Executive Legal Counsel - Legal BD

We are a developer, investor, and operator of power generation and desalinated water plants, with 90 assets in operation, construction, or advanced development across 13 countries.

Job Purpose: To support more senior members of the team; provide legal advice and support with respect to an assigned portion of a large complex project (in particular in Africa) or M&A transaction (in any jurisdictions) or an assigned project/ M&A transaction of the Company; draft legal documents, and agreements, and identify and raise legal risks across this project or M&A transaction, in order to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations and timely resolution of issues.

Key Accountabilities:

People Development

Provide on the job coaching and mentoring to other junior members of the team on project legal matters for the assigned project, in order to enable development of talent across the team.

Legal Advice and Support

• Assist in drafting, reviewing, and negotiating SPAs, shareholders' agreements, joint development agreements, and other key corporate and project documents.
• Support project development initiatives, particularly in North and West Africa.
• Lead and coordinate legal due diligence exercises in multiple jurisdictions.
• Work closely with acquisitions and divestures, business development, technical, and finance teams to assess legal risks and transaction structures.
• Assist in the negotiation of term sheets and manage external counsel relationships.
• Monitor compliance with local and international regulatory frameworks relevant to power and water projects (e.g. foreign ownership, grid regulations, public-private partnership laws).
• Liaise with external partners, co-sponsors, government entities, and lenders where relevant.

Legal Risk Management

Identify legal risks and issues with respect to assigned project/ deal, and ways on how to mitigate them, and provide suggestions to the line manager, in order to proactively manage risks and timely mitigate them.

Legal Documentation

• Develop, update and maintain templates of legal agreements for an assigned transaction/project or support on a complex project/ M&A deal, in order to ensure the templates are ready and can be used when required.
• Prepare RFPs for appointing of external legal counsel (including preparing comparison charts), in order to ensure all requirements and specifications are captured.

Agreements and Contracts

• Develop and review all agreements and contracts relevant to the assigned project/deal or portion of a project/deal from a legal perspective, and make necessary amendments, in order to ensure they meet the needs and interests of the project/deal and of the Company.
• Handle complex negotiations and assist in aggressive negotiations with key stakeholders as required, for the assigned project/deal, in order to ensure the interests of the Company and the project/deal is safeguarded.

Monitoring of Legal Partners

Monitors the performance of external legal partners, and provide inputs in order to ensure they perform as per the desired level and required standards.

Collaboration

• Coordinate with external parties including external law firms, shareholders, banks, off takers, etc. as required, in order to ensure all the necessary al legal information and documentation is available for the assigned project/deal.
• Provide support in interacting with the senior management, as required with respect to legal matters/issues, legal opinions on the assigned project, in order to ensure they are aware of the legal implications

Policies, Processes, Systems & Procedures

 Implement approved departmental policies, processes, and procedures, and ensure employee adherence so that work is carried out to the required standard.

Continuous Improvement

Manage and motivate the team to ensure they contribute to, and participate in, the identification and implementation of change initiatives, programmes, and projects in line with the organisation’s standards.

Related Assignments

Perform other related duties or assignments as directed.

COMMUNICATION & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Internal:

Working closely with the Deputy General Counsel in charge of M&A transactions and projects development in Africa of the Company, the Acquisitions and Divestitures team, the Africa BD team, asset legal team, and other departments as required

External:

Liaise with external legal entities, regulatory bodies, consultants, etc. as required .

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, & SKILLS: 

• 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 background from a well-regarded university or law school.

   

  Minimum Experience:

  • 7–9 years of post-qualification experience at a top-tier international law firm or in-house legal team, with exposure to energy, or utilities transactions and experience in projects development, M&A transactions, corporate law

  Skills:

  • Demonstrated experience working on cross-border M&A in emerging markets but also in Europe and North America.
  • Demonstrated experience working on project development, ideally in the energy or utilities sectors, in emerging markets, in particular in North and West Africa.
  • Full professional fluency in English and French (spoken and written).
  • Strong drafting, analytical, and negotiation skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in fast-paced, multicultural environments.
  • Commercial awareness and sound judgment.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines.
  • Willingness to travel occasionally to support transaction closings or stakeholder meetings

Committed to creating a culture that is as diverse AND vibrant as the markets we serve