Key Accountabilities:
Company Secreterial
• Co-ordinate preparation of agenda and other documents for quarterly Board and Board Committee meetings
• Attending all board and committee meetings to provide guidance and advice on Saudi law and governance procedures to the members and to take accurate minutes
• Communicate to the CEO the board resolutions and to set a tracking systems for all pending items.
• Addressing and ensuring that all annual regulatory requirements including general meetings are met and held within the required timeframe.
• Maintain and keep corporate documentations and to ensure updated licences and related regulatory documents in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.
• Administer and provide advice of the DOA and TORs of the board and board committees and to communicate it with the relevant stakeholders.
• Administer the shareholders (JV) and subsidiaries documentations and regulatory requirements
Legal Department
• Setup the legal department function at Maarif in coordination with the GEMS legal team based on capacity, expansions and other related considerations.
• Set out the framework between the department and stakeholders (management, schools, JV, and other stakeholders).
Litigation
• Set out the framework for litigation (internal and external) based on clear criteria.
• Pre-disputes: provide the business with pre-litigation advice (on mostly Saudi court litigation) and strategy, in consultation with the GEMS General Counsel/ SVP Legal (Dubai based team)
Corporate/commercial transactions
•Standardize contracts based on business need and recurrent activities.
•Support the business on commercial contracts
•Assist GEMS General Counsel/ SVP Legal (UAE) on Saudi corporate M&A and joint ventures including drafting Term Sheets, coordinating due diligence exercises, instructing and managing external counsel and providing advice and summaries to internal business teams
Real Estate and construction
•Review and negotiate leases (initially under the supervision of more senior team members based in Dubai).
•Advise on construction contracts for new school projects and co-ordinating advice from external counsel on such projects
•Carrying out legal and ensuring that the business teams carry out legal
Expected Qualifications:
•Law degree and legal qualification.
Expected Experience:
•No less than 10 years Post qualification (with at least 3 in KSA)
•Must have experience as a board secretary
Job-Specific Knowledge & Skills:
•Must have at least 3 years experience on the ground in Saudi Arabia
•Some experience of managing local court (Saudi) litigation required
•Experience of drafting and negotiating commercial contracts (in both English and Arabic)
•Some M&A and joint venture experience preferred but not essential