Head of Regulatory, Governance & Compliance

Location: Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaReporting to: Chief Executive OfficerAbout WASFWASF is a Saudi advocacy and legal consulting firm providing integrated legal and advisory services to national and multinational clients operating in the Kingdom. The firm combines strong legal expertise with a practical understanding of business, regulatory and commercial environments to deliver clear, commercially focused solutions to complex matters.WASF advises clients across corporate and commercial matters, regulatory affairs, governance and compliance, and dispute resolution. Through strategic alliances and relationships with international legal and specialist advisors, the firm also supports clients on cross-border matters and engagements requiring international expertise.WASF offers its professionals the opportunity to work on sophisticated mandates, engage directly with leading businesses and institutions, and contribute to the continued growth of an ambitious and evolving Saudi legal practice.Role OverviewWASF is seeking an experienced Head of Regulatory, Governance & Compliance to lead, develop and grow the firm's integrated regulatory and GRC advisory practice.The successful candidate will lead complex mandates involving market entry, regulatory affairs, corporate governance, risk, compliance and data protection, while holding overall responsibility for the Practice's technical quality, client relationships, business development, revenue, profitability and team performance.The Practice covers four principal areas:Regulatory & Market AccessGovernance AdvisoryRisk & Compliance AdvisoryData & PrivacyKey ResponsibilitiesPractice LeadershipLead and develop WASF's Regulatory, Governance & Compliance Practice.Develop and execute the Practice's annual business plan, growth priorities and performance targets.Establish methodologies, quality standards and delivery frameworks across the Practice.Supervise, develop and evaluate lawyers and advisory professionals within the Practice.Ensure effective allocation and supervision of client engagements.Work closely with Legal Operations & Delivery on resourcing, utilization, capacity, timelines and delivery performance.Regulatory & Market AccessLead regulatory assessments of business models, products and services.Advise Saudi and international clients on market-entry and regulatory strategies.Develop regulatory maps and licensing frameworks.Identify applicable regulators, licenses, permits and governmental approvals.Advise on foreign investment and sector-specific regulatory requirements.Lead regulatory engagement and remediation strategies.Assess regulatory developments and their impact on client operations.Support the launch and expansion of regulated businesses, products and services.Governance AdvisoryLead the development of corporate governance frameworks.Advise boards, committees and executive management on governance matters.Develop board and committee charters.Develop Delegation of Authority frameworks and matrices.Lead governance reviews and effectiveness assessments.Advise on conflicts of interest and related-party governance.Develop governance policies, frameworks and institutional arrangements.Risk & Compliance AdvisoryLead the development of compliance frameworks and compliance universes.Conduct regulatory compliance assessments and gap analyses.Advise on enterprise, legal and regulatory risk frameworks.Develop risk registers, controls and remediation programmes.Advise on ethics, anti-bribery, conflicts of interest and third-party compliance.Lead or support internal investigations.Advise clients on the practical implementation of legal and regulatory requirements.Data & PrivacyAdvise on Saudi personal data protection and related privacy requirements.Lead privacy compliance and data-governance mandates.Draft and review privacy and data-processing arrangements.Advise on information governance.Support legal and regulatory aspects of cybersecurity and information-security compliance.Clients & Business DevelopmentOriginate new clients, mandates and advisory opportunities.Build and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders across government entities, regulated businesses, multinational companies and Saudi corporates.Maintain a qualified commercial pipeline for the Practice.Lead strategic proposals, tenders, pitches and client presentations.Develop recurring and managed advisory opportunities.Identify and pursue cross-selling opportunities with other WASF practices and solutions.Contribute to sector and market-development initiatives.Financial & Commercial ManagementOwn the Practice's annual revenue and profitability targets.Monitor pricing, matter economics, realization and collections.Ensure engagements are appropriately scoped, resourced and commercially viable.Develop recurring and scalable advisory offerings.Ensure workforce and capacity decisions are supported by sustainable demand.RequirementsBachelor's degree in Law from a recognized university. Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience.Significant experience in regulatory, governance, compliance, risk or related legal advisory work.Strong understanding of the Saudi legal, regulatory and institutional environment.Demonstrated experience advising government entities, regulated organizations or major corporations.Strong experience developing governance, compliance or risk frameworks.Ability to interpret complex regulatory requirements and translate them into practical business solutions.Experience managing complex or multidisciplinary advisory engagements.Demonstrated client-development and business-origination capability.Strong leadership and team-management experience.Excellent Arabic and English drafting and communication skills.Key Performance ExpectationsThe Head of Regulatory, Governance & Compliance will be assessed against:Practice revenue and profitability.New clients and mandates.Recurring advisory revenue.Qualified commercial pipeline.Proposal win rate.Client retention and satisfaction.Collections and matter economics.Quality and timeliness of deliverables.Development of Practice methodologies and intellectual capital.Team utilization, productivity and development.Cross-selling and collaboration across WASF.