Role Purpose The Senior Manager will lead the delivery and growth of the firm's corporate services provider (CSP),

fund services, fiduciary and private wealth offering across the Dubai International Financial Centre

(DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The role combines hands-on technical delivery with commercial ownership: managing a portfolio of financial institutions, fund managers, family offices,

ultra-high-net-worth individuals and corporate clients, while building out the practice in a manner consistent with leading international providers in the corporate, fund and fiduciary services sector.

The successful candidate will act as a trusted adviser to clients across the full entity lifecycle, from structuring and incorporation through ongoing governance, regulatory compliance and eventual restructuring or wind-down, and will be equally comfortable advising on a DIFC prescribed company,

an ADGM SPV, a Cayman feeder fund or a family foundation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the CSP function across DIFC and ADGM, including incorporations, licensing, registered office and registered agent services, and ongoing corporate administration for holding companies, prescribed companies, SPVs, foundations and regulated entities.
• Oversee company secretarial services to the highest governance standard: board and shareholder meetings, minutes and resolutions, statutory registers, annual filings, confirmations and data protection notifications with the DIFC Registrar of Companies and the ADGM Registration Authority.
• Manage regulatory filings and interactions with the DFSA, FSRA, DIFC ROC, ADGM RA and, where relevant, mainland and free zone authorities (DET, DMCC, JAFZA, RAKEZ).
• Maintain oversight of UBO registers, economic substance assessments, FATCA and CRS classifications and filings, and AML/CFT obligations under Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2018 and applicable DIFC and ADGM rulebooks.
• Act as named authorised signatory, director or company secretary on client entities where required, subject to internal risk approval.
• Lead regulatory affairs, licensing readiness and AML workstreams for fintech and digital asset businesses operating in or entering the UAE, including advising on VARA licensing readiness: requirement mapping, gap identification, delivery timeline assessment and Compliance Officer and MLRO responsibilities for Middle East hub planning.
• Develop VARA operational readiness packs for virtual asset business models, including broker dealer style models, to support progression from in-principle approval towards inspection-ready execution.
• Support DFSA compliance framework remediation, including for Category 3A firms, by gap assessing and strengthening compliance, risk and AML policies into audit-ready controls.

• Advise on and project-manage the establishment of fund managers and fund vehicles in the DIFC and ADGM, including DFSA Category 3C managers, Qualified Investor Funds, Exempt Funds, Public Funds, venture capital managers and ADGM FSRA-authorised fund structures.
• Structure and implement fund architecture including incorporated cell and protected cell arrangements, master-feeder structures, carry and co-investment vehicles and GP/LP arrangements.
• Coordinate fund administration, transfer agency, registrar and depositary arrangements, whether delivered in-house or through third-party administrators.
• Prepare and review regulatory business plans, licence applications, prospectuses and private placement memoranda inputs, compliance frameworks and authorised individual applications.
• Support ongoing regulatory compliance of fund clients, including prudential returns, annual reports, AML audits and thematic reviews.

• Lead legal due diligence engagements on acquisitions, investments and financings involving DIFC, ADGM, UAE mainland and offshore entities, including title to shares, corporate authority, licensing and regulatory standing, material contracts, employment and litigation exposure.
• Prepare institutional-standard due diligence reports, red flag reports and vendor due diligence packs, and coordinate with external counsel where matters fall outside the firm's permitted scope.
• Conduct regulatory due diligence on target entities holding DFSA or FSRA authorisations, including condition of licence, capital adequacy filings and enforcement history.
• Manage KYC, source of wealth and source of funds reviews for complex structures, PEPs and high-risk jurisdictions in line with the firm's risk appetite.

• Design and implement offshore and midshore structures using RAK ICC, JAFZA Offshore, BVI, Cayman Islands, Jersey, Guernsey, Mauritius and other international financial centres, integrated with UAE holding platforms.
• Advise on redomiciliation and continuation of offshore entities into ADGM and DIFC, and on cross border mergers, migrations and group simplifications.
• Ensure structures remain robust under UAE Corporate Tax (Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022), economic substance, transfer pricing and international tax transparency standards, working alongside the firm's tax practice.

• Advise families, family offices and UHNW individuals on succession and asset protection structures, including DIFC and ADGM foundations, trusts, single and multi-family office establishment and DIFC and ADJD wills.
• Deliver fiduciary services to institutional standard: trusteeship support, foundation council and guardian roles, protector arrangements and ongoing administration of wealth-holding structures.
• Support asset advisory mandates covering real estate holding structures, aviation and marine assets, private equity and ETF holding platforms, and philanthropic vehicles.
• Coordinate multi-jurisdictional estate and tax planning with onshore counsel and the firm's international network.

• Own revenue and pipeline targets for the CSP, funds and fiduciary service lines; prepare fee proposals, engagement letters and credentials materials to a standard consistent with leading international providers.
• Build and maintain referral relationships with law firms, banks, wealth managers, fund platforms, DIFC and ADGM authorities and international intermediaries.
• Represent the firm at industry events, contribute thought leadership and support cross-selling with the tax, audit and advisory practices.
• Recruit, develop, train and supervise a team of executives and administrators; set quality standards, review deliverables and manage utilisation and recoverability.

• Act as first line of defence on client acceptance, conflicts, AML/CFT and sanctions screening, escalating to the MLRO and risk committee as appropriate.
• Maintain engagement files, statutory records and deliverables to audit-ready standard and ensure adherence to the firm's methodologies and house style.
• Keep abreast of DIFC, ADGM, DFSA, FSRA and UAE federal regulatory developments and cascade changes to the team and client base.

• Education: Degree in law, finance, accounting or business; a legal qualification (LLB, solicitor, barrister or equivalent), chartered governance qualification (CGI/ICSA), STEP diploma or fund administration qualification is strongly preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 8 to 10 years in corporate services, fund services, fiduciary or legal advisory roles, of which at least 3 years at manager or senior manager level, gained with an international CSP or fund administrator, a professional services firm or a leading law firm.
• Regulatory knowledge: Demonstrable working knowledge of DIFC and ADGM companies regulations, DFSA and FSRA rulebooks, DIFC Foundations Law, ADGM Foundations Regulations, UAE AML framework and UAE Corporate Tax as it affects structures and funds.
• Track record: Evidence of managing a client portfolio with revenue responsibility, leading licence applications and fund launches end to end, and producing institutional-quality written deliverables.
• Approvals: Ability to satisfy fit and proper requirements for appointment as authorised individual,
• director or company secretary of regulated and non-regulated entities.

• Exceptional drafting and report-writing skills in English; Arabic or other languages an advantage.
• Commercially astute with strong fee negotiation, scoping and engagement economics discipline.
• High attention to detail, sound professional judgement and comfort operating autonomously across two offices and multiple regulators.
• Collaborative leadership style with proven ability to develop junior talent and work across tax, audit and advisory service lines.
• Established network amoong DIFC and ADGM intermediaries, fund managers and family offices is a significant advantage.