Associate General Counsel – Office of General Counsel

Job Number

2026-15352

Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

The Office of General Counsel at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint an Associate General Counsel reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Counsel for Legal.

The incumbent will lead and support other attorneys on assignments and projects independently and with small project teams of key stakeholders, as required.  The incumbent will have the responsibility of addressing and/or managing a wide range of legal matters arising from the University’s operation, including matters related to education, research, faculty affairs, student affairs, auxiliary services, arts and culture, IT, data protection, regulation and licensing, and intellectual property.  The incumbent will work closely with other lawyers in the office and will advise clients on various legal, regulatory, and policy matters involving the university’s operations.

Legal Work

• Provide guidance and legal advice to all academic and administrative areas of NYUAD, focusing on contracting and regulatory compliance in areas related to the university’s operations, including education, research, faculty affairs, student affairs, associated commercial activity, arts and culture, IT, data protection, regulation and licensing, and intellectual property
• Review and negotiate contracts covering a wide range of subject matter areas related to the university’s operations, including service and consultancy contracts and commercial contracts
• Advise stakeholders on law, regulations, and policies related to a wide range of subject matter areas related to the university’s operations, including data governance, privacy, and information security
• Support university compliance framework, including risk management and compliance with national standards of operational performance for higher education institutions
• Draft, review, negotiate, interpret, and advise on contracts such as non-disclosure agreements, memoranda of understanding, research and collaboration agreements, license agreements, material transfer agreements, sponsorship agreements, gift agreements, inter-institutional/cotuteille agreements, software licensing agreements, and SaaS agreements
• Conduct legal and due diligence research on various legal matters
• Support the other lawyers in the office by advising on applicable laws, regulations, and NYUAD’s policies, programs, practices, and activities that are affected by legal considerations
• Work with NYUAD stakeholders to find effective, reasonable, practical solutions to challenging legal and business problems
• Support the workload of the legal team

Policy, Training, and Compliance

• Work with NYUAD departments to develop, interpret, and promote adherence to NYUAD’s policies and procedures and align department actions with NYUAD’s research and academic mission
• Provide training on and information about legal developments of interest to administrative units and academic divisions
• Provide guidance to NYUAD department administrators and staff to facilitate their understanding of the legal and business causes and effects of their administrative actions and to implement and facilitate adherence to governance, policy, risk, and compliance requirements, with appropriate attention to any legal, political and financial risks to the NYUAD

 Administration

• Serve on NYUAD committees, as selected by the Chief Counsel, and participate in other NYUAD activities, as requested
• Lead and support department projects and other legal work as the Chief Counsel assigns

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
• Law degree from an accredited U.K., U.S., or equivalent law school
• Qualified to practice law in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom, or an equivalent jurisdiction

Required Experience:

• 5+ years of experience practicing in a broad range of legal areas within a complex organizational structure, preferably for an institution of higher education
• Excellent English oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex legal and business issues in terms that are understandable to non-lawyers
• Ability to manage multiple assignments and to complete them effectively and promptly with little or no supervision
• Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions and to ascertain the need for timely escalation of matters to higher management
• Strong listening, interpersonal, and leadership skills with an ability to effectively network and engage with others internally/externally at NYUAD
• Ability to identify, analyze, and resolve complex legal and business issues
• Interest in and ability to quickly assimilate new areas of law
• Demonstrated creative problem-solving skills
• Highly ethical cultural intelligence and sensitivity
• A team player
• Excellent use of Google Suite and Microsoft Office Suite (MS. Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint)
• Superior attention to detail
• Superior integrity and work ethic
• Ability to instill confidence in his or her capability to achieve results and maintain confidentiality
• Exhibits mature understanding of how to interact with a diverse, multi-cultural group of stakeholders and NYUAD partners to develop and maintain long-term positive relationships

 Preferred Experience:

• Member of a bar association
• Interests or experience in research, education, IT, data governance, and related matters, preferred