Senior Legal Counsel

Climate17; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading renewable energy developer in the UK is seeking a Senior Legal Counsel to play a key role in project finance and M&A transactions. This position requires at least 8 years PQE, significant experience in cross-border environments, and a strong track record in complex projects. You'll negotiate major contracts and contribute to legal risk management while influencing strategic decisions in a growing business. Join a firm that values collaboration and innovation.

Qualifications

• 8 years PQE or equivalent experience.
• Significant experience in cross-border transactions.
• Strong track record leading complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead legal aspects of UK project finance and M&A transactions.
• Negotiate major commercial contracts.
• Support greenfield development activities.
• Identify and mitigate legal and commercial risks.
• Contribute to legal team improvements.

Skills

Project finance expertise

M&A transaction experience

Strong legal negotiation skills

Commercial judgment

Ability to manage external counsel

Education

Qualified to practice in the UK

Job description

London (Hybrid) Renewable Energy | Development | Project Finance | M&A

Climate17 are delighted to be partnering with a leading international renewable energy developer as they expand their UK legal function with the appointment of a Senior Legal Counsel.

This is a genuinely influential role for an experienced lawyer who wants to sit at the heart of a fast-growing renewable energy platform, advising across the full lifecycle of major solar and storage projects in the UK.

The Opportunity

As part of a global Legal team, the Senior Legal Counsel will work closely with the Legal Director while taking a leading role in all legal matters supporting UK development, M&A, financing, construction, and operations.

You will have significant autonomy and visibility across the business - from early-stage site development through to project delivery, acquisition, and long-term asset management. This role will suit someone who combines strong black-letter legal skills with commercial judgement, a collaborative mindset, and an appetite for building high-quality processes in a scaling organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all legal aspects of UK project finance and M&A transactions, partnering with internal deal teams and external advisers.
• Negotiate and review all major commercial contracts across the project lifecycle, including land agreements, development services agreements, EPC/O&M contracts, revenue agreements, share sale agreements, and finance documents.
• Support greenfield development activities (land, planning, permitting, grid connection) and operational teams on routine and material disputes.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate legal and commercial risks across projects, sharing knowledge updates and delivering targeted training where needed.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within the Legal team, including legal tech adoption (such as AI tools), budgeting, document standardisation, and process optimisation.

What We’re Looking For

• 8 years PQE (or equivalent experience).
• Significant experience in a cross-border environment, ideally within a reputable law firm’s energy/projects team and/or in-house at a renewable energy IPP or infrastructure business.
• Strong track record leading complex project finance and M&A transactions.
• Commercially minded with an entrepreneurial spirit, comfortable with business development and driving improvement.
• Highly collaborative, confident managing external counsel, and capable of working autonomously.
• Qualified to practice in the UK (or another common law jurisdiction with substantial relevant UK experience).

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an organisation experiencing significant growth in the UK market. You’ll help shape major renewable energy projects, influence strategic decisions, and contribute to building a modern, technology-enabled legal function within a forward-thinking business.