Senior Legal Counsel - GCC Saudi Cluster
DHL · Khobar
Role Purpose:
As Senior Legal Counsel - GCC Saudi Cluster, you will support the Head of Legal in managing legal matters across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Yemen, acting as a key legal partner to DHL’s business units across the region.
You will provide strategic and day-to-day legal advice, support commercial transactions and negotiations, identify and mitigate legal risks, and help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The role has a particular focus on Saudi Arabia, including its evolving regulatory environment and Vision 2030, while also supporting cross-border matters across the GCC.
You will work closely with senior business leaders and legal colleagues across MENA, contributing to strategic projects, investments and the development of effective legal processes that support DHL’s business objectives.
What you will do:
- Provide senior-level legal advice to country and regional management and business unit leadership across the GCC Saudi Cluster.
- Support the Head of Legal in developing and implementing the legal strategy for the cluster, aligned with DHL’s business objectives.
- Identify, assess and mitigate legal and regulatory risks while enabling commercial opportunities.
- Advise on Saudi commercial, corporate, employment and regulatory law, including the evolving regulatory environment under Vision 2030.
- Support the business on contracts, negotiations, customer and supplier matters, corporate governance, regulatory compliance and strategic projects.
- Advise on the legal and governance implications of different business structures, including joint ventures, commercial agencies and wholly owned entities.
- Support and, where appropriate, lead litigation, arbitration, disputes and regulatory investigations across the cluster.
- Provide legal support for strategic investments, M&A activities, real estate and major commercial projects.
- Advise on competition law, data protection, tax-related legal matters, customs and trade compliance as required.
- Support DHL’s businesses in navigating Saudi local content requirements, Saudisation/Nitaqat and other key regulatory obligations.
- Provide legal support to the DHL Group MENA Regional Headquarters in Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
- Work closely with legal colleagues across MENA and other regions on cross-border matters.
- Deliver legal training and practical guidance to business stakeholders on key legal developments and risks.
- Help drive efficient, pragmatic and business-oriented legal processes and explore opportunities to use legal technology to improve service delivery.
What we are looking for:
- University degree in Law; professional legal qualification is strongly preferred.
- More than 7 years of legal experience, gained in a commercial law firm and/or in-house legal environment.
- Demonstrable experience advising clients or businesses in Saudi Arabia.
- Fluent Arabic language skills are mandatory, with the ability to work confidently with Arabic-language legal documents, courts, regulatory authorities and legal proceedings.
- Strong knowledge of Saudi commercial law and the ability to translate legal requirements into practical business advice.
- Understanding of the Vision 2030 regulatory and commercial landscape and its implications for foreign investment, employment and commercial activity.
- Experience with Saudi local content and offset programmes and Saudisation/Nitaqat requirements is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with the Saudi Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) is an advantage.
- Experience with joint venture governance, shareholder rights, commercial agency arrangements or similar GCC partnership structures is desirable.
- Experience in FIDIC contracts, construction law or project funding would be an advantage, particularly in relation to large-scale logistics and warehouse projects.
- Knowledge of the legal environments in Kuwait, Bahrain and/or Yemen is desirable.
- Experience working across multiple business units and jurisdictions, ideally within a multinational logistics, supply chain or similarly complex business environment.
- Strong commercial judgement, analytical and negotiation skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and advise senior stakeholders.
- A pragmatic, decisive and solutions-oriented approach.
- Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and perform effectively under pressure.
- Strong interpersonal and conflict-management skills and the ability to build trusted relationships across the organization.
If you are a commercially minded legal professional who enjoys working in a complex, international environment and wants to make a direct impact on the business, we would be pleased to hear from you.
DHL is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic