Description

WE ARE HIRING!

Position Title: Head of Legal and Compliance

Department: Legal and Compliance

Employment Type: Full-time

Help us reimagine the 21st-century University.

We are Fulbright University Vietnam (“Fulbright”), Vietnam’s first independent, not-for-profit, liberal arts university. We are an expanding international team of educational innovators, with deep roots in Vietnam, strong political and financial backing, and connections to educational institutions around the world. Importantly, Fulbright is committed to serving Vietnamese society through rigorous research and responsible civic engagement.

We seek outstanding faculty and professional staff to join our growing team. Fulbright’s team thrives on a passion for educating the next generation of Vietnamese leaders equipped with the skills to tackle global challenges. We are creative, adaptive, determined with a good sense of humor.

If you want to see Vietnam’s youth meet their greatest potential, join us! Our flagship campus will be located in Saigon Hi-Tech Park, in Ho Chi Minh City (District 9). Until phase 1 of campus construction is completed in Fall 2026, we are located at Crescent Plaza, Tan Phu, in Ho Chi Minh City (District 7).

Job scope

The Head of Legal and Compliance, Fulbright University Vietnam Corporation and Fulbright University Vietnam (collectively “FUV”) provides strategic legal advice of the high standards to form part of the decision-making process throughout FUV by the Board of Trustees, the President, and the Vice Presidents and other department heads, as well as to earn trust from the donors, sponsors and partners. As FUV operates at the intersection of traditional and innovative education, the incumbent must possess the ability to deliver best-quality legal services in light of FUV’s mission to inspire new generations of leaders and ambitious thinkers of diverse origin to serve Vietnamese society and contribute to a better world.

The Head of Legal and Compliance provides legal supports in all aspects of the corporate, development, granting and donation, academic and operational issues. The Head of Legal and Compliance leads and ensures effective management of the Legal Department, the efficient use of external resources. The incumbent works closely with other senior executives to ensure effective communication and information flow on legal matters related to the operational and academic activities of FUV.

This is a demanding and multi-tasking position and will require an experienced leader with strong leadership, coaching and coordinating skills combined with profound business understanding in education sector.

Key duties:

To ensure FUV to operate in compliance with laws and regulations, especially the Education law, Enterprise Law and Labor Law, to protect and optimize legitimate interests of FUV, contribute to building the reputation of FUV, by way of providing quality legal services;
To develop a corporate legal strategy that both promotes legal interests and and optimizes the operational autonomy of FUV;
To provide high quality legal input to the decisions of the Board of Trustees, the President, the Vice Presidents and other department heads;
To drive a culture of professional excellence and agility, as well as provide vision and effective leadership for the Legal Team;
To protect and defend FUV from legal risks.

Reporting Lines

Solid reports to: Vice President for Operations and Business Development

Dotted-line reports to: NA

List by title positions which report directly to this position:

Senior Legal Counsel
Legal Officer

Roles and Responsibilities

The roles and responsibilities of the Head of Legal and Compliance includes but is not limited to:

1. Corporate Consulting

Reviewing/drafting contracts and legal documents during the operation of FUV;
Reviewing/drafting MOUs and other agreements for academic cooperation with foreign and local institutions and universities;
Building legal template repository, providing legal guidance for optimizing the template usage;
Advising various legal issues, providing legal trainings and updates;
Providing legal support and advice for FUV’s education initiatives;
Central file-keeping, developing and maintaining contract management system, ensuring complete and accurate copies of contract documentation are kept and accessible;
Developing and managing relationships with external law firms, ensuring the use of external legal services with cost efficiency and best quality

2. Corporate Licensing and IP Registration

Obtaining, maintaining and updating corporate licenses including enterprise registration, investment certificate, etc.
Registering, maintaining and protecting FUV’s IP rights;
Advising other IP matters, including copyright associated with lectures, project works, presentations, researches, etc. conducted by FUV or funded by FUV’s resources.

3. District 9 Campus and Special Transactions

Advising legal matters related to the land lease contract with SHTP;
Assisting in legal matters of District 9 Campus development project, reviewing contracts with contractors, consultants and suppliers for FUV’s best legitimate interest;
Assisting in legal matters of strategic financing/funding/granting transactions such as those with DFC, Sovico/HDBank and individual donors, providing legal advice, conducting or responding to legal due diligence, drafting/reviewing agreements for those transactions;
Supporting post-transaction legal issues

4. Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Dispute Resolution

Proposing steps and measures to improve the organisation and internal coordination of FUV, including registration of required boards, councils, personnels from both corporate and university perspectives;
Proposing effective processes and systems for the execution of contracts and other legal documents;
Contributing to new legislation related to FUV’s operation, especially in education sector;
Responding to authorities’ requests or investigations related to the compliance with Education Law, Enterprise Law, Labor Law and others;
Assisting other departments in legal reporting;
Assisting other departments including HR, Finance, Academic affairs in responding to authorities’ periodical or irregular investigations;
Representing FUV in disputes, litigation or other legal proceedings (if any)

5. Other duties:

Contributing to team effort by welcoming new and different work requirements; exploring new opportunities to enhance the services of the department; helping others accomplish related job results as and where needed; and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

What we look for

Education: Bachelor’s degree in law or above

Experience:

Experience in leading a complex legal function and building strong corporate governance;
Minimum 10-year legal practice with 3-year service as head of in-house counsel departments;
A Professional Lawyer Certificate issued by the Vietnamese BAR Association is an advantage.
Experience in international law is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Proficiency in both English and Vietnamese languages is required
Well versed in all aspects of Education Law, Enterprise Law, Labor Law and regulations; Experience in education laws and US rules and regulations is an advantage.
Profound understanding of business needs, strong ability to view from different angles and propose solutions that best balances commercial and legal interests;
Strong strategic, analytical and influencing skill;
Excellent legal drafting skill;
Ability to work independently and collaboratively with senior peers;

What we offer

· Opportunity to join a passionate team who shares the belief in the transformative power of education and values the unique opportunity to create a new university.

· Opportunity to participate in public talks, workshops, seminars, as well as other enriching activities at Fulbright.

· A dynamic, innovative, and professional work environment.

· Intensive English-speaking environment.

· Competitive salary and high-end insurance schemes for employees and direct family members.

· Professional development opportunities.

Application Instructions

How to Apply

· To see all job listings, please visit our list of vacancies: https://fulbright.edu.vn/join-us/

· All applications must include evidence that addresses the mandatory requirements.

· Fulbright University Vietnam employs Interfolio to manage the application process.

· Need help? Please visit Interfolio Product Help: https://product-help.interfolio.com/m/27438 or contact Talent Acquisition team at: jobs@fulbright.edu.vn

Organizational Accountabilities

FUV is committed to the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff members. FUV and its staff members must comply with a range of Vietnamese legal and regulatory requirements, including foreign investment & business, import & export, contracts & commerce, banking, finance & foreign exchange, labor, taxation, land & premises, environment, and immigration. FUV expects all staff members to comply with its Code of Conduct, policies and procedures, which relate to legal and regulatory requirements and our ways of working.

FUV is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to foster a campus community that recognizes the value of all persons regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender expression and identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socio-economic background. Please visit this page for our statement on Diversity: https://fulbright.edu.vn/statement-of-diversity/

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Fulbright University Vietnam is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion. All eligible candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation.