Job summary
Provide practical, commercially focused and hands-on legal and compliance support across PPB Properties and Hillcrest Gardens core businesses in property development, property investment and plantation operations. The role serves as a trusted legal business partner to Management and business units by advising on legal, regulatory, contractual and governance matters, leading the review and negotiation of key commercial documentation, supporting strategic and operational decision-making, managing disputes and external counsel, and strengthening legal risk management and compliance practices across the organization.
Job description:
Legal
- Act as a legal business partner to Management and business units by providing commercially sound, practical and solution-oriented legal advice on operational, commercial, regulatory and governance matters, and by guiding stakeholders on legal implications, risk exposure and available options to support informed decision-making.
- Lead the drafting, review and negotiation of legal documentation and assess legal risks for a broad range of matters, including sale and purchase agreements, tenancy and lease agreements, construction and consultancy contracts, procurement and service agreements, letters of award, non-disclosure agreements and other commercial arrangements, while ensuring contractual terms appropriately protect the company's legal and commercial position.
- Provide legal advisory and transactional support:
- for property development activities, including land-related matters, project documentation, purchaser documentation, regulatory requirements, due diligence support, and coordination with internal teams and external solicitors to facilitate timely and legally sound project execution.
- for the property investment business by advising on tenancy, leasing, fit-out, facilities-related, arrears recovery and operational issues involving tenants, landlords, service providers and asset management teams, and by helping structure practical positions for negotiations, enforcement and issue resolution.
- for plantation operations, including commercial, land use, licensing, procurement, operational and dispute-related matters, while ensuring legal advice is practical, risk-aware and workable at site level.
- Work closely with business and operational teams to understand issues firsthand, identify legal risks early, and translate legal requirements into clear actions, templates, processes and controls that support compliant and efficient execution.
- Manage disputes, claims and potential litigation by assessing exposure, preserving documents, coordinating internal fact-finding, developing recommended positions, managing and liaising with authorities, insurers and other relevant stakeholders to support effective resolution and cost management.
- Manage panel of external solicitors, including selection, performance and fee negotiation
- Control legal spend and optimize use of external counsel
- Handle/manage legal disputes with business associates, tenants and other external stakeholders using internal legal capabilities in order to reduce dependency on external counsels
- Establish and manage an internal pre-litigation framework, including issuance of demand letters, notices of breach, and enforcement correspondence prior to engaging external solicitors.
- Develop standardized demand letter templates and escalation protocols for tenancy arrears, contractor defaults, SPA breaches, and commercial disputes.
- Advise business units on legal positioning, recovery strategy and negotiation approach to maximize recovery and minimize legal costs.
- Track and report recovery outcomes, ageing of disputes, and success rates of internal resolution vs external litigation.
- Monitor legal and regulatory developments and strengthen legal governance by keeping abreast of relevant laws and regulations, supporting compliance with internal policies and governance requirements, and improving legal templates, contract administration practices, records management and escalation processes.
- Legal Operations & Process Transformation - Establish and standardize legal templates and SOPs
- Implement tracking systems for contracts, disputes, and compliance matters
- Improve turnaround time and service delivery metrics
Compliance
- Manage and strengthen the compliance programme by overseeing day-to-day compliance operations, supporting the implementation of compliance frameworks, policies and procedures, identifying emerging regulatory and conduct risks, and driving practical actions to strengthen compliance controls across the organization.
- Drive compliance awareness and capability building by developing and supporting communication, training and awareness initiatives that promote understanding of compliance obligations, expected standards of conduct and accountability across business units and support functions.
- Support compliance monitoring, reporting and issue resolution by reviewing compliance reports and findings, identifying trends or areas of concern, escalating significant issues where appropriate, and following up with stakeholders on remedial actions to address identified gaps, weaknesses or breaches in a timely manner.
- Provide practical compliance advisory support by responding to internal queries, guiding stakeholders on the application of relevant policies, procedures and regulatory requirements, supporting compliance reviews and investigations, and helping the business manage issues in a manner that is practical, risk-aware and aligned with governance expectations.
Board meeting coordination
- Provide legal and governance support for Board and Board Committee matters by coordinating the compilation and timely submission of board papers, reviewing submissions from business units to ensure completeness, clarity, consistency and suitability for Board deliberation, identifying legal, governance and risk issues, following up on gaps or revisions, and working closely with Management and the company secretarial function on agendas, resolutions and post-meeting follow-up actions.
- Support Board committees on legal and compliance matters
Manage the legal and compliance team
- Lead and manage the legal and compliance team by overseeing day-to-day operations, prioritizing and allocating work, setting expectations, reviewing the quality and timeliness of outputs, and ensuring matters are handled efficiently, consistently and in alignment with business priorities, legal requirements and governance standards.
- Develop team capability and bench strength by coaching and guiding team members, providing technical direction, supporting professional growth, promoting accountability and collaboration, and building a responsive team culture that delivers practical, high-quality legal and compliance support to the organization.
Undertake any other duties assigned by Management to support evolving business needs.
We are looking for:-
Education & Qualification
- LLB or equivalent recognized Law Degree; Advocate & Solicitor admitted to practice in Malaysia.
Relevant Experience & Years of Service
- 8-10 years of post-qualification experience in legal practice and/or in-house legal roles, with strong experience in commercial contracting, legal advisory and stakeholder management. Prior exposure to property development, leasing/tenancy, construction, corporate governance, dispute management or other asset-intensive and operationally driven environments will be advantageous.
Technical Skills & Professional Knowledge
- Strong knowledge of contract, commercial and corporate law with solid drafting, review, negotiation and legal risk assessment skills.
- Good working knowledge of Malaysian laws and regulations relevant to property development, conveyancing support, leasing and tenancy, land-related matters, regulatory compliance and general commercial operations.
- Ability to identify and evaluate legal risks, recommend practical mitigation measures, and provide business-friendly solutions that can be implemented effectively by operational teams.
- Comfortable working closely with site, project, leasing and operations teams, including the ability to investigate issues on the ground and translate facts into legal positions and actions.
- Strong organisational skills, sound contract and document management discipline, and attention to detail in handling sensitive and complex legal matters.
- Ability to independently handle a broad portfolio of legal matters, prioritise competing demands, and exercise sound judgment when escalating significant legal or reputational risks.
- Proficient in Microsoft 365 applications including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, with the ability to prepare clear legal summaries, risk notes and management papers.
- Good understanding of board governance processes, including coordination and review of board papers, submissions and resolutions, with the ability to work effectively with business units and the company secretarial function within tight timelines.
Competencies
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the confidence to engage Management, business teams and board-facing stakeholders.
- Commercially astute, pragmatic and solutions-oriented, with good judgment in balancing legal risk, governance requirements and business priorities.
- Able to influence and guide stakeholders constructively while maintaining strong collaboration across functions.
- Hands-on, resilient and responsive, with the ability to move effectively between advisory work and operational ground-level support.
- High standards of integrity, professionalism, discretion and accountability.
