Role overview
Our client is a prominent multinational trading house headquartered in Dubai with operations spanning the GCC, South-East Asia and East Africa. As the international sanctions landscape intensifies and secondary sanctions risk increases for UAE-based businesses, they are seeking a Sanctions and Trade Compliance Lawyer to lead their compliance function from Dubai.
Key responsibilities
- Advise on US (OFAC), EU and UK sanctions regimes and their application to the company's trading activities
- Design and maintain trade compliance policies, screening procedures and internal controls
- Conduct sanctions risk assessments across counterparties, geographies and product lines
- Support investigations and internal reviews relating to potential sanctions or export control exposure
- Liaise with external counsel, regulators and industry bodies on emerging compliance obligations
- Provide training and guidance to commercial teams on sanctions red flags and best practice
Candidate profile
- Common law qualified with 5 to 9 years' PQE
- Experienced in sanctions, export controls and/or trade compliance, with multi-jurisdictional exposure
- Technically strong with a working understanding of OFAC, EU and UK sanctions frameworks
- Experienced at a recognised international firm, financial institution or multinational corporate
- A confident communicator with the ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical commercial guidance
About Meyssa Legal
Meyssa Legal places lawyers across private practice and in-house roles in the UAE, with deep experience in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We work consultatively with leading firms, in-house teams, and senior counsel across banking and finance, disputes, corporate, regulatory, and TMT.
Our approach prioritises judgment over targets and discretion over volume. We brief every role in confidence, submit only candidates we genuinely believe fit, and treat every conversation as the start of a long-term relationship.
