Position Summary

The Legal Counsel is responsible for providing strategic legal advice and support across all aspects of the company's upstream oil & gas service operations. The role ensures legal compliance, protects the company's commercial interests, manages legal risks, drafts and negotiates complex contracts, oversees corporate governance matters, and manages litigation and regulatory affairs.

The successful candidate will work closely with senior management, operations, Supply Chain, finance, HSE, HR, Contracts, and business development teams to support the company's objectives while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, contractual obligations, and industry best practices.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Contracts

• Draft, review, negotiate and administer a wide range of commercial agreements including:

Oilfield Services Contracts, Master Service Agreements (MSAs), Procurement Contracts, Vendor Agreements, Framework Agreements, Confidentiality Agreements (NDAs), Joint Venture Agreements, Agency Agreements, Consultancy Agreements and any other agreements the company wishes the engage in.

• Advise management on contractual rights, obligations, liabilities and commercial risks.
• Lead contract legal negotiations with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers.
• Develop and maintain standard contract templates and legal playbooks.

Corporate Legal Affairs

• Provide legal advice on corporate governance matters.
• Support Board and Shareholder meetings.
• Draft Board approvals, resolutions and shareholder resolutions.
• Maintain statutory corporate records.
• Manage corporate restructuring exercises including mergers, acquisitions and divestments as and when required.
• Support shareholder agreements and corporate transactions.

Regulatory & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with:

Oman Commercial Companies Law, Labour Law, Tax regulations, Competition Law, Data Protection requirements, Environmental regulations, Local and international regulations, and Oil & Gas industry regulations.

• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the business.
• Develop internal compliance policies and procedures.
• Conduct compliance awareness sessions.

Claims & Dispute Management

• Manage contractual disputes.
• Prepare legal opinions regarding claims.
• Support commercial claims strategy.
• Coordinate litigation with external law firms.
• Manage arbitration proceedings.
• Oversee settlement negotiations.
• Preserve legal privilege throughout disputes.

Risk Management

• Identify legal and contractual risks.
• Recommend risk mitigation strategies.
• Review tender documents.
• Participate in bid risk assessments.
• Advise management on risk allocation.
• Support Enterprise Risk Management initiatives.

Business Support

Provide day-to-day legal support to:

• Operations
• Contracts and Business Development
• Supply Chain
• Finance
• Human Resources
• HSE
• Training

Intellectual Property

• Protect company trademarks.
• Manage company branding legal matters.
• Review licensing agreements.
• Protect confidential information.

Insurance

• Review insurance policies.
• Support insurance claims.
• Review contractual insurance requirements.

External Stakeholder Management

Liaise with:

• External law firms
• Government authorities
• Regulators
• Clients
• Joint venture partners
• Insurance companies
• External auditors

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Law (LLB)
• Qualified Lawyer / Advocate
• Master's Degree (LLM) is preferred

Experience

• 8–10 years of post-qualification legal experience.
• Minimum 5 years within the upstream oil & gas industry.
• Experience supporting oilfield service companies is highly desirable.
• Experience in contract negotiation exceeding USD 10 million is preferred.
• Experience in litigation and arbitration.
• Experience supporting corporate transactions.

Technical Competencies

Strong knowledge of:

• Upstream Oil & Gas Contracts
• Service Agreements
• Contract Management
• Risk Management
• Corporate Governance
• Intellectual Property
• Compliance Management
• Legal Drafting
• Claims Management
• Regulatory Compliance
• Shareholder Agreements
• Joint Ventures

Core Competencies

Legal Expertise

• Excellent legal drafting
• Contract negotiation
• Legal interpretation
• Regulatory analysis
• Litigation management

Commercial Acumen

• Ability to balance legal protection with commercial objectives
• Strong understanding of upstream operations
• Business-oriented decision making

Analytical Skills

• Strong problem-solving abilities
• Critical thinking
• Risk assessment
• Attention to detail

Communication Skills

• Excellent written English
• Strong verbal communication
• Presentation skills
• Negotiation skills
• Influencing stakeholders

Leadership

• Ability to advise senior management
• Decision-making capability
• Mentoring junior staff where applicable
• Managing external counsel

Personal Attributes

• High integrity, Professional ethics, Confidentiality, Sound judgement, Resilience under pressure, Self-motivated, Proactive, Strong organizational skills.

Preferred Industry Experience

• Upstream Oil & Gas Services