Job Summary
MS Pharma is a leading pharmaceutical company operating across the MENA region, committed to improving access to high-quality medicines through innovation, excellence, and partnership.
The Group Head of Compliance is a key executive leadership role responsible for overseeing MS Pharma’s Group legal and compliance function. The role is accountable to ensure the establishment, oversight and enforcement of a comprehensive set of legal and compliance work programs across the Group. The incumbent will lead the function, ensuring the group will operate with the highest legal and ethical standards across all jurisdictions, while supporting strong business growth and key strategic initiatives, including IPO readiness, process improvement, and risk management. The role and function provide comprehensive legal support to the organization, establishes and reinforces a strong compliance program and drives a culture of integrity, accountability and compliance to laws, rules and regulations.
Key Responsibilities
Legal Strategy & Governance
- Overseeing the group legal function servicing all businesses and functions across the MS Pharma Group globally.
- Collaborate with all business and functional leaders to proactively identify and mitigate legal, compliance, and reputational risks.
- Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive legal strategy that supports business objectives, mitigates risk, and aligns with the company’s growth, compliance, and IPO-readiness priorities.
- Oversee the company’s corporate governance framework, including Board and committee support, legal entity structure, subsidiary compliance, and governance documentation.
- Drive the review and upgrade of all corporate contracts and agreements to ensure MS Pharma’s rights are protected, its strategic and commercial interests are upheld, and all legal and regulatory requirements are fully met.
- IP housekeeping - ensure the timely licensing, registration, and renewal of trademarks, as well as proactive renewal and lifecycle management of key agreements to safeguard MS Pharma’s legal rights and avoid business disruption.
- Lead and advise on all legal aspects of IPO readiness, including capital structure, due diligence, securities law compliance, public disclosure obligations and equity incentive plans.
- Manage relationships with external legal counsel and advisors, ensuring high-quality legal support, cost efficiency, and strategic alignment with internal legal priorities.
Ethics & Compliance & Risk
- Designing, implementing, and maintaining the company’s group Ethics & Compliance Program. This includes a comprehensive recurring training program.
- Promote a strong culture of integrity and accountability, including oversight of the Code of Conduct, Speak-Up channels, and non-retaliation policies.
- Ensure company-wide establishment of policy and reinforcement/ compliance with group and local laws, including anti-bribery and corruption (FCPA, UKBA), Third party Due Diligence, conflict of interest, data privacy, trade compliance, other
- Lead or oversee sensitive internal investigations in coordination with the Finance, P&C and Audit function as well as external counsel, ensuring appropriate escalation and resolution.
- Conduct compliance risk assessments and drive mitigation strategies across business units and geographies; establish monitoring programs.
- Provide regular reports to the Board and Audit Committee on ethics incidents, program effectiveness, and emerging legal and compliance risks.
Job Requirements
- B.A. degree in Law ; M.A. degree in Law or equivalent (LLM).
- Min. of 20 years of experience in related roles with increasing responsibility. At least 10 years in a senior leadership capacity within the pharmaceutical, biotech, or life sciences industry.
- Strong expertise with pharmaceutical compliance programs, rules, and regulations.
- Significant international/ multijurisdictional exposure.
- Demonstrated ability to lead a multi country Team of legal and compliance experts.
- Fluency in English, Arabic & French are advantage.
