With over 11,000 employees, SYSTRA is one of the world’s leading engineering and consulting groups specialized in public transport and mobility solutions. In the Middle East Region and in Africa, Systra provides multi-disciplinary services ranging from consultancy and engineering for rail/urban transport and environment. We work with our clients to find innovative solutions to complex issues concerning the location and movement of people, goods and services. We have a long-standing reputation for the provision of high quality, robust and independent advice. We are dedicated to delivering excellence to our clients through our entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm whilst promoting a culture of listening, teamwork and employee empowerment. 

As SYSTRA continues to grow as a business in (i) the Middle East region and in (ii) Africa, we are looking for a

Regional Head of Legal MEA

The Regional Head of Legal will assist in providing commercial and legal advice related to matters for SYSTRA in the Middle East region (in particular UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt and KSA) & English-speaking Africa – (including Design & Build activities in such regions).

The Regional Head of Legal will report to the Head of Legal for Design and Build & International BU (based in HQ, Paris) and will liaise operationally directly with the Managing Directors of the MEA region.

She/he shall ensure that both legal support and policy are consistently and effectively deployed across the business, that contractual risks are under control and that SYSTRA’s operating needs are met. In addition, she/he will provide general legal support to all operational divisions and departments of the group according to SYSTRA Group needs and requirements. She/he will be required to think out of the box and strategically, using legal background and exercising strong practical judgement.

The Regional Head of Legal shall manage one legal adviser based in Riyadh, KSA. The Regional Head of Legal will be based in Dubai, UAE.

• Provide legal advice and analysis on the full range of issues (mainly contractual and litigation) arising in the Middle East & English-speaking Africa.
• Draft, evaluate and advise on a variety of contracts and agreements with respect to SYSTRA’s projects in the Middle East & English-speaking Africa. 
• Support in contractual negotiations with the clients so that business requirements are met.
• Create and maintain relationship with internal clients and operational teams, clients, consortium partners, subcontractors, as the case may be, and their legal advisors on a day-to-day basis to facilitate reporting to senior management.
• Maintain records for correspondence and documentation in relation to established Contracts and those in progress.
• Work closely with the contract management team for the zone covered to secure the close-out, extension or renewal of contracts to serve the best interests of SYSTRA.
• Be aware, understand and obtain thorough knowledge about the active projects and the tenders in preparation in the region(s) assigned.
• Challenge legal matters through risks identification and provide mitigation advice.
• Offer support and guidance to other members of the legal department.
• Engage with management to meet goals and ensure adherence to important corporate and regulatory policies through training.
• Manage the local corporate processes for entities based in the Middle East & English-speaking Africa, in coordination with other departments.
• Liaise with local insurance brokers for projects and tenders.
• Draft legal notices and lead the support towards management of disputed cases.
• Prepare, ensure respect of and apply Systra’s governance (including board of directors and shareholder meetings, company secretarial)/compliance rules, as per the Systra’s Group applicable rules.

Educational Background: LLM, LLB or PhD in Law

Admitted as a solicitor is a good advantage

Language Skill

• Fluent in English (written and spoken)
• Fluent in Arabic (written and spoken)
• Fluent in French (written and spoken - not mandatory)

Career Background

• Proven experience of negotiating and drafting contracts and transaction documents.
• Management experience
• Previous experience in procurement law.
• Previous experience in an international environment
• Extensive experience of minimum 10 years in the Middle East (Mostly KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE & Egypt)
• Ideally a prior in-house experience with an engineering and/or construction company preceded by law firm experience is preferred.
• Previous experience in either construction, transport or engineering sectors is favoured.
• Solid knowledge of FIDIC, PMC and EPC contracts is mandatory.
• Previous experience in corporate law is an advantage. (To conduct corporate tasks before the competent authorities, if needed)

Soft Skills 

• Ability to negotiate.
• Team player with strong commitment to actively work in alignment with other team members (Not only legal, but also operational and other supporting teams)
• Capacity to build and maintain strong links with the operational Level.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and work to deadlines and under pressure.
• Able to demonstrate strong analytical skills and excellent Judgment.
• Possesses high ethical standards.
• Excellent communications skills with the ability to influence positively internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to learn and understand new requirements under various systems of laws.
• Resilient and positive through change.
• Organized and have excellent attention to detail.
• Very high level of commitment to service delivery.

Systra is an equal opportunities company; this position is open to all applicants.