Project Development & Construction Associate/Senior Associate

A&O Shearman; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 300,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

A&O Shearman is seeking a mid or senior associate to join their Project Development & Construction team in the UAE. The candidate should possess strong EPC and commercial contract experience, particularly within energy infrastructure and project finance contexts.

The role involves providing strategic guidance to clients, drafting and negotiating contracts, and managing client relationships. A blend of legal expertise and commercial acumen is essential, along with the ability to lead and collaborate in a dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in EPC construction contracts and revenue contracts, preferably in oil & gas or hydrogen.
• Strong organisational skills and clear verbal and written communication.
• Legal and sector knowledge development.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic guidance and leading transactions.
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating project contracts.
• Managing client expectations and project delivery.
• Collaborating across teams in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

EPC construction contracts

Revenue contracts

Negotiating project contracts

Strong market awareness

Client relationship management

Education

Qualified lawyer in the 4–8 PQE range

Job description

Department purpose

Shearman is the world’s leading Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure practice. With over 70 partners and 250 lawyers worldwide, we have consistently closed more project finance deals globally than any other law firm and are an acknowledged market leader across the project development space. We advise the most sophisticated sponsors, project and construction companies, debt providers and governments across a wide array of sectors, including all aspects of the energy transition – hydrogen, green fuels, carbon capture, renewables, power generation, thermal, nuclear and transmission – as well as social infrastructure (road, rail, ports, telecommunications, waste and water) and mining and natural resources, and oil and gas (upstream, midstream and downstream). We provide our clients with a totally integrated service on all aspects of projects and acquisition work in both the primary and secondary markets, drawing on and marshalling our specialist skills in project development, construction, deal‑structuring, bankability, equity strategy, debt financing and refinancing – including bank private placement, capital markets, ECA, multilateral and regulatory compliance.

Role purpose

The group is currently recruiting for a mid or senior associate with a specific skill base focused on construction and project development to join our market‑leading Project Development & Construction team within our global Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure practice. We are looking for someone with strong experience of EPC construction contracts, revenue contracts (including from the oil & gas or hydrogen sectors) as well as PPAs, concessions and other commercial contracts, all within an energy infrastructure and preferably project finance context. This experience will have been gained through advising on actual greenfield project development matters, with a preference for sponsor‑side experience. Experience advising lenders, offtakers, governments and contractors is also helpful, but secondary.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic guidance to clients and leading on transactions through strong market awareness and an understanding of market trends and client requirements.
• Drafting, reviewing, amending and negotiating project contracts.
• Managing client expectations, deadlines and project delivery appropriately.
• Collaborating across teams, departments and jurisdictions in a fast‑paced, intellectually rigorous environment.
• Managing matters or workstreams and maximising financial contribution.
• Leadership and supervision of junior team members.
• Recognising and acting upon opportunities for business development together with assistance on and implementation of group and firm‑wide business development strategies.
• Proactive engagement with clients both on and off deal with a view towards building and maintaining strong client relationships.
• Legal and sector knowledge development and sharing internally and externally.
• Assisting with billing activities and timely invoicing.

Qualifications

Qualified lawyer in the 4–8 PQE range (with some flexibility above that), currently within a leading international law firm. Resilient self‑starter with intellectual curiosity and versatility to continuously acquire, build upon and share knowledge. Evidence of a keen interest in project development allied to strong technical knowledge across multiple disciplines. Highly motivated team player with excellent organisational skills, clear and concise verbal and written communicator, outstanding interpersonal skills, a good eye for detail, entrepreneurial drive, strong commercial/business acumen and clear understanding of law‑firm economics and the firm’s strategic priorities. A person of sound judgement and core values, able to establish a high level of credibility.