Associate Director – Legal

Location: Hyderabad, India

Our elite hedge fund client is seeking an accomplished legal professional to take on a senior leadership role within the Legal and Compliance function of a globally established investment and technology-driven organisation.

This is an chance to lead and expand a high-performing legal team while supporting complex international business operations. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on involvement in drafting and negotiating commercial, intellectual property and trading agreements. You will work closely with global stakeholders, strengthen legal capabilities and contribute to initiatives that shape the organisation's broader legal and compliance priorities.

Responsibilities And Priorities

- Lead, manage and expand a sub-team within the Legal department, ensuring effective delivery across the global legal and compliance function.
- Draft, review and negotiate a broad range of international commercial agreements, particularly those relating to intellectual property and trading activities.
- Oversee contractual arrangements including licensing agreements, SaaS contracts, ISDA, GMRA, trading confirmations, repos, NDAs and vendor agreements.
- Maintain hands-on involvement in complex negotiations while overseeing the broader contract portfolio and associated legal risks.
- Collaborate with global and local stakeholders to address legal matters and support business requirements.
- Drive talent acquisition, development and retention initiatives to build a high-performing legal team.
- Mentor team members, provide career guidance and create meaningful professional growth opportunities.
- Contribute to departmental initiatives, process improvements and strategic priorities impacting the global organisation.
- Report to and work closely with the India General Counsel.

Experience And Skills





- Approximately 12 years of relevant legal experience, including at least 6 years of experience leading large legal teams.
- Experience working across both law firms and multinational organisations.
- Strong track record in drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex commercial and financial agreements.
- Demonstrated expertise in intellectual property and trading-related contracts.
- Proven experience managing, developing and retaining high-performing legal teams.
- Strong understanding of international contractual frameworks and legal risk management.
- Experience working with global stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions.
- Excellent negotiation, communication and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

Tools, Tech And Platform Capabilities

- Familiarity with SaaS agreements, technology licensing and vendor contractual arrangements.
- Understanding of legal contract management processes and frameworks.
- Exposure to data privacy-related legal matters and compliance practices.

Qualifications, Licenses And Academic Achievements

- Bachelor's degree in Law (LLB) is essential.
- Master's degree in Law (LLM) is preferred.

Who is our client and what they need

- A strategic legal leader who can balance hands-on legal responsibilities with broader team management.
- An accomplished negotiator with strong commercial awareness and sound legal judgement.
- Someone capable of building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across global offices.
- A people-oriented leader who takes ownership of recruitment, talent development and team performance.
- Highly organised, detail-oriented and comfortable navigating complex legal matters under tight deadlines.
- A professional who demonstrates integrity, discretion and sound decision-making.

📌 Associate Director - Legal (Hyderabad)
🏢 aaa global
📍 Hyderabad