Director Legal & Compliance GLE (Gulf, Libya and Egypt)

Job Description

The primary responsibility of the Director, Legal & Compliance, GLE, is to provide legal advice, protect our Company legal interests, and uphold the ethical business standards of all our Company´s divisions within the GLE Cluster, comprising the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, and Egypt. The role requires a strong focus on understanding and implementing our Company compliance standards by collaborating with our Company’s Business Practice Officers (BPOs) within the GLE cluster to manage compliance issues across all businesses and divisions.

The position will be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, under the supervision of the Regional Managing Counsel EEMEA, Legal & Compliance. In addition, as a member of the EEMEA Legal and Compliance team, the incumbent will work with other team members, colleagues from the International Legal & Compliance organization, external local counsel, and relevant headquarters and subsidiary staff and functional groups, as needed.

Primary activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide legal and compliance guidance to GLE Cluster business activities, ensuring alignment with corporate, regional, and local legal and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Business Practice Officers (BPOs) and other divisional stakeholders to support compliance oversight and related business activities.
• Participate in cluster and country leadership meetings and co-lead compliance committee meetings with the Managing Director and BPOs, as needed.
• Manage engagement with external legal counsel, ensuring services are timely, effective, and cost-efficient.
• Oversee the external legal budget in accordance with regional and international Legal & Compliance guidance.
• Deliver practical, high-quality legal advice and compliance support to business stakeholders across a wide range of matters, including privacy, anti-corruption, anti-bribery, fair competition, and trade practices.
• Advise on commercial and contractual matters, including procurement, tenders, distribution, co-promotion, co-marketing, sponsorships, grants, donations, patient programs, and marketing initiatives.
• Review, draft, and negotiate agreements and supporting materials for business development and other commercial activities.
• Provide legal advice on commercial, corporate, and employment matters, and negotiate with external parties where appropriate.
• Advise on innovative business solutions, including patient programs, digital initiatives, technology projects, and data analytics activities.
• Monitor legal and regulatory developments and advise management on potential impacts and appropriate strategies.
• Support applications for, and maintenance of, authorizations, permits, and licenses required for local operations.
• Provide legal support on matters relating to importation, product listing, pricing, reimbursement, marketing, clinical trials, adverse events, and product recalls.
• Support interactions with regulatory and government agencies on legal and compliance matters.
• Provide or oversee legal review of promotional materials in accordance with local laws, company policies, and internal review processes.
• Collaborate with medical and business stakeholders on regulatory or competitor challenges related to promotional practices.
• Develop and implement compliance and risk management processes, including annual certifications and cluster/country compliance scorecards.
• Support business operations in non-footprint markets and countries subject to U.S. sanctions, where applicable.
• Deliver legal and compliance training and help resolve compliance issues through collaboration with local management and BPOs.
• Support investigations in collaboration with Global Investigations, Human Resources, Global Security, Corporate Audit, Finance, and local management.
• Assist with remediation actions following investigations or compliance reviews.
• Support litigation, disputes, settlements, and other legal actions arising from company operations.
• Coordinate with regional, headquarters, and other legal colleagues on contractual, IP, compliance, and regulatory disputes and claims.
• Support global IP attorneys with local trademark and patent filings and the collection and sharing of intellectual property information.
• Advise on local IP infringement, enforcement strategies, and related countermeasures.
• Advise on sensitive personnel matters and prepare and review related legal documentation.
• Contribute to compliance remediation efforts and provide legal perspective on corrective actions.
• Interpret corporate policies, standards, and procedures and help ensure compliance across local subsidiaries.
• Keep local management informed of significant legal, regulatory, and corporate developments.
• Review external communications and materials for government agencies, industry associations, patients/consumers, and the public.
• Support corporate strategy implementation, including entity planning and restructuring initiatives.
• Perform additional responsibilities and projects as assigned by the Regional Managing Counsel.

Skills, Knowledge, Experience & Qualifications required:

Qualifications

• A degree or equivalent in law.  
• Candidates admitted to practice law in one of the jurisdictions within the GLE cluster will be given priority. Admission to other Arabic-speaking jurisdictions may also be considered.
• 10 or more years of post-admission experience.

Skills

• Strong language proficiency in Arabic and English.

• Ability to identify key issues and consistently demonstrate integrity, professionalism, legal knowledge and expertise, and sound business ethics.

• Ability to provide practical, commercially focused, and value-added legal & compliance advice
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills

• Ability and interest to critically review and advise on business programs and procedures in accordance with legal & compliance requirements and corporate policies and standards.
• Highly developed technical and research skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to conduct investigations and interviews effectively.

• Enterprise mindset: Ability to think broadly with the best interest of the entire organization in mind
• Very strong English communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to work independently and prioritize work under pressure
• Ability to work autonomously as well as within a team environment
• Ability to deal with a broad range of stakeholders across all levels
• Ability to persuasively influence cross-functional teams and senior management in the business
• Proactive and responsive

• Practical approach with a “can-do” attitude.

Knowledge & Experience

The following experience is required:

• In-house legal and compliance experience in a large multinational organization; and/or
• Commercial practice experience in a top-tier law firm.

The following experience is preferred:

• In-house legal and compliance experience with a multinational pharmaceutical or medical device company.
• Private practice experience in advising the pharmaceutical industry.
• Private practice experience providing general commercial, regulatory, competition, marketing, compliance, and/or intellectual property advice. Some experience in commercial litigation and general employment law is desirable.
• Familiarity with the U.S. FCPA, the UK Bribery Act, and pharmaceutical industry codes would be advantageous.
• Strong working knowledge of privacy and employment legislation is highly desirable.

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

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Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

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