract NegotiationLegal ComplianceDispute Resolution

Preferred

AI RegulationExport ControlTrade Compliance

Stack & domain

ArabicEnglishDrafting And Negotiating AgreementsContract And Corporate LawExport ControlTrade ComplianceDispute ManagementCommercial MindsetNegotiation SkillsLegal AdvisoryRisk AssessmentLegalDefenseTechnology

About the role

Original posting from Harmattan Ai via Ashby

ABOUT US

Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.

Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We're looking for a commercially minded Legal Counsel to join our legal team in Abu Dhabi. Reporting to the General Counsel, you'll be a hands-on legal business partner to Sales and teams across the company, with a particular focus on Arabic-speaking markets. This is a broad in-house role for a lawyer who enjoys working close to the business and is motivated by Harmattan AI's mission.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Commercial & Procurement

  • Draft, review and negotiate customer, partnership, supply and procurement agreements, including defence-procurement documentation among others
  • Support complex negotiations with defence ministries, armed forces, public-sector bodies and industrial partners
  • Build scalable contracting standards, playbooks and approval processes

Defence, AI & Regulated Technology

  • Advise on legal and regulatory issues around autonomous and AI-enabled defence systems
  • Work with the General Counsel on export-control, sanctions and trade-compliance matters
  • Advise on AI, data, cybersecurity and IP issues as they affect the business

Corporate & Governance

  • Support entity governance, board documentation and statutory filings across Arabic-speaking markets
  • Support employment matters alongside the People team and external counsel
  • Manage disputes and pre-litigation matters with a focus on early risk assessment

Arabic-Speaking Markets

  • Act as principal legal advisor for expansion across Arabic-speaking markets
  • Coordinate external local counsel and manage legal spend
  • Help build the legal processes and templates that let the business scale

REQUIREMENTS

  • Qualified attorney or in-house legal counsel with ~5 years' relevant experience across a law firm and in-house/tech or defence environment
  • Native-level Arabic and fluent professional English;
  • Strong track record drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts
  • Solid grounding in contract and corporate law
  • Genuine interest in defence, dual-use tech, AI or other regulated sectors
  • Comfortable with senior stakeholders and fast-moving, high-stakes work
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain any security clearance or authorization required for the role, subject to applicable law.
  • LL.M. from a US or UK institution, or exposure to defence/public-procurement/export-control matters, is a plus.

We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.

Source: Harmattan Ai careers (Ashby)

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