Legal Counsel - Retail Compliance
Posted date [2026-06-10]
(ID: 46482)
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In our quest to create ‘great moments for everyone, everyday’, Majid Al Futtaim has enabled happiness in the lives of people from around the world. Find out more about who we are. |
Job Description and Requirements
Legal Counsel - Retail ComplianceJob Snapshot
Role: Legal Counsel - Retail Compliance
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry: Retail
Function: Legal
Experience: 3-5 years
Job Type: Full-time
Job Details
Country: United Arab Emirates
City: Dubai
Industry: Retail
Function: Legal
Salary: 25000-35000 monthly (Market estimated)
Gender: Any
Candidate Nationality: Emirati
Job Type: Full-time
Position Overview
Legal Counsel - Retail Compliance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a specialized Retail legal role focused on commercial contracts, franchise agreements, dispute management, regulatory advisory, intellectual property matters, and data privacy compliance for Majid Al Futtaim Lifestyle. The role is suited for an Emirati legal professional with strong bilingual communication skills, in-house legal exposure, and practical knowledge of GCC data protection regulations.
Role Context
The Legal Counsel will provide end-to-end legal support across business functions, helping the organization manage contractual risk, strengthen governance, protect commercial interests, and maintain compliance with applicable laws. The position
requires close collaboration with business units, external counsel, franchise partners, compliance teams, and internal stakeholders to support commercial growth while ensuring sound legal controls and responsible data privacy practices.
Key Responsibilities
* Review, draft, and negotiate heads of terms, franchise agreements, commercial contracts, service agreements, consultancy contracts, supply agreements, sponsorship contracts, and lease-related documents.
* Ensure contracts support business objectives while protecting company interests, reducing legal exposure, and aligning with internal governance standards.
* Provide legal advisory support to business units on commercial, regulatory, franchise, labor, consumer protection, competition, intellectual property, and operational matters.
* Manage disputes, litigation, claims, and legal notices in coordination with external counsel and internal stakeholders.
* Monitor legal and regulatory developments across the UAE, GCC, and relevant international markets, advising management on business impact and compliance requirements.
* Lead data privacy compliance activities, including policy implementation, privacy risk reviews, breach management, and internal awareness initiatives.
* Support compliance with GDPR, UAE PDPL, KSA PDPL, and other applicable regional data protection laws.
* Strengthen governance frameworks by supporting audits, investigations, compliance reviews, documentation controls, and regulatory requests.
* Work with business teams and franchisees to improve legal awareness, contract discipline, privacy compliance, and risk management practices.
* Conduct training sessions and provide practical guidance to internal teams on legal, regulatory, and data privacy topics.
* Coordinate with external legal advisors, consultants, regulators, and business partners when required.
* Maintain accurate legal records, contract files, compliance documentation, dispute updates, and advisory notes.
Ideal Profile
* Bachelor of Law or LLB from a recognized university.
* 3-5 years of experience as a Legal Counsel or in a similar legal advisory role.
* Previous in-house legal experience is preferred.
* Retail, lifestyle, franchise, or consumer business experience is an advantage.
* Emirati talent profile with strong understanding of UAE business and legal environment.
* Strong knowledge of commercial contracts, franchise agreements, regulatory compliance, data privacy, and corporate governance.
* Practical understanding of global and regional data privacy laws, including GDPR, UAE PDPL, and KSA PDPL.
* Minimum 1 year of hands-on experience in privacy compliance or a closely related field.
* Privacy certifications such as CIPM or CIPP-E are an advantage.
* Familiarity with privacy and data protection tools such as OneTrust, Securiti.AI, DLP solutions, encryption, and anonymization technologies.
* Strong drafting, negotiation, analytical, and stakeholder management skills.
* Fluency in Arabic and English is mandatory.
* Ability to manage multiple priorities, provide practical legal advice, and work confidently with senior stakeholders.
Skills Set
* Legal counsel
* Commercial contracts
* Franchise agreements
* Retail legal advisory
* Contract negotiation
* Contract drafting
* Data privacy compliance
* GDPR
* UAE PDPL
* KSA PDPL
* Dispute management
* Litigation coordination
* Regulatory advisory
* Intellectual property
* Corporate governance
* Legal risk management
* Compliance audits
* Privacy breach management
* OneTrust
* Securiti.AI
* DLP
* Encryption
* Anonymization
* Arabic communication
* English communication
* Stakeholder management
Why Join Us
This opportunity is ideal for an Emirati Legal Counsel seeking a meaningful role with a leading lifestyle and retail organization in Dubai. The position offers exposure to commercial legal work, franchise operations, regional compliance, data privacy governance, and cross-functional business advisory within a well-established corporate environment. It provides a strong platform for a bilingual legal professional to build specialized experience in retail legal services, privacy compliance, and business-focused legal risk management.
