Projects, Development & Construction Associate (3-5 PQE)

A&O Shearman; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Mental health resources

Onsite gym & wellbeing facilities

Holiday entitlement with flexible work

Job summary

A&O Shearman in London seeks an Associate to join the Projects, Development & Construction team, focusing on revenue contracts, EPC/construction contracts, concessions, and related commercial matters within energy and project finance contexts.

The role emphasizes cross-border collaboration, client relationship management, accurate drafting, and timely billing, with a hybrid working model requiring 60% office presence.

Qualifications

• Qualified lawyer with 3–5 PQE
• Experience in energy and infrastructure sector
• Strong drafting and negotiation skills

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic guidance to clients through market awareness and evolving requirements.
• Draft, review, amend and negotiate project contracts.
• Manage client expectations, deadlines and delivery of projects.
• Collaborate across teams, jurisdictions and departments in a fast-paced environment.
• Oversee matters/workstreams and optimise financial contribution.
• Assist with business development and implementation of group strategies.
• Engage with clients to build and maintain strong relationships.
• Develop legal and sector knowledge and share insights internally and externally.
• Assist with billing activities and timely invoicing.

Skills

Project development

Construction contracts

Oil, gas & energy

Contract drafting

Education

Qualified lawyer

Job description

We are currently recruiting for an Associate to join our Projects, Development & Construction team in London.

Department purpose

A&O Shearman is the world’s leading Projects, Energy and Infrastructure practice. With over 70 partners and 250 lawyers worldwide, we have, since 2000, 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 companies, debt providers, investors and governments across a wide array of sectors, including all aspects of the energy transition (including hydrogen, SAF, green fuels and carbon capture), renewables, power generation (thermal & nuclear), storage, trading and transmission, transport, telecommunications, waste & water, mining and natural resources and oil & gas (upstream, midstream and downstream).

We provide our clients with a totally integrated service from project inception and structuring through to development and financing, drawing on and marshalling A&O Shearman’s specialist skills in relation to, among other things, project development, construction, deal-structuring, bankability, equity strategy, debt financing and refinancing (including bank, private placement capital markets, ECA and multilateral) and regulatory compliance.

Role purpose

The group is currently recruiting for an associate with a specific skill base focused on construction and project development to join our market-leading Project Development & Construction team which sits within our global Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure practice.

In this respect, we are looking for someone with strong experience of revenue contracts (including from the oil & gas, mining or hydrogen sectors, PPAs and trading arrangements from the power sector), EPC/construction contracts, concessions, other commercial contracts and revenue support models, all within an energy and, preferably, project finance context. This experience will have been gained through advising on actual greenfield project development matters, and while our preference is for sponsor side experience, experience advising lenders, offtakers, governments and contractors (in that order) is also helpful.

Role & responsibilities

• Providing strategic guidance to clients 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
• Matter (or workstream) management and maximising financial contribution.
• 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.

Key requirements

• Qualified lawyer in the 3-5 PQE range, currently within a leading international law firm.
• Resilient self-starter with the 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 with outstanding interpersonal skills and a good eye for detail
• Entrepreneurial drive
• Strong commercial/business acumen
• Clear understanding of law firm economics and an understanding of the firm’s strategic priorities
• A person of sound judgement and core values, able to establish a high level of credibility

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing an onsite gym, wellbeing centre and GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, holiday entitlement increasing with length of service, holiday trading, season ticket loans and online discounts and lifestyle management services.

Our approach to hybrid working seeks to combine and maximise the benefits of effective remote working with the benefits of being in the office. Our current hybrid working arrangements require office based working for a minimum of 60% of your time (i.e. three days per week for a full time role) in accordance with our hybrid working policy.

A&O Shearman is a global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 28 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you’re helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.

What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.