Summary
Harmattan AI is hiring a Legal and Contracts Manager in Abu Dhabi to support its legal team and business operations across Arabic-speaking markets. The role covers drafting and negotiating commercial, procurement and defence-related agreements, advising on regulated technology matters, and supporting governance, employment matters and disputes. Candidates should have around 5 years of relevant experience, strong commercial contracting skills, native-level Arabic and fluent professional English. The successful candidate must be eligible to obtain and maintain any security clearance or authorization required for the role, subject to applicable law.
The posting
As published on harmattan.ai. Pulled from the employer's site and shown as they wrote it.
About Us
Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following the close of a $200M Series B, valuing the company at $1.4 billion, we are expanding our teams and capabilities to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.
Our work is guided by clear values: building technologies with real-world impact, pursuing excellence in everything we do, setting ambitious goals, and taking on the hardest technical challenges. We operate in a demanding environment where rigor, ownership, and execution are expected.
About the Role
We're looking for a commercially minded Legal Counsel to join our legal team in Abu Dhabi. Reporting to the General Counsel, you'll be a hands-on legal business partner to Sales and teams across the company, with a particular focus on Arabic-speaking markets. This is a broad in-house role for a lawyer who enjoys working close to the business and is motivated by Harmattan AI's mission.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial & Procurement
Draft, review and negotiate customer, partnership, supply and procurement agreements, including defence-procurement documentation among others
Support complex negotiations with defence ministries, armed forces, public-sector bodies and industrial partners
Build scalable contracting standards, playbooks and approval processes
Defence, AI & Regulated Technology
Advise on legal and regulatory issues around autonomous and AI-enabled defence systems
Work with the General Counsel on export-control, sanctions and trade-compliance matters
Advise on AI, data, cybersecurity and IP issues as they affect the business
Corporate & Governance
Support entity governance, board documentation and statutory filings across Arabic-speaking markets
Support employment matters alongside the People team and external counsel
Manage disputes and pre-litigation matters with a 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 the legal processes and templates that let the business scale
Requirements
Qualified attorney or in-house legal counsel with ~5 years' relevant experience across a law firm and in-house/tech or defence environment
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 defence, 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 defence/public-procurement/export-control matters, is a plus.
We look forward to hearing how you can help shape the future of autonomous defense systems at Harmattan AI.