Head of Legal & Governance, Risk & Compliance

About the Role

We are looking for a seasoned professional to take charge as the Head of Legal & Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) at a confidential government entity located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. This role involves overseeing and strengthening all aspects of legal affairs, governance, risk management, and compliance within the organization and its subsidiaries.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and refine the organization's frameworks for governance, risk management, compliance, and legal matters across all divisions and subsidiaries.
• Design, implement, and continuously enhance policies, internal controls, approval matrices, charters, and frameworks.
• Maintain the enterprise risk register and actively supervise risk mitigation initiatives.
• Ensure strict adherence to applicable laws, regulations, internal policies, and contractual commitments.
• Deliver practical legal counsel regarding commercial, operational, employment, regulatory, and corporate issues.
• Draft, assess, negotiate, and advise on contracts, legal documents, claims, notices, and other sensitive legal subjects.
• Manage relationships with external legal counsel, and support dispute resolution, investigations, settlements, and pre-litigation processes.
• Provide legal and GRC assistance for major strategic activities such as partnerships, restructuring, joint ventures, and investments.
• Enhance internal controls and remediate governance and compliance weaknesses.
• Promote a culture of legal, risk, and compliance awareness organization-wide.

Qualifications & Experience

• Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Law or a related discipline.
• Possess relevant professional certifications or postgraduate qualifications (preferred).
• Demonstrate considerable experience in Legal, Governance, Risk, and Compliance roles.
• Show a strong track record in legal advisory, contract management, compliance practices, governance frameworks, and enterprise risk management.
• Exhibit leadership capability, stakeholder engagement skills, negotiation expertise, and advisory acumen.
• Uphold high integrity, confidentiality, professionalism, and sound business judgment.

Success Metrics

• Establishment of effective governance and compliance frameworks.
• Provision of timely, accurate legal and GRC support.
• Efficient identification, management, and closure of risks and compliance gaps.
• Reduction in legal and contractual vulnerabilities.
• Fostering a strong culture of compliance and risk awareness throughout the organization.