Risk & Compliance Manager / Legal Counsel – META

Risk & Compliance Manager / Legal Counsel – META Location: Dubai, UAE / META region Sector: Cybersecurity / IT Distribution / Commercial Legal / Risk & Compliance Client: Confidential global cybersecurity business VETWORK is supporting a confidential global cybersecurity and digital infrastructure business with the appointment of a Risk & Compliance Manager / Legal Counsel for the META region, covering the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. This is a senior, dual-purpose role combining commercial legal support with regional compliance leadership. The successful candidate will support business activity across the region by providing pragmatic legal guidance, managing commercial agreements, supporting contract risk assessment and helping embed compliance frameworks across multiple jurisdictions. This is not a general compliance-only role. The client requires a qualified lawyer with strong commercial law experience, hands-on contract negotiation capability and practical compliance exposure across international business environments. The Opportunity The Risk & Compliance Manager / Legal Counsel will act as a key legal and compliance business partner across the META region. The role will involve working closely with regional leadership, sales, finance, operations, management, Group Legal and Group Compliance to support commercial activity while ensuring the business operates within agreed legal, regulatory and compliance frameworks. The successful candidate will need to balance legal risk, compliance requirements and commercial priorities in a practical, business-focused way. This is a role for someone who can operate confidently in a fast-moving technology and distribution environment, where commercial decisions, vendor relationships, reseller agreements, professional services, data protection, third-party risk and regulatory obligations all need to be managed carefully. Key Responsibilities You will be responsible for: Drafting, reviewing, negotiating and managing commercial agreements across the META region. Supporting vendor agreements, reseller agreements, professional services agreements, NDAs and related commercial contracts. Performing contract risk assessments and providing clear, practical legal guidance aligned with internal policies and risk appetite. Acting as a legal business partner to sales, finance, operations and management teams. Supporting pre-litigation matters, claims and disputes in coordination with internal stakeholders and external counsel. Ensuring consistent use of legal templates, playbooks, approval workflows and delegations of authority. Contributing to legal reporting, internal escalations and wider group legal initiatives. Supporting the implementation of Group Compliance frameworks across the META region. Advising on compliance areas including anti-bribery, sanctions, trade compliance, data protection and third-party risk. Acting as a regional point of contact for compliance matters in close coordination with Group Compliance. Supporting risk assessments, internal controls and compliance reviews related to regional business activity. Assisting with the rollout of compliance policies, procedures and training across the region. Advising the business on compliance considerations linked to commercial transactions and third-party relationships. Identifying, escalating and supporting the management of compliance risks, incidents and investigations. Supporting interactions with auditors, regulators and internal stakeholders where required. What We Are Looking For We are looking for candidates with: Qualification as a lawyer. 7+ years of relevant experience, ideally gained in consulting, private practice, a law firm or an in-house legal/compliance environment. Strong background in commercial law and contract negotiation. Hands-on compliance exposure across regional or international business environments. Experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial agreements. Understanding of vendor, reseller, professional services, NDA and technology-related contracts. Strong knowledge of legal risk assessment and business-focused legal advisory. Experience supporting compliance frameworks, internal controls and policy implementation. Understanding of compliance areas relevant to distribution and technology businesses. Exposure to anti-bribery, sanctions, trade compliance, data protection and third-party risk. Experience working in international or multi-jurisdictional environments. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills. Fluent English. French or additional regional languages would be advantageous. Highly Relevant Backgrounds Candidates may come from: In-house legal counsel roles Commercial legal roles Risk and compliance roles with strong legal exposure Technology, cybersecurity, software or IT distribution businesses International law firms Consulting firms Vendor, reseller or channel-led technology businesses Regional compliance roles across META, EMEA or emerging markets Legal and compliance roles within multinational organisations Experience within cybersecurity, IT distribution, enterprise technology, software, SaaS, vendor ecosystems or partner-led businesses would be highly advantageous. Essential Profile The strongest candidates will be able to demonstrate: Strong commercial contract drafting, review and negotiation experience. Ability to support regional sales and business teams with practical legal guidance. Experience balancing commercial objectives with legal and compliance requirements. Understanding of compliance risks in third-party, vendor, reseller and distribution environments. Confidence working with senior stakeholders across legal, compliance, sales, finance, operations and management. Ability to manage multiple jurisdictions and competing business priorities. Strong judgement, discretion and attention to detail. Ability to work with Group Legal and Group Compliance teams in a matrix environment. A pragmatic approach to risk, compliance and business enablement. Candidate Profile This role would suit someone who is: Legally qualified Commercially minded Pragmatic and business-focused Strong across contract negotiation Confident advising senior stakeholders Comfortable working across multiple jurisdictions Structured and detail-oriented Able to balance risk management with commercial delivery Experienced in compliance frameworks and internal controls Comfortable operating in a fast-moving technology environment Important Note Due to the confidential nature of this appointment, the client name and full role details will only be shared following an initial discussion with suitable candidates. This is a quality-first search. Only candidates with strong alignment across commercial law, legal counsel work, contract negotiation, regional compliance, technology distribution and multi-jurisdictional business environments will be considered.