To support senior members of the legal team by providing legal advice and support in connection with a designated portion of a large, complex project or M&A transaction (in any jurisdiction), or a simple standalone project or M&A transaction. This includes drafting legal documents and agreements, identifying and raising legal risks, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations to facilitate timely resolution of legal issues.
Key Accountabilities:
Legal Advice and Support
Power Projects
- Draft, review, and negotiate project-related agreements (e.g., JDAs, shareholder agreements, offtake contracts).
- Support development activities, particularly in North and West Africa.
- Lead legal due diligence across jurisdictions.
- Advise on legal risks, regulatory compliance, and project structures.
- Liaise with co-sponsors, government entities, and lenders.
M&A Transactions
- Draft, review, and negotiate SPAs, shareholder agreements, and related documents.
- Support cross-border M&A execution in the energy and utilities sectors.
- Assess legal risks and coordinate with internal teams.
- Assist in term sheet negotiation and manage external counsel.
- Support review of legal aspects of financial models and closing deliverables.
Legal Risk Management
- Identify legal risks in the assigned project or transaction and propose mitigation strategies for review by senior lawyer and/or line manager
Legal Documentation
- Develop, update, and maintain legal templates for use in assigned projects or transactions.
- Prepare RFPs for the appointment of external legal counsel, including comparative analyses, to ensure alignment with project requirements.
Agreements and Contracts
- Review and revise agreements relevant to the assigned project or transaction to ensure alignment with Company interests.
- Handle less complex negotiations and support more complex negotiations as needed to protect the Company's position.
Monitoring of Legal Partners
- Monitor the performance of external legal counsel and provide input to ensure they meet expected standards.
Collaboration
- Coordinate with external parties (law firms, shareholders, banks, offtakers, etc.) to gather required legal information and documentation.
- Support interactions with senior management on legal issues and implications concerning the assigned project or transaction.
People Development
- Provide on-the-job coaching and mentoring to junior team members on legal aspects of the assigned project to support talent development.
Policies, Processes, Systems & Procedures
- Implement approved legal department policies and procedures and ensure adherence to maintain quality standards.
Qualifications :
- Qualified in both a common law jurisdiction (e.g., UK, US, Canada) and a civil law jurisdiction (e.g., France, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, etc.).
- Strong academic credentials from a reputable university or law school.
- 4 years of post-qualification experience at a top-tier international law firm or in-house legal team with exposure to the energy or utilities sector, M&A transactions, and project development
- Proven experience in cross-border M&A, particularly in emerging markets.
- Proven experience in project development in the energy or utilities sector, particularly in North and West Africa.
- Full professional fluency in English and French (written and spoken).
- Strong legal drafting, analytical, and negotiation skills.
- Ability to work effectively in fast-paced, multicultural environments.
- Commercial acumen and sound judgment.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to manage multiple workstreams and meet deadlines.
- Willingness to travel occasionally to support transaction closings and stakeholder meetings.
