Legal Counsel

The role will serve as a legal and commercial advisor to the business, providing strategic legal, contractual, and commercial support across CNS’s technology and IT services portfolio. This includes system integration, managed services, cybersecurity, cloud, digital infrastructure, software, professional services, and strategic technology engagements.

The Legal Counsel / Contract Manager will manage the end-to-end contract lifecycle, from tender and contract development through negotiation, execution, project delivery, variations, claims, renewals, and termination. The role will also provide practical legal advice to senior management and business functions, identify and mitigate contractual and legal risks, and ensure that CNS’s commercial interests are effectively protected. The ideal candidate will combine strong legal expertise, sound contract negotiation capabilities, and commercial acumen, with experience in a technology, IT services, system integration, telecommunications, or managed services environment.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Legal Advisory & Counsel

• Provide legal advice to management and business functions on commercial, contractual, corporate, and regulatory matters.
• Advise on the legal and commercial implications of customer, vendor, partner, subcontractor, and strategic business agreements.
• Provide legal guidance throughout tendering, RFPs, bids, negotiations, contract execution, and project delivery.
• Review and advise on matters relating to liability, indemnities, intellectual property, confidentiality, data protection, warranties, termination, dispute resolution, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify and proactively manage legal risks associated with business activities, projects, partnerships, and new services.
• Support the business in managing contractual disputes, claims, notices, breaches, and potential litigation matters.
• Coordinate with and manage external legal counsel where specialist advice is required.
• Ensure contractual arrangements and business practices comply with applicable UAE laws, regulations, and internal policies.

Contract Management & Negotiation

• Manage the end-to-end contract lifecycle for key customer, vendor, partner, and subcontractor agreements.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex MSAs, SOWs, SLAs, NDAs, framework agreements, service agreements, subcontract agreements, partnership agreements, and other commercial contracts.
• Lead negotiations for contracts relating to system integration, managed services, cybersecurity, cloud, software, digital infrastructure, IT outsourcing, and professional services.
• Establish appropriate contractual positions and negotiate key commercial and legal terms to protect CNS’s interests.
• Proactively monitor contractual rights, obligations, deliverables, milestones, payment terms, liabilities, warranties, SLAs, penalties, and other commitments.
• Advise project and commercial teams on contract interpretation, variations, change requests, claims, extensions, renewals, and termination.
• Support the development and implementation of contract management policies, processes, templates, approval frameworks, and governance mechanisms.

Commercial & Business Support

• Partner closely with Sales, Presales, Delivery, Project Management, Procurement, Finance, Compliance, Information Security, and senior leadership.
• Provide legal and commercial support for government and public-sector tenders and strategic technology engagements.
• Assess contractual risks during the sales and bidding process and recommend appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Support commercial teams in achieving business objectives while maintaining an appropriate legal and risk position.
• Escalate significant contractual, legal, and commercial risks to senior management with clear recommendations.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Law, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Master’s degree or relevant professional legal/contract management qualification is an advantage.

Experience :

• 5-7 years in contracts or legal/commercial roles
• Strong experience in commercial contract drafting, negotiation, contract lifecycle management, and legal advisory.
• Proven experience within a system integrator, IT services company, technology provider, telecommunications company, managed services provider, or similar environment.
• Strong understanding of technology and IT services contracts, including managed services, system integration, cloud, cybersecurity, software, infrastructure, and professional services.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex and high-value commercial contracts.
• Strong knowledge of claims, variations, disputes, liability, indemnities, warranties, SLAs, penalties, termination, and contractual remedies.
• Good understanding of UAE commercial and contractual laws and business practices.
• Experience with government/public-sector contracts and tenders is highly desirable.
• Excellent negotiation, drafting, analytical, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to operate confidently with senior executives and business leadership.
• Strong commercial awareness and ability to balance legal risk with business objectives.

Skills & Abilities

• Expert in legal drafting, contract negotiation, and redlining.
• Strong understanding of IT/software/SaaS and professional services contracting.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a stakeholder-first mindset.
• Proficient in contracting lifecycle tools (e.g., SAP Ariba, Coupa, DocuSign CLM).
• Detail-oriented, analytical, and able to work under pressure on multiple priorities.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with legal, procurement, sales, and technical teams.

Compliance with policies and procedures based on the ISO standards adopted by CNS.