Company Overview

NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a new future might look like. A region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea, NEOM is being built from the ground up to include hyperconnected, cognitive cities, ports, next-generation infrastructure and industries, enterprise zones, research centers, sports and entertainment venues and tourist destinations.

As a destination, it will be a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional livability, creating thriving businesses and reinventing environmental conservation.

As a workplace, it is a place for people who share our core values of care, curiosity, diversity, passion, respect, and becoming a catalyst for change.

Are you ready to help NEOM find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges? Are you prepared to create a lasting legacy that benefits generations to come? Then we want to hear from you!

Role Overview

The Legal Director role involves providing senior legal and regulatory expertise to support the Authority’s legal needs across all core subjects, facilitating the progression of NEOM Laws through the center of Government, and leading negotiations with the Bureau of Experts. It also requires offering thought leadership on key regulatory issues, managing high-profile and complex work within a dynamic environment to support NEOM’s Vision, and organizing, planning, and leading various activities and workstreams in line with the OGC strategy of maintaining an effective, efficient, and ultra-lean legal function.

Role Competencies & Activities

Planning & Strategy:

Regulatory workstreams and instruments

• Act as the lead liaison between the OGC and the Centre of Government, providing support to the GC, DGC, Authority senior leadership and Authority proponents on all regulatory aspects of relevant NEOM laws and regulations and any other laws relevant to the Authority.

• Provide clear and pragmatic guidance on the most important and/or complex matters from their early stages.

• Work with all proponents to respond to and engage with the Centre of Government and respond to concerns raised.

• Maximize the use of technology and innovation to ensure best-in-class laws and regulations, effective and pragmatic legal implementation (whilst upholding rule of law principles) and transparency on the NEOM legal and regulatory system to all stakeholders.

Stakeholder management

• Build and manage stakeholder relationships within Authority Senior Leadership and with the OGA.

• Experience in legislative development, particularly in regulated government sectors and industries.

• Personal resilience and flexibility.

• Embraces NEOM’s vison as an Accelerator of Human Progress and is excited and motivated to help deliver this vision; and

• Aligned to and champions NEOM values and supports others in doing so – Catalyst, Care, Curious, Passionate, Respect and Diversity.

• Build strong relationships with the RGC Working Group and other Saudi thought leaders in the regulatory environment.

• Build strong, collaborative relationships and an open dialogue with all component heads to ensure efficient ways of working and support the vision of a unitary, ‘one-team’, collaborative Authority.

• Represent OGC on various task forces and committees or chairing these, as requested by the GC or Authority leadership.

• The Authority’s work will be high profile, complex and fast moving, within a dynamic and agile environment and ultimately should enable and support NEOM’s Vision.

• The position requires organizing, planning, managing and leading various activities, people and workstreams in line with the OGC strategy of being an effective, efficient and ultra-lean legal function.

• The work involves responsibility for managing and making decisions on regulatory and government policies, formulation of budgets to support regulatory workstreams, implementation of plans and strategies, governance and administrative arrangements, internal processes as well as supporting Authority components on the development of regulatory instruments.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience of working at a senior level in government and regulatory environment preferably within the Bureau of Experts or equivalent parliamentary or legislative function.

• Understanding of the impact of regulation on the spectrum of businesses, investors, residents and the broader social and environmental agenda and NEOM Vision.

• First-class intellectual and analytical skills, (supported by post graduate study) coupled with an ability to bring intellectual and analytical rigor to complex regulatory issues and develop/deliver robust and pragmatic solutions.

• Demonstrable ability to persuade, influence and build collaborative working relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders across NEOM and the wider public sector.

• Experience in developing and implementing regulatory policies and procedures across many sectors;

Qualifications

• Senior-level legal and regulatory experience as a qualified lawyer, gained across the public and private sectors (relevant areas of legal expertise include administrative, regulatory, public and commercial law)

• 15 years+ legal and regulatory experience from major law firms, in house, government or regulators

• Good awareness of GCC Region culture and sensitivities, preferably having worked in, or otherwise had exposure, to the Region over several years

• Qualified to practice as a lawyer in a reputable jurisdiction