Head of Legal Saudi GCC Cluster (MENA)

About DHL Legal Services

DHL Legal Services provides solution-oriented legal advice to business partners globally, offering comprehensive support in areas such as contracts, negotiations, customer and supplier processes, general litigation, and commercial law. The Legal Services function operates within a matrix organization, structured by regional responsibilities and global cross-functional topics.

The Role of Head of Legal – Saudi GCC Cluster (MENA)

The Head of Legal for the Saudi GCC Cluster (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Yemen) is responsible for the overall management of the legal function, covering all legal aspects within the cluster. This full-time role, based in Dammam, involves liaising with various Business Units (BUs) to establish legal processes and procedures that ensure business objectives are met and key legal opportunities and risks are identified and managed. The Head of Legal supports and drives business strategy development through active participation in management meetings and projects, including contract drafting and negotiations. This position ideally forms part of any subregional management teams for the cluster.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior legal representative, accountable to senior country and regional management for all business units, advising on and managing legal and related risks across the Saudi cluster.
• Lead strategic planning and decision-making for the country/BUs to develop and implement a legal strategy aligned with organizational and regional objectives.
• Implement strategies, policies, and procedures provided by relevant Practice Group heads for each BU (DSC, E-comm, Express, and DGF).
• Evaluate activities, policies, practices, and transactions within each country and BU to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.
• Advise BU management teams on legal trends and developing areas of law applicable to their functional and geographic areas.
• Manage a team of legal professionals and support staff to provide comprehensive legal services to E-comm, DSC, DGF, and Express.
• Provide training and knowledge tools to educate the legal team and business members on key legal issues, trends, and developments.
• Establish legal strategies and procedures to ensure business objectives are met and legal risks are identified and mitigated.
• Assist business units in ensuring commercial contracts incorporate business objectives and terms designed to minimize risk and maximize commercial gain and customer service opportunities.
• Defend the organization's legal interests in litigation and claims within the area of responsibility, including managing external legal spend.
• Work closely with internal and external auditors and regulatory authorities on legal issues.
• Ensure quality control and transparency on internal and external legal costs and fees.
• Represent and defend the organization's interests in litigation and other adversarial legal proceedings.
• Participate in union negotiations (if applicable), antitrust investigations, and M&A activities.
• Provide input on tax litigation, compliance investigations, and data protection laws as requested.

Candidate Requirements

• University law degree and professional law qualifications.
• Over 20 years of legal practice, either within a commercial law firm or an in-house legal department.
• Awareness and understanding of business operations, including DHL's goals and strategies.
• Strong management skills with the ability to apply legal knowledge and expertise within a business environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills and budgeting/cost control capabilities.
• Familiarity with civil law traditions is an advantage given the regional context, where both Arabic and English are primary legal operating languages.

Work Environment

This role operates within a dynamic legal services framework that supports various DHL business units across the Saudi GCC Cluster. The legal environment requires proficiency in both Arabic and English. The successful candidate will be conversant with legal technology and its potential application in delivering legal services.

Application Process

Candidates meeting the specified qualifications are encouraged to apply for this leadership position within DHL Legal Services.