Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Counsel for Legal

UAE nationals are encouraged to apply

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a highly experienced legal professional to serve as the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Counsel for Legal reporting jointly to the NYUAD Vice Chancellor and the NYU General Counsel.

This role is the senior-most legal position at NYUAD and is instrumental in providing expert legal counsel and support for the University’s operations within a global higher education environment.

As the chief legal officer for NYU Abu Dhabi, the Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Counsel for Legal will oversee the legal team and provide strategic legal counsel to the Vice Chancellor and other university leaders. This role encompasses multiple areas of legal practice, including corporate governance, HR and immigration matters, contract drafting and review, and compliance with NYU policies and guidelines. The Chief Counsel will also manage external legal counsel and ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations. The ideal candidate will possess strong advocacy, analytical, and leadership skills, with a deep understanding of legal frameworks relevant to higher education and international operations.

Detailed information on key responsibilities, skills, and competencies is available upon request.

*** Please do not apply via this portal*** This search is being managed externally by Korn Ferry, applications, including a current CV and letter explaining interest and relevant experience should be sent to the following address exclusively: [email protected] 

All communications will be held in strict confidence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage NYUAD’s legal department, ensuring the delivery of high-quality legal services across corporate governance, research, technology transfer, procurement, HR, immigration, and contract management
• Provide expert legal counsel to senior leadership on key institutional matters, including regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and institutional policies
• Anticipate and address legal issues proactively, offering strategic advice in a dynamic and evolving environment
• Oversee policy development, contract negotiations, and institutional agreements to support NYUAD’s academic, research, and administrative functions
• Supervise external legal counsel and manage legal resources efficiently to safeguard the University’s interests
• Develop training and compliance programs to ensure adherence to UAE and international legal standards

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Juris Doctor (JD) or Master of Laws (LLM)

Required Experience:

• Minimum 12 years of relevant legal experience in a higher education institution, corporate legal practice, or law firm
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated experience managing legal teams
• Extensive knowledge of U.S. and international laws affecting academic institutions, contracts, employment, research, and compliance
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work in a complex, multicultural environment

Preferred Education:

• Member of a U.S. state bar

Preferred Experience

• Experience working in the UAE or the Gulf region
• Knowledge of higher education governance and nonprofit legal frameworks
• Fluency in Arabic is an advantage

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.