Legal Advisor

About this opportunity

Job Description Legal Advisor Department: Legal Company: Dhofar Insurance Company S.A.O.G. Location: Sultanate of Oman Reports to: Chief Executive Officer, or Deputy CEO subject to the approved organisational structure Supervises: Legal Officer and assigned legal staff 1 Purpose of the role Lead DIC s legal advisory function, protect its lawful interests and support sound business decisions through independent legal advice, effective contract review and dispute management. Identify and escalate material legal risks while supporting compliance with applicable Oman laws and insurance regulations. 2 Principal responsibilities Legal advice and risk assessment Provide reasoned written advice to management and departments on insurance, reinsurance, claims, contracts, employment and corporate matters. Explain legal options, exposure and required approvals. Escalate serious breaches, conflicts of interest and material disputes through approved channels. Contracts and documentation Draft, review and negotiate agreements, amendments, undertakings, releases and notices, including agency, brokerage, bancassurance, reinsurance, vendor, workshop and TPA arrangements. Maintain approved templates and verify Arabic and English alignment, signatory authority and legal safeguards. Record unresolved issues and ensure required business, Compliance and technical approvals precede execution. Responsibilities and authority Disputes and external counsel Manage litigation, arbitration, mediation, recoveries and enforcement with the relevant departments and authorised external lawyers. Assess merits, evidence, limitation periods and appeal deadlines. Review pleadings, expert reports and settlement proposals. Track hearings, judgments and execution, verify lawyers invoices and report case exposure and legal costs. Obtain required management and reinsurer approvals before settlement or admission. Insurance claims and policy interpretation Advise on coverage, exclusions, policy conditions, beneficiary rights, disability disputes, fraud concerns, subrogation and recovery. Review repudiation letters and settlement instruments. Coordinate with Claims, Underwriting and Reinsurance without assuming their technical assessment or financial approval responsibilities. Regulatory and corporate support Monitor legal developments and advise on their impact. Support Compliance in FSA correspondence, approvals, inspections and remediation. Advise on governance, corporate authorities and material transactions, and assist the Board or its committees when assigned through approved channels. Board secretarial duties require separate assignment. Employment and investigations Advise HR on contracts, disciplinary procedures, grievances, termination and employee settlements. Support authorised investigations with due process, impartiality, confidentiality and evidence preservation. Disclose conflicts and refer matters affecting personal interests to an independent reviewer. 3 Authority and professional boundaries Request relevant records and recommend safeguards or escalation of legally deficient proposals. Legal review is separate from business approval. Signing, settlement, waiver, expenditure and appointment of counsel require delegated authority and applicable approvals. Court appearances, filings and other reserved legal activities may be performed only where legally permitted and with required authorisation or professional registration. Controls and role requirements 4 Department controls and coordination Maintain complete contract and litigation registers, signed documents, evidence holds, retention controls and secure access. Provide accurate legal confirmations for authorised audit requests. Supervise and develop the Legal Officer, allocate work and review outputs. Deliver practical legal awareness training and periodic reports on disputes, contracts, deadlines and emerging risks. Coordinate with Compliance, the designated AML officer, Data Privacy, Information Security, Risk and Internal Audit on legal safeguards for AML/CFT/CPF, confidentiality, processing arrangements, cross-border transfers, incidents and regulatory access. Preserve the independent responsibilities of those functions. Restrict disclosure of legal advice and sensitive records to authorised recipients, subject to lawful disclosure requirements. 5 Qualifications and competencies Bachelor s degree in Law or equivalent recognised qualification. Substantial relevant legal experience, normally at least Ten years, including insurance or financial services and dispute management. Strong knowledge of Oman law, bilingual Arabic and English drafting, negotiation, legal analysis, integrity, judgment and staff supervision. Relevant professional registration or approvals where legally required. These are proposed role requirements, not statutory minimums. Legal framework and approval 6 Performance measures Timeliness and quality of advice and contract review against agreed service targets. Control of procedural deadlines and early risk escalation. Accuracy and completeness of legal records and management reports. Implementation of approved legal recommendations, efficient management of counsel and costs, and staff development. Targets are agreed annually and account for case complexity and dependencies. Court outcomes are not the sole measure of performance. Applicable framework Apply the Insurance Companies Law and its executive regulations, applicable FSA decisions, circulars and governance requirements, the Commercial Companies Law, civil and commercial laws, civil procedure and evidence rules, the Labour Law, personal data protection legislation and its executive regulations, AML/CFT and applicable proliferation financing and sanctions requirements, and electronic transactions legislation, each as amended and in force. Maintain a current register of requirements relevant to DIC.