Executive Legal Counsel - Legal BD

About the Role
This position involves supporting senior members of the legal team by providing legal advice and assistance on complex projects and M&A transactions, particularly in the African region. You will be responsible for drafting legal documents, managing compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and identifying potential legal risks associated with projects or transactions. The role is instrumental in ensuring successful project development and transaction execution.

Key Accountabilities
People Development

• Provide on-the-job coaching and mentoring to junior team members on project legal matters to facilitate talent development.

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 across multiple jurisdictions.
• Collaborate with acquisitions and divestitures, business development, technical, and finance teams to evaluate 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 as necessary.

Legal Risk Management

• Identify and analyze legal risks concerning assigned projects or deals, offering mitigation strategies to the line manager to proactively handle and reduce risks.

Legal Documentation

• Develop, update, and maintain legal agreement templates for assigned transactions/projects to ensure readiness for use when required.
• Prepare RFPs for appointing external legal counsel, including creating comparison charts to capture all requirements and specifications.

Agreements and Contracts

• Review and develop all agreements and contracts associated with the assigned project/deal, ensuring amendments meet project needs and the interests of the company.
• Handle complex negotiations and assist in aggressive negotiations with key stakeholders as necessary to protect company interests.

Monitoring of Legal Partners

• Monitor the performance of external legal partners, providing inputs to ensure adherence to desired standards.

Collaboration

• Coordinate with external parties, including law firms, shareholders, banks, and off-takers to ensure all vital legal information and documentation is available for the assigned project/deal.
• Support senior management interactions regarding legal matters and provide legal opinions on assigned projects to ensure awareness of legal implications.

Policies, Processes, Systems & Procedures

• Implement approved departmental policies, processes, and procedures, ensuring employee compliance for work to be performed to required standards.

Continuous Improvement

• Motivate your team to contribute to the identification and implementation of change initiatives, programs, and projects in alignment with organizational standards.

Related Assignments

• Perform other related duties or assignments as directed.

Communication & Working Relationships
Internal:

• Collaborate closely with the Deputy General Counsel overseeing M&A transactions and project development in Africa, the Acquisitions and Divestitures team, the Africa Business Development team, asset legal teams, and other departments as required.

External:

• Liaise with external legal entities, regulatory bodies, consultants, and others as necessary.

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 reputable university or law school.

• Minimum Experience:

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

• Skills:

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

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