Legal & Compliance Manager
About this role
About UTOPIA
UTOPIA is a venture studio (Utopia Studio) and fund manager platform (Utopia Capital) headquartered in Doha, operating across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The platform combines early-stage venture funds with an in-house studio that builds companies directly, supported by a proprietary technology infrastructure that shortens the time from idea to build. A team of 30 runs capital deployment, company-building and infrastructure together, giving the platform direct access to markets, data and operating relationships across three regions.
UTOPIA is anchored by sovereign wealth and Qatar's leading development institutions, and is invested in alongside family offices, high-net-worth investors and foundations. The platform is regulated by the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA), and its investor base sets the standard for the financial rigour, compliance and operational discipline it runs to. UTOPIA builds and backs early-stage ventures led by domain experts, with capital efficiency and disciplined execution central to how it operates.
The Role
The Legal & Compliance Manager keeps the platform's regulatory, compliance and legal obligations current and on time across both Utopia Studio and Utopia Capital. This is a hands-on, execution-focused role. The Manager owns the compliance calendar, prepares and coordinates filings, keeps registers and records accurate, and puts the policies and frameworks set by leadership into day-to-day practice. Regulatory strategy and controlled-function accountability sit with the COO and CEO. The MLRO and Compliance Officer functions are held externally through a service provider, and this role works alongside them to make sure the platform meets its obligations on time.
Reports to: COO.
Direct reports: None.
Works closely with: COO, CFO and finance, People & Operations, the outsourced MLRO / Compliance Officer, external counsel and company secretary, and the Utopia Studio and Utopia Capital teams.
Location: Doha, Qatar (full-time, with some remote allowances during the summers)
Compensation: circa US$50,000 per annum.
What you will own
There are four areas of ownership: regulatory filings, compliance operations, legal administration, and governance records. Together they keep the platform's obligations met on time across both entities.
Regulatory filings & reporting
Own the platform's regulatory filing calendar across both entities: track every QFCRA (and other applicable) deadline, and support the Compliance Officer with preparing submissions and accurate and on-time filings.
Coordinate periodic regulatory returns and maintain a clear record of what has been filed, when, and what is next due, so status is visible at any moment across all group entities
Own the compliance and filing cycle for the fund vehicles (Cayman & QFC)
Own the reporting calendar to our investors and LPs: track deliverables and milestones, prepare and coordinate the periodic reports, and make sure every submission is complete, accurate and on time.
Compliance operations
Run day-to-day compliance monitoring against existing policies, and act as the internal point of contact for the outsourced MLRO and Compliance Officer, gathering information, completing first-line checks and following actions through to closure.
Execute onboarding and KYC due diligence, screening, and the upkeep of conflicts, gifts and entertainment registers.
Prepare (when needed) compliance reporting packs for the COO and board, and support supervisory engagement and audits by assembling documentation and tracking remediation actions to closure.
Coordinate the fund-level AML and economic substance obligations in Cayman with the outsourced administrator and appointed officers, keeping the platform's records aligned with what is filed offshore.
Legal & contract administration
Draft, review and process standard-form agreements (NDAs, vendor, engagement and service agreements) and manage the contract lifecycle from request to execution to storage.
Maintain the contract register and central legal repository so every agreement is filed, findable and current.
Coordinate with external legal counsel on matters beyond standard scope, managing instructions, turnaround and documentation.
Own corporate housekeeping across the platform's entities, ensuring that registrations, renewals, licences and statutory records are completed on time.
Governance & records
Keep the platform's policies, registers and corporate records organised, version-controlled and up to date.
Maintain accurate entity and shareholding records across the Group and keep the corporate register current.
Ensure documentation is retained and organised to the standard the platform's regulator and investor base expect.
Who we are looking for
4–6 years in a compliance, regulatory reporting or filings function, ideally within a regulated financial services, fund management or professional services environment.
A bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as accounting, finance, business or economics.
A law degree or specialist compliance certification is not mandatory, though a legal or compliance background is advantageous. What matters most is the years you have spent working hands-on inside a compliance or reporting function.
Practical familiarity with regulatory filing and compliance processes; direct QFCRA, DFSA, FSRA or comparable exposure is a strong advantage.
Meticulous and deadline-driven, taking pride in nothing being late, nothing being missed, and every record being accurate.
Highly organised and self-directed, comfortable owning a calendar of recurring obligations and chasing the inputs you need from others.
Practical and execution-minded, more focused on getting the filing done correctly
GCC experience preferred; familiarity with Qatar's institutional and regulatory landscape is an advantage.
Temperament: reliable, discreet, calm under deadline pressure, and comfortable holding colleagues to account to get documentation in on time.
Why this Role
Real ownership of the platform's day-to-day regulatory and compliance execution across both a fund manager and a venture studio.
A clearly defined, hands-on role reporting directly to the COO, focused on day-to-day execution while strategy and accountability sit above you.
Institutional context: sovereign-grade anchor partners, a QFCRA-regulated environment, and an investor base that sets a high operational standard.
A platform at the point where it scales, giving you the chance to build reliable, repeatable compliance operations for both entities.
We believe innovation should be inclusive and globally distributed. Our team is built on openness, curiosity, and collaboration — with people from across the GCC, Africa, and Southeast Asia working together to build meaningful ventures.
All roles are based in Doha, Qatar, with flexible hybrid options and global travel opportunities (unless otherwise stated). We welcome talent from every background to join us in shaping the future of AI-native innovation.
Originally posted on Himalayas