About the Company
Majid Al Futtaim is a leading regional business group known for developing and operating retail, lifestyle, shopping mall, leisure, entertainment, and hospitality experiences across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Through its lifestyle division, the company manages well-known brands and customer-focused retail concepts, supported by strong governance, commercial excellence, innovation, and a commitment to creating outstanding experiences for communities and customers across the UAE and wider region.
Key Responsibilities
* Review, draft, and negotiate heads of terms, franchise agreements, commercial contracts, service agreements, consultancy contracts, supply agreements, sponsorship contracts, and lease-related documents.
* Ensure contracts support business objectives while protecting company interests, reducing legal exposure, and aligning with internal governance standards.
* Provide legal advisory support to business units on commercial, regulatory, franchise, labor, consumer protection, competition, intellectual property, and operational matters.
* Manage disputes, litigation, claims, and legal notices in coordination with external counsel and internal stakeholders.
* Monitor legal and regulatory developments across the UAE, GCC, and relevant international markets, advising management on business impact and compliance requirements.
* Lead data privacy compliance activities, including policy implementation, privacy risk reviews, breach management, and internal awareness initiatives.
* Support compliance with GDPR, UAE PDPL, KSA PDPL, and other applicable regional data protection laws.
* Strengthen governance frameworks by supporting audits, investigations, compliance reviews, documentation controls, and regulatory requests.
* Work with business teams and franchisees to improve legal awareness, contract discipline, privacy compliance, and risk management practices.
* Conduct training sessions and provide practical guidance to internal teams on legal, regulatory, and data privacy topics.
* Coordinate with external legal advisors, consultants, regulators, and business partners when required.
* Maintain accurate legal records, contract files, compliance documentation, dispute updates, and advisory notes.
Ideal Profile
* Bachelor of Law or LLB from a recognized university.
* 3-5 years of experience as a Legal Counsel or in a similar legal advisory role.
* Previous in-house legal experience is preferred.
* Retail, lifestyle, franchise, or consumer business experience is an advantage.
* Emirati talent profile with strong understanding of UAE business and legal environment.
* Strong knowledge of commercial contracts, franchise agreements, regulatory compliance, data privacy, and corporate governance.
* Practical understanding of global and regional data privacy laws, including GDPR, UAE PDPL, and KSA PDPL.
* Minimum 1 year of hands-on experience in privacy compliance or a closely related field.
* Privacy certifications such as CIPM or CIPP-E are an advantage.
* Familiarity with privacy and data protection tools such as OneTrust, Securiti.AI, DLP solutions, encryption, and anonymization technologies.
* Strong drafting, negotiation, analytical, and stakeholder management skills.
* Fluency in Arabic and English is mandatory.
* Ability to manage multiple priorities, provide practical legal advice, and work confidently with senior stakeholders.
Skills Set
* Legal counsel
* Commercial contracts
* Franchise agreements
* Retail legal advisory
* Contract negotiation
* Contract drafting
* Data privacy compliance
* GDPR
* UAE PDPL
* KSA PDPL
* Dispute management
* Litigation coordination
* Regulatory advisory
* Intellectual property
* Corporate governance
* Legal risk management
* Compliance audits
* Privacy breach management
* OneTrust
* Securiti.AI
* DLP
* Encryption
* Anonymization
* Arabic communication
* English communication
* Stakeholder management
Why Join Us
This opportunity is ideal for an Emirati Legal Counsel seeking a meaningful role with a leading lifestyle and retail organization in Dubai. The position offers exposure to commercial legal work, franchise operations, regional compliance, data privacy governance, and cross-functional business advisory within a well-established corporate environment. It provides a strong platform for a bilingual legal professional to build specialized experience in retail legal services, privacy compliance, and business-focused legal risk management.
About the Company
Majid Al Futtaim is a leading regional business group known for developing and operating retail, lifestyle, shopping mall, leisure, entertainment, and hospitality experiences across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Through its lifestyle division, the company manages well-known brands and customer-focused retail concepts, supported by strong governance, commercial excellence, innovation, and a commitment to creating outstanding experiences for communities and customers across the UAE and wider region.
