The Emirates Group is a highly profitable business with a turnover of approximately US$ 12 billion and over 50,000 employees. The Group comprises of dnata, the successful Airport Ground Services and Travel Industry division, and Emirates, the Group’s rapidly expanding and award winning international Airline. Emirates global network now sees it flying to over 110 destinations across 6 continents, operating a modern fleet of over 150 wide-bodied aircraft. Today the Airline has orders worth over US$ 68 billion for 200 more of the latest aircraft, with plans to operate to many more destinations in the months and years ahead. Essential to our continued business success as we expand will be the ongoing employment of high quality people to join our multi-cultural team of over 150 nationalities.

Dubai, a tourism centre and modern cosmopolitan city with high standards of healthcare, education and leisure pursuits for residents offers those we hire one of the most desirable lifestyle locations in the world. In addition to lifestyle and tax free salary benefits, the Emirates Group also offers professional development opportunities to help employees develop new skills and grow their careers successfully. Discover your future!

The Position:
VP Legal – Aircraft Financing / Finance Lawyer The main focus of this role will be to provide strategic direction and management to a team of lawyers within the Emirates Group Legal Department ensuring the provision of sound legal services, advice and support primarily in relation to financing transactions entered into by the Emirates Group, including all transactions relating to the delivery, financing, refinancing and redelivery of aircraft within the Emirates fleet as well as general corporate finance matters and other financial agreements entered into by the Emirates Group. The role may also required the provision of legal services on a wide variety of corporate and commercial legal matters across an allocated portfolio for the Emirates Group and will require the effective management of matters of high complexity / high risk and / or high potential impact.

Key Accountabilities Act as the senior contact for complex requests to provide strategic legal advice and assistance to allocated businesses within the Emirates Group and its associated companies on a global basis. Attend meetings with Group internal client colleagues in order to negotiate, influence and finalise high value / business critical contracts, commercial agreements and joint ventures across the Group. Develop and maintain effective business relationships with external parties, including at partner level within Law firms, negotiating cost structures, high level fee quotes, and services agreement terms and conditions relating to the Group?s business. Manage and co-ordinate the selection of appropriate external legal resources in order to ensure the most cost effective and legally sound advice is obtained. This also includes advising on the procurement of legal advice at overseas stations. Monitor changes in domestic and international law and advise senior management on the potential legal impact with regard to operational issues, devising strategies and solutions, and recommending actions to mitigate risk and avoid dislocation of Group operations and catastrophic loss. Advise Group senior management on liability awareness, risk management procedures and legal requirements, highlighting the legal and risk implications of current and proposed business activities and partnering the business to devise appropriate solutions or risk mitigation strategies. You will be responsible for balancing conflicting business demands, and for producing high quality, practical, commercially orientated advice in response to tight deadlines. As well as being responsible for allocating and distributing resources effectively, whether internally or through outsourcing as appropriate, ensuring all work is managed efficiently. You will be required to develop and within Company authorisation limits, manage the allocated Group Legal budget related to Emirates Group and their associated companies, redistributing, prioritising and re-negotiating as appropriate, including for those legal services which are procured by Group Legal for outstations. You will be responsible for recruiting, motivating, developing, mentoring and managing a team of legal staff, including conducting performance reviews. Source secondees and / or other temporary legal resources as required, ensuring effective distribution of work and integration within the team. Act as a senior liaison with various government and regulatory authorities, both within the UAE and internationally, on legal issues affecting the Group?s businesses, including maintaining contacts at a senior level within the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department (contact at Director-General level), the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE (GCAA) (contact at Head of Department level) and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and involvement in the discussion and implementation of international treaties impacting on aviation and other areas related to the Group?s businesses within the UAE and elsewhere, as necessary. The successful candidate will have the following:
Strong business awareness High attention to quality and detail Excellent analytical ability and strong communication skills, both written and verbal. Highly Influential and have strong negotiation skills. Initiative and commitment to achieve Good problem solving and decision making skills Experience and Qualifications: A Law degree from a recognised university or a degree which qualifies towards professional qualification as a lawyer, the degree to include a course in Law of Contract (common law); Qualified lawyer with current practising certification. 10 years or more post qualification experience in private or in-house practise, preferably in aviation related work. Experienced in general finance and aircraft financing related transactions, as well as general commercial legal work. Excellent drafting skills in English documentation. Service-oriented, commercially aware and capable of working on a diverse range of client matters whilst maintaining a continuing grasp of the Group?s long term commercial goals and the importance of achieving the same. Desirable Proven experience leading and managing a team of legal professionals is desirable. Salary Benefits: We offer an attractive tax-free salary, paid in Dirhams, the local currency of the UAE. The Dirham is linked to the Special Drawing Right of the International Monetary Fund and it has been held constant against the US dollar since the end of 1980 at a mid-rate of approximately US$1=”Dh3.66.” Besides generous travel benefits normally associated with an airline, this managerial role also has excellent leave and health care packages, accommodation, power and water paid for, along with transport benefits, life insurance and other employee benefits making the role attractive to high performers. By viewing the ‘Dubai Lifestyle’ section in the careers website you can also consider the many benefits of Dubai as a location to live and work in

To Apply: To express your interest in the above vacancy please apply on-line by clicking below, and complete our application form. We will then consider your application and contact you should we wish to shortlist you for an interview. Should you not receive an invitation for an interview within 5 weeks please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful. We will retain your details for 12 months unless advised otherwise and re-consider you for future opportunities as they arise. Please also note that if you are not shortlisted you can also update your application at anytime and apply for other opportunities. Thank you for your interest in a career with the Emirates Group.