• Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Alef_Abu_Dhabi)
• Posted 11 Days Ago
• Office - Flexible
• Fulltime

Who we are

Alef Education began with a bold idea: that every learner deserves a personalised and meaningful education experience. What started in 2016 as a small pilot programme in Abu Dhabi has evolved into one of the world’s most dynamic EdTech companies—reshaping how millions of students engage with learning across the globe.

Today, Alef is proudly headquartered in the UAE, working hand-in-hand with ministries of education, schools, and teachers to bring smart, data-powered platforms into classrooms in over 14,000 schools.

Supporting over 1.1 million students and 50,000 teachers across the UAE, Indonesia & Morocco our AI-driven platforms generate 16+ million data points every day, helping drive smarter learning decisions. Whether it’s improving national exam results, boosting classroom engagement, or supporting educators with world-class tools, Alef is committed to impact at scale.

In 2024, Alef made history as the first EdTech company to list on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), cementing our role as a regional innovator with global reach.

About The Role

Legal Counsel supports Alef Education’s Legal function as a 3-4 PQE in-house lawyer whose primary focus is ‘BAU’ legal advisory, commercial contracting, corporate governance and compliance, while also leading selected legal operations initiatives to improve efficiency, visibility and standardisation across the function.

Key Responsibilities:

Commercial, corporate and advisory support

• Review, draft and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, statements of work, procurement documents and business arrangements in line with company standards and risk appetite.
• Provide day-to-day legal advice to internal stakeholders on general commercial, corporate, governance, compliance, employment and operational matters.
• Support corporate governance matters, including board and committee materials, internal approvals and maintenance of legal records.
• Advise on data privacy, IP and technology-related legal issues relevant to Alef Education’s products, operations and strategic initiatives.

Compliance and risk management

• Support the implementation, review and tracking of legal and compliance policies, procedures and awareness initiatives.
• Assist with legal risk identification, remediation tracking and periodic reviews of templates, policies, practices and controls.
• Develop and implement a compliance awareness program for employees on applicable laws and regulations as well as the company’s own internal policies and procedures.
• Help manage employment-related legal matters and external counsel support where required.

Legal Operations

• Lead day-to-day legal operations improvements, including matter intake, contract workflows, template management, approval trackers and document management.
• Identify and implement practical process improvements, standardisation opportunities and legal technology solutions to enhance team efficiency.
• Develop basic legal KPIs, dashboards and reporting for the Head of Legal on workload, contracts and key legal initiatives.
• Promote consistent use of playbooks, templates, trackers and legal processes across the business.
  

To Be The Right Fit, You'll Need

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Law.
• Certifications/Licenses: Local Bar or equivalent admission.
• Minimum 3 years’ post-qualification experience with, preferably, a mix of private practice and in-house experience.
• Strong grounding in commercial contracts, corporate/governance support and general in-house advisory work.
• Prior exposure to legal operations, including process improvement, contract management, reporting, templates or legal technology.
• UAE/GCC experience preferred. Technology or education sector experience desirable.
• Familiarity with data privacy, IP and compliance frameworks relevant to a regulated, technology-enabled business.
• Strong drafting, negotiation and legal analysis skills.
• Organised, detail-oriented and able to manage a varied workload with minimal supervision.
• Commercially pragmatic with sound judgment and a solutions-focused approach.
• Strong process mindset, including ability to improve workflows and implement fit-for-purpose legal controls.
• Confident stakeholder management and ability to build credibility across business teams.
• Fluency (written and verbal) in English; Arabic is desirable.
• High integrity, discretion and ability to handle sensitive matters confidentially.
  

What we offer

We believe our people are our greatest advantage. We value curiosity, purpose, and the drive to make a real difference. When you join Alef, you join a mission — and a team that’s just as passionate about transforming education as you are.

Here’s a glimpse of what we offer:

• Annual flight allowance
• Annual performance bonus
• Education allowance
• Life insurance
• Enhanced leave policy
• A hybrid work model and up to 40 remote working days per year to work from anywhere (with flexibility built in)

At Alef, we don’t just imagine a better future for education.

We build it — together.