Legal Counsel / Contract Manager

About the role

CNS, a technology company founded in 1987 with offices in three countries and a focus on the Middle East market, is looking for a Legal Counsel / Contract Manager. The role acts as legal and commercial advisor to the business, supporting its technology and IT services portfolio (system integration, managed services, cybersecurity, cloud, digital infrastructure, software, professional services and strategic technology engagements). It manages the full contract lifecycle and advises senior management and business functions.

Key responsibilities

• Advise management and business functions on commercial, contractual, corporate and regulatory matters, including tenders, RFPs, bids, negotiations and contract execution.
• Identify and manage legal risks, support contractual disputes, claims and notices, and coordinate external legal counsel.
• Ensure compliance with UAE laws, regulations and internal policies.
• Draft, review and negotiate MSAs, SOWs, SLAs, NDAs, framework agreements and other commercial contracts; lead negotiations on system integration, managed services, cybersecurity, cloud and IT outsourcing.
• Monitor contractual rights, obligations, payment terms, warranties, SLAs and penalties, and advise on variations, change requests, claims, renewals and termination.
• Support government and public-sector tenders and strategic technology engagements, and escalate significant risks to senior management.
• Help build contract management policies, templates, approval frameworks and governance.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Law, Business Administration or a related field; a master's or professional legal/contract management qualification is an advantage.
• 5-7 years in contracts or legal/commercial roles, with proven experience in system integration, IT services, telecommunications or managed services.
• Experience managing complex, high-value contracts and with government/public-sector tenders is highly desirable.
• Good understanding of UAE commercial and contractual law and business practices.

Required skills

• Expert legal drafting, contract negotiation and redlining.
• Proficiency in contracting lifecycle tools such as SAP Ariba, Coupa and DocuSign CLM.
• Strong negotiation, drafting, analytical, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to work under pressure, cross-functionally with legal, procurement, sales and technical teams, and in line with CNS's ISO-based policies.