Role Overview
The Senior Manager - Legal will support the Organization//'s legal function by managing litigation, contracts, compliance, and legal advisory matters across the business. The role requires strong expertise in litigation management, contract drafting and negotiation, conveyancing, regulatory compliance, and legal documentation, while working closely with internal stakeholders and external legal counsel.
Key Responsibilities
Legal Advisory & Strategic Business Support
- Serve as a trusted legal advisor to management and business functions by providing timely, practical, and commercially focused legal advice on a wide range of legal, regulatory, contractual, employment, corporate, and compliance matters.
- Partner with business leaders to evaluate legal implications of strategic initiatives, new business opportunities, operational decisions, investments, and expansion plans.
- Identify legal risks associated with business activities and recommend effective mitigation strategies that balance legal protection with business objectives.
- Support senior management in decision-making by providing risk-based legal analysis and strategic recommendations.
Contract Management & Commercial Documentation
- Draft, review, negotiate, and vet a broad spectrum of contracts and legal documents, including commercial agreements, supply and service contracts, customer agreements, vendor contracts, lease and property documents, joint venture agreements, financing documents, non-disclosure agreements, and operational contracts.
- Ensure contractual arrangements adequately protect the Organization//'s legal, commercial, and reputational interests.
- Develop and maintain standardized contract templates, contract governance practices, and approval mechanisms to improve efficiency and risk control.
- Provide guidance to internal stakeholders on contractual obligations, rights, liabilities, and dispute prevention measures.
Litigation, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution
- Manage and oversee all litigation, arbitration, mediation, and dispute resolution matters across various judicial, quasi-judicial, regulatory, and administrative forums.
- Coordinate with external legal counsel to formulate case strategies, review pleadings, monitor progress, and evaluate potential legal and financial exposures.
- Ensure effective management of legal notices, claims, recovery actions, and dispute-related documentation.
- Maintain litigation records, monitor case developments, and provide periodic updates to the management regarding legal risks, liabilities, and outcomes.
- Drive proactive dispute avoidance and resolution strategies to minimize business disruptions and legal costs.
Regulatory Compliance & Corporate Governance
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, statutory requirements, and industry-specific regulatory frameworks.
- Support the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of internal legal policies, SOPs, compliance frameworks, and governance processes.
- Conduct compliance assessments and legal audits to identify gaps and recommend corrective actions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to strengthen the organization//'s corporate governance standards and ethical business practices.
- Provide guidance on regulatory filings, approvals, licenses, permits, and statutory obligations relevant to the Organization.
Due Diligence, Projects & Transactions
- Lead legal due diligence exercises for mergers, acquisitions, business partnerships, joint ventures, property transactions, financing arrangements, and strategic projects.
- Review transaction structures and identify legal, regulatory, and commercial risks.
- Support project teams by ensuring timely legal documentation, approvals, and risk assessments throughout the project lifecycle.
- Assist in negotiations and transaction closures while safeguarding organizational interests.
Stakeholder & External Relationship Management
- Serve as the primary liaison with external legal counsel, government authorities, regulators, industry bodies, and other stakeholders on legal and compliance matters.
- Manage relationships with law firms and external advisors to ensure quality, cost efficiency, and timely delivery of legal services.
- Represent the Organization during regulatory interactions, investigations, hearings, and negotiations when required.
- Build strong working relationships with internal stakeholders to foster a proactive legal and compliance culture.
Legal Risk Management
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive legal risk management framework aligned with business objectives.
- Identify emerging legal risks arising from changes in legislation, industry practices, business operations, and market developments.
- Establish risk monitoring mechanisms and recommend preventive and corrective measures.
- Conduct awareness programs and training sessions to educate employees on legal and compliance obligations.
Legal Operations & Knowledge Management
- Support the Head of Legal in managing the overall legal function, departmental priorities, budgets, and resource planning.
- Drive continuous improvement of legal processes, document management systems, reporting frameworks, and legal technology initiatives.
- Monitor legislative and regulatory developments and communicate their impact on the organization.
- Develop legal knowledge repositories, precedents, and best practice guidelines for internal use.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor//'s Degree in Law (LLB) is mandatory; Master//'s Degree or additional certifications will be an advantage.
- 10-15 years of post-qualification experience with in-house legal team or reputed law firm.
- Strong knowledge of corporate, commercial, hospitality, infrastructure, real estate, and mining laws.
- Experience in handling litigation, arbitration, legal notices, contract management, and regulatory compliance.
- Familiarity with sector-specific statutory and regulatory requirements.
- Proven ability to manage multiple legal matters while collaborating effectively with cross-functional stakeholders.
Key Competencies
Strong legal acumen with analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Expertise in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating Sale and Purchase Agreements for properties, Joint Development Agreements and other real estate transaction documents, is highly desirable.
- Excellent communication skills.
- High integrity and discretion in handling confidential information.
- Strong stakeholder management and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to prioritize competing demands and deliver quality outcomes within timelines.
Leadership Competency
- Team Leadership & People Development
- Lead, mentor, coach, and develop members of the legal team to enhance technical capability, professional growth, and overall performance.
- Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, integrity, and continuous learning.
- Provide direction, guidance, and performance feedback to junior legal professionals and support staff.
- Identify talent development opportunities within the legal function.
Strategic Leadership
- Contribute to organizational strategy by proactively identifying legal and regulatory opportunities and risks.
- Align legal function objectives with the organization//'s business goals and long-term vision.
- Act as a key member of cross-functional leadership teams supporting business transformation and growth initiatives.
- Influence decision-making through sound judgment, legal expertise, and business acumen.
Stakeholder Influence & Collaboration
- Build credibility and trusted relationships with senior management and business leaders.
- Facilitate collaboration across departments including Finance, HR, Operations, Procurement, Projects, Commercial, and Compliance functions.
- Effectively manage competing priorities while ensuring alignment between legal requirements and business objectives.
- Demonstrate strong negotiation, conflict resolution, and consensus-building capabilities.
Decision Making & Accountability
- Exercise independent judgment on complex legal matters and provide clear recommendations to leadership.
- Take ownership of critical legal issues and ensure timely resolution.
- Demonstrate the ability to manage sensitive and high-impact matters with professionalism, discretion, and integrity.
- Promote ethical decision-making and reinforce a strong compliance culture across the Organization.
Change Management & Innovation
- Lead legal transformation initiatives, process improvements, and implementation of legal technologies.
- Encourage innovation and adoption of best practices to improve efficiency and service delivery.
- Drive continuous enhancement of legal governance frameworks and risk management processes.
- Champion organizational values and foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and excellence.
