General Counsel - Legal - Mining & Natural Resources

General Counsel Dubai (18-27 yrs)

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We are looking for an accomplished General Counsel to lead the legal function for a large, diversified mining group with extensive mining and processing operations across multiple African countries. Based at the corporate headquarters in Dubai, this role will serve as a strategic advisor to the Board, CEO, and senior leadership team on all legal, governance, regulatory, and commercial matters.
The ideal candidate should have extensive experience in the mining, metals, natural resources, infrastructure, energy, or similar asset-intensive industries, with significant exposure to cross-border transactions and African jurisdictions.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and manage the Group's global legal function across corporate and operating entities.
- Provide strategic legal advice to the Board, CEO, and Executive Committee on business-critical decisions.
- Oversee legal matters relating to mining operations across multiple African countries.
Draft, negotiate, and review complex commercial agreements, including:
1. Mining concessions and licenses
2. EPC, EPCM and construction contracts
3. Offtake agreements
4. Joint ventures and shareholder agreements
5. Procurement and supply contracts
6. Logistics and transportation agreements
- Advise on mergers & acquisitions, investments, project development, and strategic partnerships.
- Lead legal aspects of project financing, structured financing, and banking transactions.
- Ensure compliance with local laws, international regulations, sanctions, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, ESG, and corporate governance requirements.
- Manage disputes, litigation, arbitration, and regulatory investigations through external counsel where required.
- Develop legal risk management frameworks and strengthen governance across the Group.
- Oversee company secretarial matters and Board governance.
- Build and lead a high-performing legal team while managing relationships with external law firms across various jurisdictions.
- Support HR, procurement, finance, tax, and business teams on employment, commercial, compliance, and operational legal matters.
Candidate Profile:
- Qualified lawyer from a reputed jurisdiction (UK, South Africa, Australia, Canada, India, UAE, or equivalent).
- 20-25 years of post-qualification legal experience.
- Significant in-house experience as General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, or Senior Legal Counsel in mining, metals, natural resources, energy, infrastructure, or large industrial organizations.
- Strong exposure to African legal and regulatory environments is highly preferred.