Legal Staff Director - Commercial Counsel

Role Overview

Legal Staff Director - Commercial Counsel at Baker Hughes, based in the UAE. This role combines legal leadership, people management and direct matter ownership to lead regional legal support and provide comprehensive legal and compliance support for OFSE business operations across multiple GeoZones and jurisdictions in the Middle East.

Role Purpose

Lead a high-performing regional legal team while providing strategic legal guidance on complex commercial, regulatory, compliance, labor and employment, public procurement, HSE, competition and integrity matters. Partner with regional business leadership to align legal support with business strategy, growth priorities and operational execution across the Middle East.

Key Responsibilities

People & Team Leadership

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing regional legal team, building capability, consistency and commercial judgment across countries, cultures and reporting lines.
• Prove ability to lead, develop and motivate legal professionals across countries, cultures and reporting lines.

Commercial & Strategic Advice

• Partner with regional business leadership to align legal support with business strategy, growth priorities and operational execution.
• Provide strategic and practical advice on complex commercial, regulatory, compliance, labor and employment, public procurement, HSE, competition and integrity matters.
• Support hands-on experience in commercial negotiations, major customer relationships, public procurement matters and complex regional transactions.

Contracting & Agreements

• Review, draft and negotiate a broad range of commercial agreements, including customer contracts, vendor agreements, channel partner arrangements, nondisclosure agreements and memoranda of understanding.

Legal Operations & Efficiency

• Strengthen legal operations by improving internal expertise, reducing unnecessary external legal spend, increasing contracting efficiency and supporting better use of legal technology.

Compliance & Integrity

• Partner with Compliance and Integrity teams to support program execution, investigations, third-party diligence, risk mitigation and business enablement.
• Advise on compliance, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, regulatory, channel partner and third-party risk matters.

Disputes & Litigation

• Manage regional disputes and litigation matters in coordination with litigation counsel, including reserves, accruals, reporting and risk mitigation activities.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

• Serve as a senior legal focal point for key customer relationships and engagement with customer legal departments across the Middle East.
• Support regional legal entity governance, channel partner risk management and cross-functional collaboration with corporate, product line, segment and regional legal teams.

Regulatory & Legal Monitoring

• Monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting OFSE operations and advise stakeholders on potential commercial and operational impacts.
• Help ensure consistent legal support across the regional Geozone structure while remaining responsive to local business, customer and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications & Experience

• Law degree from an accredited law school.
• Active bar membership, license or equivalent authorization to practice law in a relevant jurisdiction.
• At least 12 years of legal experience, gained in-house, in private practice or through a combination of both.
• Significant experience based in or advising on matters in the Middle East.
• Strong commercial legal experience supporting oil and gas, energy services, industrial, infrastructure or similarly complex international businesses.
• Demonstrated experience advising on commercial, regulatory, compliance and operational legal matters across multiple jurisdictions and business environments.

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent drafting, negotiation and communication skills, including the ability to advise senior internal and external stakeholders clearly and effectively.
• Business-oriented legal leader with the ability to balance risk, speed, integrity and commercial objectives.
• Strong executive presence, sound judgment and ability to influence effectively across functions, regions and leadership levels.
• Ability to operate with confidence in a complex, diverse and matrixed international organization.
• Commitment to integrity, inclusion, professionalism, continuous improvement and ethical decision-making.
• Strong digital literacy, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, redlining tools and legal technology platforms.
• Oilfield services, energy technology or broader energy sector experience, preferably with exposure to oilfield services operations, customers and commercial models.

Additional Information

• Based in the UAE.
• Flexible working hours available—flex the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are most productive.
• Contemporary work-life balance policies and wellbeing activities.
• Comprehensive private medical care options.
• Safety net of life insurance and disability programs.
• Tailored financial programs.
• Additional elected or voluntary benefits.