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Harmattan AI, a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems, is seeking a commercially minded Legal Counsel to join its legal team in Abu Dhabi. Reporting to the General Counsel, you will serve as a hands-on legal business partner to Sales and cross-functional teams, with particular focus on Arabic-speaking markets.
Key responsibilities span three primary areas:
Commercial & Procurement: Draft, review, and negotiate customer, partnership, supply, and procurement agreements, including defense-procurement documentation. Support complex negotiations with defense ministries, armed forces, public-sector bodies, and industrial partners. Build scalable contracting standards, playbooks, and approval processes.
Defense, AI & Regulated Technology: Advise on legal and regulatory issues surrounding autonomous and AI-enabled defense systems. Collaborate with the General Counsel on export-control, sanctions, and trade-compliance matters. Provide guidance on AI, data, cybersecurity, and IP issues affecting the business.
Corporate & Governance: Support entity governance, board documentation, and statutory filings across Arabic-speaking markets. Assist with employment matters alongside the People team and external counsel. Manage disputes and pre-litigation matters with focus on early risk assessment.
Arabic-Speaking Markets: Act as principal legal advisor for expansion across Arabic-speaking markets. Coordinate external local counsel and manage legal spend. Help build legal processes and templates enabling business scaling.
The company recently closed a $200M Series B, valuing it at $1.4 billion, and is expanding teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Qualified attorney or in-house legal counsel with approximately 5 years' relevant experience across law firm and in-house/tech or defense environments
- Native-level Arabic and fluent professional English
- Strong track record drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts
- Solid grounding in contract and corporate law
- Genuine interest in defense, dual-use tech, AI, or other regulated sectors
- Comfortable with senior stakeholders and fast-moving, high-stakes work
- Eligible to obtain and maintain any security clearance or authorization required for the role, subject to applicable law
- LL.M. from a US or UK institution, or exposure to defense/public-procurement/export-control matters, is a plus
