Senior Corporate M&A Associate | Saudi Arabia

Location: Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) Practice Area: Corporate / M&A Level: Senior Associate

The Opportunity

A leading law firm with a strong presence in the Kingdom is seeking an experienced Senior Corporate M&A Associate to join its Corporate practice in Saudi Arabia. This is an opportunity to work at the center of the Kingdom's most active dealmaking sectors, advising a well-established client base of regional and international clients on complex, high-value transactions.

The firm's Corporate M&A practice has deep, long-standing relationships across the Digital, Energy, Infrastructure, and Industrials sectors — giving successful candidates immediate exposure to landmark deals shaping Saudi Arabia's economic transformation under Vision 2030.

The Role

You will work closely with Partners and senior stakeholders, taking genuine ownership of transactions rather than sitting purely in a support capacity. The firm is looking for a lawyer who can operate with a high degree of autonomy and credibility in front of clients.

Key responsibilities:

• Acting as lead counsel on complex M&A transactions, managing deal process, timelines, and workstreams end-to-end
• Advising on both buy-side and sell-side mandates across a range of transaction structures (share and asset deals, joint ventures, restructurings, and cross-border transactions)
• Leading due diligence processes and coordinating cross-functional and multi-jurisdictional deal teams
• Drafting and negotiating transaction documentation, including SPAs, SHAs, JV agreements, and ancillary documents
• Managing relationships with clients, co-counsel, and regulatory bodies as a trusted point of contact
• Mentoring and supervising junior associates on deal teams

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• Qualified lawyer with 6+ years post-qualification experience in Corporate/M&A, gained at a leading regional or international firm
• Demonstrable experience running deals as lead counsel, with genuine ownership of process and client relationships
• Strong stakeholder management skills — comfortable engaging directly with clients, counterparties, and senior firm leadership
• Experience advising on Saudi and/or cross-border M&A transactions, on either buy-side or sell-side mandates (sector-agnostic within our core industries)
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and project management skills

Highly regarded:

• Arabic language skills (not essential, but advantageous)
• Experience working within or alongside Saudi regulatory frameworks (SAMA, CMA, MISA, GAC, etc. as relevant to transaction type)

Why Apply

• Direct exposure to some of the region's most significant and complex transactions working under the leadership of a truly exceptional Partnership team
• Genuine deal leadership and client-facing responsibility, not just execution support
• Access to an extensively established client base across high-growth sectors central to Saudi Arabia's economic diversification
• Encouraged path towards Partnership progression